Even with Jerod Mayo on the sidelines and Jacoby Brissett under center, the New England Patriots looked mightily familiar in their season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Their 16-10 win was a classic throwback to the Patriots’ dynasty days.
New England won because it followed a recipe it perfected during Bill Belichick’s tenure as head coach: don’t shoot yourself in the foot; play complementary football; be stout in the kicking game.
The Patriots did all that in Mayo’s debut as a head coach. As a result, they now find themselves with a winning record for the first time since Week 14 of the 2022 season (don’t bother googling what happened in Week 15, though).