timeThe New England Patriots are off to a sunny start in the post-Bill Belichick era. The Patriots defeated the highly anticipated playoff team the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 on the road on Sunday. New coach Jerrod Mayo, a Belichick disciple turned backup, took a soothing Gatorade bath in his first game. The Patriots trailed by eight points, and their win was the most surprising result of Week 1.
In some ways, life for the Patriots after Belichick was bleak. The coach who brought the team to six Super Bowl championships has spent this year on broadcasts, and the magic that Belichick and Tom Brady created together for nearly two decades has been impossible to recreate. But looking at it from a different perspective, when Brady left as a free agent in 2020, the old Patriots died. At Mayo, there was nothing left to keep. At this point, starting over is the only reasonable option.
The Patriots may have a long road ahead of them, but Mayo’s first game couldn’t have been better. No. 2 overall pick Drake Maye remains the team’s backup quarterback, waiting even longer to wait and see behind journeyman Jacoby Brissett, Jacoby Brissett started as Brady’s backup in 2016 and now finds himself back in Massachusetts after stints with four other teams. Brissett struggled (15-of-24 passing, 121 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions), but he was capable. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards on 25 carries and scored the team’s only touchdown.
More surprisingly, New England’s defense kept the Bengals in trouble. The Patriots appeared to be setting themselves up for a losing season when they traded talented edge rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in mid-August to add a third-round pick next year. But the rest of the Patriots performed well against two standout players — quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Jamal Chase — as well as the rest of the Cincy offense. Chase finished with 28 yards receiving but was otherwise controlled. Burrow found few open receivers on the field and managed just 164 yards on 29 passes. The Bengals didn’t establish a strong running game at home with linebacker Zack Moss (9 carries, 44 yards) and a faceoff.
It’s unlikely things will stay this bad for the Bengals. The return of No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, should be a boon. But the team looked lifeless and in need of an overhaul in a season full of ambitions.
The Patriots, on the other hand, have no such desire heading into 2024. Their realistic goal is to be a little better than last year’s 4-13 mark and see strong development from Maye, their prized quarterback of the future. It’s too early to revise expectations upward, but the Patriots would be well-positioned to win a game a week while letting Meyer continue to learn by watching. Things haven’t been easy for this team lately.
Most valuable player of the week
Baker Mayfield, quarterback, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mayfield was one of last season’s comeback stories, going from the scrapheap to becoming the Buccaneers’ quarterback. Tampa rewarded the Cleveland Browns with a three-year, $100 million contract after leading the team to the division playoffs. Mayfield was well rewarded in the first game of the deal, posting impressive numbers: 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns, helping the team finish with 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders. Mayfield will never be an All-Pro passer, but he looks a lot better (and certainly a better deal) than the Browns drafting Deshaun Watson in 2022, who has the best season in the league. One of the poorest performances. Mayfield probably doesn’t regret the Browns cutting ties with him.
Statistics for the week
18. The Pittsburgh Steelers allowed just 10 points total against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. . The Steelers never found the end zone, but Boswell tied the franchise field goal record with field goals of 57, 51, 44, 56, 40 and 25 yards. Somehow, this might not be the most impressive feature of Boswell’s afternoon: Pittsburgh pitcher Cameron Johnston was injured in the fourth quarter, and a penalty call in the game required Boswell to immediately trot out to replace Johnston. become bettor. Boswell’s first career punt went 43 yards and 40, giving Pittsburgh’s defense critical breathing room in a game trailing by a score. Rarely do kickers have a day as good as today.
Video of the week
The Indianapolis Colts selected Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, betting they could convert his size, athleticism and arm strength into a great NFL quarterback. An injury sustained in the fourth game of his rookie season put Richardson’s experience on hold for nearly a full year. But now the 22-year-old is back, and one of his first pitches of 2024 was one of the most impressive any fan has ever seen in his lifetime. Richardson had just slipped and was being pressured by a pass rusher. He quickly got up and fired a beautiful 60-yard touchdown to Alec Pierce to give Indy an early win against the Houston Texans. lead. The list of quarterbacks who can make this throw is very short. In fact, it might just have one name: Richardson. The Colts lost 29-27 to the Houston Texans, with Richardson completing just 9 of 19 passes for 212 yards.
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Elsewhere in the league
Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL and led the Los Angeles Chargers to a 22-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. When Harbaugh last coached in the league in 2014, the Chargers and Raiders weren’t even in their current cities. It was a triumphant return for Harbaugh, who spent the next few years building Michigan into a national championship college program. Tailback JK Dobbins was the team’s star player in Week 1, rushing for 135 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Harbaugh’s prized quarterback Justin Herbert didn’t have his most productive day (144 yards and one touchdown) but avoided big trouble.
“In order to move forward, they need to stop going backwards.” With quotes like that, Tom Brady’s broadcast debut wasn’t exactly a smash hit. Our own Aaron Timms had more of a stumbling performance.
Did you think the Carolina Panthers were terrible last season? Wait until you meet them this time. The team with the worst record in the NFL started the year with a 47-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints. It was a miserable debut for head coach Dave Canales, perhaps even worse than that for second-year quarterback Bryce Young. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick was a complete disaster, failing to throw the ball all afternoon and looking completely overwhelmed against a New Orleans defense that was more than happy to throw big on him. Have a meal. Young completed just 13 of 30 pass attempts with no touchdowns and two interceptions. There’s no real light at the end of the tunnel for Charlotte, but at least the Panthers retain next year’s first-round pick. That’s an improvement from 2024, when their No. 1 pick fell to the Chicago Bears due to poor performance.
Tyreek Hill is having a weird day. Police arrested the Miami Dolphins superstar wide receiver on his way to the team’s stadium Sunday morning, briefly handcuffed him and pinned him face down on the ground. Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said police escalated the situation unnecessarily. However, he got free during warmups and then had a typical afternoon: a come-from-behind win over the Jacksonville Jaguars that included seven catches for 130 yards. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Jaguars had a 93.2 percent chance of winning late in the game but ended up losing the game with a 14-0 lead. Hill’s biggest contribution was an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown from Tua Tagovailoa. Naturally, he celebrated the score with a handcuff-themed celebration. Miami police have assigned a field officer to administrative duties.
The NFL’s new “Dynamic Kickoff” has its first day of action. In the new system, tacklers and blockers are positioned closer to the returning team’s end zone, and no one can move until the ball hits the “landing zone” between the goal line and the receiving team’s 20-yard line. . The league’s goal is to encourage more (and more exciting) kickoff returns while reducing the likelihood of injury. It will take some time to see how teams respond to the rule, but Sunday brought an encouraging start. Last season, just four kickoff returns were returned for touchdowns. DeeJay Dallas of the Arizona Cardinals kicked a field goal from 96 yards against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. In the NFL, even one punt return touchdown every week adds a lot of fun.
