The post-Bill Belichick era for the New England Patriots is off to a sunny start. The Patriots went on the road Sunday and beat the Cincinnati Bengalsa highly anticipated playoff team, 16-10. New coach Jerrod Mayo, a Belichick disciple turned backup, took a soothing Gatorade bath in his first game. The Patriots were eight-point underdogs, and their victory was the most surprising result of the first week of action.
On one level, life for the Patriots after Belichick looked bleak. The coach who brought the franchise six Super Bowls is spending this year doing broadcasting gigs, and there’s no way to recapture Belichick’s magic and Tom Brady The Patriots were built together for nearly two decades. But from a different perspective, the Patriots of old died when Brady walked out the door as a free agent in 2020. There was nothing left to preserve by the time the Patriots parted ways with Belichick late last season and hired Mayo, his former linebacker and assistant coach. A fresh start was, at that point, the only reasonable choice.
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The Patriots may still have a long way to go, but Mayo’s first game couldn’t have gone better. No. 2 overall pick Drake Maye remains the team’s backup quarterback for a little while longer, waiting and watching behind Jacoby Brissett, who started as Brady’s backup in 2016 and now finds himself back in Massachusetts after playing for four other teams. Brissett wasn’t great (15 of 24 passes for 121 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions) but he was competent. Rhamondre Stevenson carried the ball 25 times for 120 yards and scored the team’s lone touchdown.
More surprisingly, New England’s defense put the Bengals through the wringer. The Patriots traded talented edge rusher Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons in mid-August, seemingly condemning themselves to a lost season as they added a third-round draft pick next year. But the Patriots’ remaining players put on an inspired performance against two standouts — quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase — and the rest of Cincy’s offense. Chase had a 28-yard reception but was otherwise held in check. Burrow couldn’t find many open receivers on the field and threw for just 164 yards on 29 throws. The Bengals didn’t establish a robust running game with running back Zack Moss (nine carries, 44 yards) and his face planted in the house.
The Bengals’ situation is unlikely to remain this bad. No. 2 Tee Higgins has not played because of a hamstring injury, and his return should be a blessing. But the team has looked surprisingly lifeless and will need a complete reset in a season that began with lofty ambitions.
In contrast, the Patriots entered 2024 without such aspirations. Their realistic goals were to improve slightly from last year’s 4-13 mark and see some development from Maye, their QB of the future. It’s too early to raise expectations, but any week the Patriots win a game while letting Maye continue to learn by watching is a good thing. And lately, this franchise hasn’t had many good days.
MVP of the week
Baker Mayfield, Quarterback, Tampa Bay BuccaneersMayfield was one of last season’s comeback stories, going from the trash to the Bucs’ franchise quarterback. After taking the team to the divisional round of the playoffs, Tampa rewarded the relegated Cleveland Browns with a three-year, $100 million contract. Mayfield delivered in his first game under the contract, posting impressive numbers: 24-of-30 passing for 289 yards and four touchdowns in one 37-20 victory against the Washington CommandersMayfield will never be an All-Pro passer, but he appears to be a much better player (and certainly more of a bargain) than the man the Browns selected instead in 2022: Deshaun Watson, who had one of the worst performances of an increasingly lost career in a crushing defeat 33-17 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Mayfield probably doesn’t regret the Browns cutting ties with him.
Statistic of the week
18. The total points scored by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, who could only score 10. Each of those Pittsburgh points came off the right foot of kicker Chris Boswell, who made 6 of 6 field goals. The Steelers never found the end zone, but Boswell made field goals of 57, 51, 44, 56, 40 and 25 yards, tying a franchise record for field goals. In some ways, that may not be the most impressive fact of Boswell’s afternoon: Pittsburgh kicker Cameron Johnston was injured in the fourth quarter, and a penalty on the play forced Boswell to come out immediately and replace Johnston as a backup. bettorBoswell’s first career punt went 43 yards and returned 40 yards, giving Pittsburgh’s defense some crucial breathing room in a one-point game. Few kickers have had a day as good as this one.
Video of the week
The Indianapolis Colts took Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, banking on his size, athleticism, and arm strength to make him a great NFL quarterback. An injury in the fourth game of his rookie season put the Richardson experiment on hold for nearly a year. But now the 22-year-old is back, and one of his first throws of 2024 was one of the most impressive throws a football fan has ever seen. Richardson had just slipped and had a pass rusher coming toward him when he quickly charged in and threw a magnificent 60-yard touchdown to Alec Pierce, giving Indy an early lead against the Houston Texans. The list of quarterbacks capable of making that throw is very short. In fact, it might just be one name: Richardson. The Colts lost to the Houston Texans, 29-27with Richardson completing just nine of 19 passes but getting 212 yards on them.
Elsewhere in the league
• Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL with a 22-10 victory for his Los Angeles Chargers against the Las Vegas Raiders. The last time Harbaugh coached in the league in 2014, neither the Chargers nor the Raiders were in their current cities. It was a triumphant return for Harbaugh, who spent the intervening years building Michigan into a national championship college program. Running back J.K. Dobbins was the star of his team in Week 1, carrying 10 times for 135 yards and a touchdown. Harbaugh’s prized quarterback, Justin Herbert, didn’t have his most efficient day (144 yards and a touchdown) but avoided major trouble.
• “To move forward, they have to stop moving backward.” With quotes like that, Tom Brady’s television debut wasn’t exactly a success. Our own Aaron Timms says more about a stumbling performance.
• You thought the Carolina Panthers were bad last season? Wait until you see them this time. The NFL the worst managed franchise lost 47-10 to the New Orleans Saints It was a miserable start to the year for head coach Dave Canales, and it was perhaps a few degrees worse than that for second-year quarterback Bryce Young. The 2023 first overall pick was an unmitigated disaster, missing his throws all afternoon and looking completely overwhelmed by a New Orleans defense that was all too happy to feast on him. Young completed just 13 of his 30 pass attempts for no touchdowns and two interceptions. There’s no real light at the end of the tunnel in Charlotte yet, but at least the Panthers are keeping their own first-round pick for next year. That’s an improvement over 2024, when the first pick they earned with poor play went to the Chicago Bears.
• Tyreek Hill had a strange day. Police apprehended the Miami Dolphins’ star wide receiver on the way to the team stadium on Sunday morningbriefly handcuffing him and pinning him face down on the ground. Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said the officers unnecessarily escalated the situation. He was free for warmups, though, and went on to have a typical afternoon: a comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars that included seven receptions for 130 yards. The Jaguars had a 93.2 percent chance to win late in the game, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, but ultimately blew a game they led 14-0. Hill’s biggest contribution was an 80-yard touchdown run from Tua Tagovailoa. He celebrated the score, naturally, with a handcuff-themed celebrationMiami police have already assigned one of the officers to the scene to administrative tasks.
• The NFL’s new “dynamic kickoff” had its first day of real action. In the new system, tacklers and blockers position themselves much closer to the returning team’s end zone, and no one can move until the ball lands in a “landing zone” between the goal line and the receiving team’s 20-yard line. The league’s goal is to further encourage (and more exciting) kickoff returns while reducing the risk of injuries. It will take some time to see how teams respond to the rule, but Sunday brought an encouraging start. Last season, only four kickoff returns resulted in TDs. On Sunday, DeeJay Dallas of the Arizona Cardinals I took one home to 96 yards against the Buffalo Bills. Even just one kick return touchdown every week in the NFL would be more fun.
• Josh Allen, who threw two touchdowns Sunday and ran for two more, injured his left (non-throwing) hand in the Bills’ win over the Cardinals. He went to the X-ray room after the game but his hand was not bandaged when he spoke to reporters.
