A new era has begun in New England, and it's going great so far. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo won his NFL debut as a head coach Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Following the win, Mayo got a nice Gatorade bath from his players.

The Patriots defeated the Bengals behind some great play from their defense. The Patriots held Cincy to just 10 total points in the game. New England is now 1-0 on the year, and needs just three more victories to match the win total from last season.

Following the game, Mayo had a clear message to send about his team.

“We still left a lot of plays out there but we’re going to enjoy this one,” he said, per The Athletic.

New England also made Mayo's day with some strong rushing. Tailback Rhamondre Stevenson galloped for 120 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. The team also got some good news earlier in the day when running back Antonio Gibson returned to the team from a hip injury. Gibson picked up 18 yards on seven carries in the Week 1 game.

“Without them, I'm nothing,” Mayo said after the game about all his players, per MassLive.

The Patriots look to Jerod Mayo for a return to glory

New England finished 4-13 in 2023, and it marked the disappointing end to the Bill Belichick era. Since Tom Brady left the northeast, it has been tough sledding for the powerful Patriots franchise.

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Mayo worked as an assistant to Belichick, from 2019-2023 as inside linebackers coach. Mayo now has the keys to the New England kingdom. The Patriots couldn't have asked for a better beginning, with the win over the Bengals. Cincinnati was without Tee Higgins for the game, but Ja'Marr Chase ended up playing for the team. He finished the game with 6 catches for 62 yards.

Mayo praised his team's owner, Robert Kraft, following his first win as a head coach. It seems that there's a lot of love between the head coach and the front office, at least for now.

It's all sunshine and rainbows for at least one day in New England, as the Patriots can take the rest of Sunday to celebrate Mayo's first win. On Monday, the team must start Week 2 preparations. The Patriots' next game is against the Seattle Seahawks.