Brian Hoyer and Ted Johnson offer instant reaction and analysis following the Patriots’ 16-10 upset win over the Bengals, and break down what the win says about Jerod Mayo’s ability to build belief and gain buy-in from his players.
The New England Patriots heard all offseason about how bad they would be during the 2024 NFL season, and more recently they were told their chances of going into Cincinnati and beating the Bengals in Week 1 were slim to none.
Well, the Patriots made the doubters look foolish Sunday afternoon by defeating the Bengals 16-10 behind a great defensive performance, a better-than-expected outing from the offensive line and Rhamondre Stevenson having one of the best games of his career.
The Patriots led nearly the entire game and made several winning plays on both sides of the ball late in the fourth quarter.
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Just how big of an upset was the Patriots' win?
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The Patriots were 7.5-point underdogs Sunday, and according to ESPN Stats & Info (h/t ESPN's Mike Reiss), their victory is the largest Week 1 upset since 2018 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers upset the New Orleans Saints as 10-point underdogs.
When asked postgame about the Patriots being heavy underdogs Sunday, veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux replied that it was "disrespectful," per Reiss.
The last time the Patriots were 1-0 was in 2020 when Cam Newton started at quarterback and led the team to a 20-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots haven't been 2-0 since Tom Brady's final season in 2019. They'll try to accomplish that feat next Sunday in their Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
