Julian Edelman couldn't contain his excitement while watching the New England Patriots pull off their stunning Week 1 upset vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.
The ex-Patriots wide receiver saluted long-snapper Joe Cardona for his forced fumble on a punt return, praised running back Rhamondre Stevenson for his performance, and congratulated Jerod Mayo for his first win as a head coach. On Monday, he continued to show love for his former team during his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.
"I gotta give a shoutout to my Patriots," Edelman said. "Going into Cincinnati, getting a big win. Everyone's been talking about everyone else. 'The Patriots are gonna be a four-win team.' And they very well could be, but the way they came out and set the tone for their season, not turning the ball over, jamming (Rhamondre) Stevenson down your throat, Jacoby Brissett making big plays when the team needed it, turnovers on special teams with Joe Cardona the long-snapper making a big tackle and forced fumble.
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"I'm so happy for Jerod Mayo because that's gotta be such a hard spot to be in. You're coming in after Bill Belichick, let's be real. But it was kind of ironic because it looked like such a Bill Belichick-type game."
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Eisen asked Edelman if he saw any similarities between Mayo's Patriots and the Belichick-led Patriots he spent his NFL career with.
"One hundred percent," Edelman answered. "You look at how they played the game, they didn't turn the ball over, they played fundamentally sound, I think they were 55 percent on third down, the Bengals were about 40 or something. ... They took the ball away twice, they had great field position with their special teams. Gotta give a shoutout to the punt unit, the hidden yardage.
"It was a tough team win and that's what we prided ourselves on. So it was really great for Jerod Mayo and the Patriots to get out there and start this new legacy of what they are with a W."
If the Patriots' Week 1 performance was a harbinger of what's to come, Mayo's group should exceed expectations in 2024. A 2-0 start to the campaign is in play with Edelman calling next Sunday's showdown with the Seattle Seahawks "a winnable game."
Kickoff for that matchup is set for 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.