Patriots Shock NFL With Bengals Upset

The New England Patriots sent a message and shocked the NFL with an upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

New England Patriots corner back Marcus Jones (25) celebrates with his team in the second quarter of the NFL game against the New England Patriots at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The New England Patriots started a new era of football this afternoon. In their first game of the Jerod Mayo era, the Patriots were able to pull off a big 16-10 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jacoby Brissett also started his tenure as the team's starting quarterback.

When everything was said and done, Brissett ended up completing 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 121 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also picked up 32 yards on seven carries.

Rhamondre Stevenson was the star of the game for New England. He was a workhorse on the ground, picking up 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Those numbers average out to a very solid 4.8 yards per carry.

Defensively, the Patriots were able to completely shut down Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Burrow threw for 164 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. Nothing looked good for Cincinnati on the offensive side of the ball.

New England saw defensive end Keon White step up in a huge way with 2.5 sacks.

It wasn't the prettiest game, but a win is a win. The Patriots are 1-0 to start the year and beating the Bengals was no easy task. This is a win to be very proud of and a statement being made by New England.

Looking ahead to Week 2 action, the Patriots will have their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Once again, they will not be favored to win.

Despite the national media not giving New England much of a chance to compete this season, it's clear that Mayo and company believe otherwise. Today was a great start and it will be interesting to see if the team can pull off another upset next week to move to 2-0.

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