The New England Patriots upset the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 to earn new head coach Jerrod Mayo his first career win on Sunday at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After building a 10-0 lead in the first half, New England would go 3-and-out on their opening 2^nd half possession, but Joe Cardona would force Charlie Jones to fumble during a punt return to set up a 35-yard field goal from Joey Slye.

Following a Patriots punt, Cincinnati would finally get on the board late in the 3^rd quarter when Zack Moss rushed into the endzone from five yards out to set the score 13-7.

Both teams would then exchange successful field goals, but after stopping the halting the Patriots’ offense, the Bengals had a chance late to take the lead. Following two incompletions, Joe Burrow would complete a 5-yard pass to Zack Moss.

Instead of going for it on 4^th down, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor elected to punt late in the closing quarter.

New England’s lead back, Rhamondre Stevenson, would then rush for two first downs, which gave the Patriots the ability to chew the remaining clock and obtain their first win under the new regime.

The Patriots were led by their defense that managed to force two turnovers and hold the Bengals’ offense to two scores. Keion White conducted the defensive effort by keeping Joe Burrow under duress.

White recorded 2.5 sacks and 4 total tackles with 3 QB hits.

Additionally, the safety duo of Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers continue to be a staple of the New England defense. Dugger and Peppers combined for 12 total tackles, a pass deflection, and a forced fumble.

Ja’Whaun Bentley added 12 total tackles, 0.5 sack, and a QB hit.

On offense, Rhamondre Stevenson led the charge by rushing for 120 yards on 25 carries and scoring the team’s lone touchdown. With his performance, New England has a 100-yard game rusher for the first time since Stevenson’s 172 yards on 19 carries display on December 18, 2022.

Jacoby Brissett recorded 121 passing yards on 15/24 passing and 32 rushing yards on 7 carries.

Tight ends Austin Hopper and Hunter Henry combined for 4 receptions and 49 yards.

For the Cincinnati Bengals, their star QB/WR duo of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase led the way. Burrow recorded 164 yards on 21/29 passing, while Chase added 62 yards on 6 receptions.

Zack Moss added 44 yards on 9 carries with 1 TD.

Patriots Show Improvement Under New Leadership

In their first game without legendary head coach Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots were able to display some advancements on their offense and continue to develop their talented defense.

Though New England only managed to reach the endzone once, they were able to play without making self-enforced errors, protecting Jacoby Brissett in the pocket, and converting on third down.

Keeping possession of the ball and keeping the QB clean were two areas the Patriots offense struggled with last season. In 2023, the Patriots finished 27^th in turnover lost with 29 and 23^rd in sacks allowed with 48.

Against the Bengals, New England were able to win the turnover battle and only give up one sack.

“You just try to get guys to play with each other. Play within the system,” said David Andrews. “I think years we’ve had success upfront guys don’t have to do anything special. Pay within the system. Do your job”.

“If you play within the system [and] if you trust your technique, you can have success,” said David Andrews. “For the most part, I thought we did that today”.

After the departure of coach Belichick, a big question was if New England could continue to play well defensively. Last season, the Patriots’ defense finished 7^th in yards allowed and 5^th in first downs allowed.

New England’s performance in Cincinnati suggests that the defense has translated from the previous coaching regime.

“[The defense] came out on fire. We challenged those guys,” said head coach Jerod Mayo. “Everyone was talking about Cincy’s offense, how explosive they are, and [the defense] answered the call”.

The Patriots came into this season with a ton of pressure because of the new pieces, specifically in the coaching staff, that were added during the offseason. So far, they seem to be embracing the pressure and responding to it on the field.

“Coming on the road versus a good team week 1. New head coach. New offensive coordinator. New defensive coordinator,” said Jacoby Brissett. “All these things stacked up against us and none of that mattered once we got between those white lines”.

Up Next

Next week New England goes home to play their first home game of the season at Gilette Stadium against the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Bengals go on the road next week to play the defending champions, Kansas City Chiefs.