The New England Patriots engineered the most surprising Week 1 upset in years when they traveled to Cincinnati last weekend and beat the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10.
The impact of the win goes beyond the standings, according to former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.
"With the game the Patriots played, and to come out in Week 1 and have a huge victory against a team they probably should have lost to, it's great for that building," Edelman said Monday on FOX Sports 1 show The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
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"Because that coaching staff, Jerod Mayo, everything they've been preaching to the team in organized team activities, minicamp, training camp -- everything that they've been preaching just showed that it worked.
"The messaging worked. That's how you get guys to buy in. That's how you get your confidence to grow larger. That's how you get guys to come in a little earlier because everything they worked hard on, they got production from. They got a taste of what it's like to win and be 1-0."
"Everything that they've been preaching just showed that it worked. That's how you get guys to buy in."@Edelman11 talks about the Patriots win vs the Bengals pic.twitter.com/c5TBc728bV
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) September 10, 2024
Patriots players after the game were very complimentary of Mayo, who earned his first career win as a head coach. It's clear that they respect him and are willing to play hard for him, which is obviously a great sign. And it was clear throughout the win that the Patriots had a tremendous game plan and were better conditioned than the Bengals. They earned the victory.
The last time the Patriots were 1-0 was 2020 when Cam Newton started at quarterback in a win over the Miami Dolphins. They were unable to improve to 2-0 after losing a close Week 2 game to the Seattle Seahawks on the road.
This year, the Seahawks travel to Foxboro for Week 2. Edelman is confident the Patriots can beat the Seahawks if they follow the script from the season opener.
"This second week against Seattle, Seattle has to come across the country, they have a new head coach. The Patriots, if they play like they did last week, they'll win and be 2-0. Mistake free, get a couple turnovers, win the special teams battle, win on third down. They did every single one of those things. It looked like a stereotypical Bill Belichick-type game."
Kickoff for Sunday's Week 2 matchup is set for 1 p.m. ET.
