The Patriots got two takeaways and Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for over 100 yards as New England knocked off the Cincinnati Bengals with an opening-day victory for new head coach Jerod Mayo, 16-10.
New England got off to a fast start, containing Joe Burrow and holding a shorthanded Bengal offense to zero first-half points. Cinci would eventually come to life but the Patriots were able to do enough in response, including a final defensive stop and an offensive drive that ran the clock out, to make their early lead hold up.
Strong special teams play and hard running from Rhamondre Stevenson were keys to the victory as were the takeaways by the defense and special teams. It was the kind of complementary win that fans saw plenty of during the Patriots dynasty and it was an encouraging start under the new regime.
Here are the plays and players that stood out in the Rapid Recap!
1. Pats Start Strong
It was a strong start for New England as they held the Bengals without a first down through their first two possessions and then strung together a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that was capped off with a three-yard Rhamondre Stevenson run.
New England converted three third downs on the drive, including a crossing pass to DeMario Douglas and a 17-yard scramble by Jacoby Brissett. Brissett did a good job running the offense in the early going, standing tall in the pocket while completing 5-of-8 passes for 51 yards in the first quarter.
Meanwhile, the Pats defense controlled the line of scrimmage, containing a Bengals offense that was missing Tee Higgins and only had limited availability from Ja'Marr Chase. New England took away Burrow's deep part of the field, forcing Burrow to take check-downs that were all quickly tackled. Burrow started 3-for-3 but was sacked twice through the first three Bengal possessions as Cinci couldn't pick up a first down in the game's early stages.
Overall, it was an encouraging start to the season in all three phases. Bryce Baringer did his part on special teams by landing a punt at Cinci's 11-yard line early on.
2. Pats D Bends, Then Stops With a Takeaway
After a slow start for the Bengals offense, they got in gear on their fourth possession and put together a 13-play drive that took them into the Patriots red zone. Burrow and the offense converted three different third downs along the way and looked like they were finally going to hit pay dirt with a touchdown throw to Mike Gesicki until the play was overturned upon review.
On the ensuing third down, Burrow hit tight end Tanner Hudson on a crossing route that looked like it was headed into the end zone, but the Patriots defense did what they often do best... force turnovers. Kyle Dugger hit the ball out out of Hudson's arms and Marcus Jones caught the bouncing fumble on the run, slamming the door shut on any points and handing the ball back to the Patriots offense.
It was a nice bounce-back moment for Dugger, who was nearly victimized for a touchdown on the play earlier but came up with the defense's first takeaway of the year.
3. NE takes 10-0 Lead to Half
Off the takeaway, the Patriots put together another scoring drive, largely powered by the strong running of Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson had 60 yards on 11 carries in the first half and 39 of those yards came on three consecutive plays on this final drive of the first half.
The drive stumbled in the red zone, with Brissett making an ill-advised throw to Hunter Henry that was nearly picked off in the end zone. Still, it was enough for New England to take a two-score lead into the locker room at halftime off of Joey Slye's 32-yard field goal.
It was a solid first half of football for the Patriots. Their defense was aggressive and got a takeaway while the offense was balanced and effective with two multi-play scoring drives.
4. Special Teams, Defense Get It Back
The Patriots offense opened the third quarter with a lackluster three plays and were forced to punt the ball away when the game's next big play happened. New captain Joe Cardona jarred the ball loose from the returner and Jaylinn Hawkins pounced on the loose fumble, handing the ball back to the Patriots inside Bengals territory.
That made for two takeaways, an encouraging sign for a team that struggled to force them in 2023.
Once again the Bengals defense held strong, allowing only seven yards but they were still enough for Slye, who hit a 35-yard field goal that extended the lead to 13-0 Patriots early in the third quarter. New England's passing offense started to stumble as the game wore on, while the running game produced tough yards.
The defense came through with another big play on the Bengals ensuing possession. First, a third-down incompletion forced the Bengals to go for it on 4th-and-2 from New England's 36-yard line. Burrow quickly fired a pass to avoid the coming Patriots pressure, but Jonathan Jones shot forward and made an impressive open-field tackle short of the line to gain.
After forcing two takeaways the fourth-down stop was like a third-straight, holding the Bengals to no points halfway through the third quarter.
5. Bengals Wake Up, Pats Counter
After giving the ball back to the Patriots too many times, Burrow and the Bengals offense finally kicked into gear, led by their rushing attack. A 20-yard pass interference penalty on Marco Wilson got the drive started and then suddenly Cincinnati was controlling the line of scrimmage and gashing the Patriots run defense for big gains.
Zack Moss finished the drive off with a five-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to 14-6. The Bengals did not face a single third down on the drive.
The shift in momentum was tangible as the game entered the fourth quarter with the Patriots needing to mount a response to the surging Bengals.
Respond they would, leaning on their two tight ends Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, who came through with big catches each, Brissett settled down enough to engineer a third double-digit play drive. New England went 52 yards in 12 plays, re-extending the lead to two scores with a 37-yard field goal with Slye's third successful kick of the game.
6. Bengals Stay Close
The Patriots defense turned things around themselves, despite allowing a 28-yard completion to Ja'Marr Chase early on the Bengals next drive. The Pats stiffened and did not allow another first down, with Keion White getting a third-down sack to hold the Bengals to a field goal that made it 16-10 with just over six minutes to play.
The Patriots offense got another big run from Stevenson on their next possession but were unable to pick up another first down, punting the ball back to the Bengals. However, the defense would get a big stop and force a late punt from Burrow and company, giving Brissett and the Pats offense another chance to close out the game.
Stevenson once again led the way with his hard running as New England was able to move the ball far enough to run out the clock and seal the victory.
7. The Patriots Start the Season 1-0
With the win the Patriots start 1-0 for the first time since 2020 and earn an unexpected opening day win over one of the best teams in the AFC, albeit one that was missing one of their star receivers while their other biggest threat was limited.
Still, it's just the kind of positive reinforcement that a new team with a lot of new and young pieces can build off. It was a team win in which all three phases came through with critical plays.
Next up, the Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in New England for the home opener.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
