CINCINNATI — Jerod Mayo told the world last Wednesday.

He said it point blank.

How the Patriots would pull off the biggest upset of Week 1 in Cincinnati, doubters and oddsmakers be damned.

“I think we have to go out there and really be able to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball,” Mayo said Wednesday. “I think we need to play well on special teams as well, but it’s about the line of scrimmage. It’s about controlling the line of scrimmage and controlling the game.”

Check, check, upset.

The Patriots handled the Bengals up front, steamrolling their way to victory with four straight runs behind six offensive linemen that killed the clock and the game. Rhamondre Stevenson scrapped out five yards, then nine, three and nine more to seal the win. All 66,214 fans in attendance knew Stevenson was getting the ball each and every play.

He sent them home anyway.

“Big boy football,” said Pats defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. “Rhamondre Stevenson had an unbelievable game, Jacoby (Brissett playing) complementary football had a great game. And the offensive line, all the trash that’s been talked about them, preseason with some ups and downs, and they came out and pounded the football and hit Cincinnati’s defense in the mouth.”

Defensively, the Pats kept their promise, too. They sacked Joe Burrow three times and hit him on another snap. They allowed a single run to cover more than eight yards. Cincinnati finished with 224 harmless yards.

New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (5) celebrates as he walks off the field after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Cincinnati. The Patriots won 16-10. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

A credit to Mayo. A credit to his coaching staff. And, of course, the players who labored through a summer that stole Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore — their two best pass rushers — away from them.

“Hunger, discipline, I could use a bunch of words to describe it,” Godchaux said of the win.

And between their run-heavy drives and defensive stops, the Patriots’ special teams starred.

New kicker Joey Slye made three field goal attempts, something Chad Ryland achieved once all of last year. Longtime long snapper Joe Cardona charged downfield to force a fumble in the third quarter. Young punter Bryce Baringer dropped three of his five punts inside Cincinnati’s 20, while the Patriots averaged 45.6 net yards per punt.

This is how the Patriots won. Zero turnovers, a respectable run game, menacing defense and strong special teams. Mayo handed his players a winning plan, and they delivered a win in return, triumphing as 8.5-point underdogs for the first time in six tries and the first time since 2016.

“It’s easy to believe Mayo. He’s been in our shoes before, he’s been in this position,” Stevenson said. “So when he says something, I just ride with him and believe him. It was great that we went through with it. We pounded the rock.”

Gatorade-drenched Jerod Mayo reacts to winning first game as Patriots head coach

It’s also how the Patriots must win moving forward. Stevenson is their most talented and proven skill-position player. He racked up 120 rushing yards for his first 100-yard game in almost two years and saw a game-high 27 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, K.J. Osborn led all pass-catchers with six targets and caught half of them for 21 yards. No Patriot even topped 31 receiving yards, while Jacoby Brissett finished 15-of-24 or 121 yards.

But, the most important number for Brissett was zero. He committed zero turnovers, and Brissett’s ability to protect the ball was something the Patriots were counting on when they signed him, mindful of his 1.4% career interception rate, tied for lowest in NFL history.

On that front, Sunday’s game also hinged on some defensive luck.

Kyle Dugger punched the ball out from tight end Tanner Hudson at the Patriots’ 2-yard line midway through the second quarter and Marcus Jones recovered it. Bengals punt returner Charlies Jones lost possession on Cardina’s hit in the third quarter, and Burrow let the ball slip a split second after his knee hit the ground on the next drive.

Related Articles

Gatorade-drenched Jerod Mayo reacts to winning first game as Patriots head coach

Patriots shock Bengals with 16-10 win in Jerod Mayo’s first game as head coach

Patriots-Bengals inactives notes: Rookie Javon Baker won’t dress Week 1

NFL Notes: The Patriots’ defensive whiz replacing Bill Belichick isn’t Jerod Mayo

Patriots elevate two players from practice squad, including potential starter

The first two fumbles led to Patriots field goals, needed insurance in a game they led by six points entering the fourth quarter. The latter, reversed on replay review, allowed Cincinnati to score its only touchdown late in the third quarter.

It was at that time the Bengals seemed poised to change course and climb back. Instead, the Pats answered with a draining drive that sapped 7:24 off the clock and ended in a field goal. A matching field goal was all Cincinnati could muster, unable to move the Patriots off their game plan and a lead few saw coming.

Behold, Week 1; an unpredictable, often ugly, yet marvelous weekend that annually reminds NFL prognosticators everywhere that nothing is certain.

Except this season that the Patriots’ winning formula is a timeless one, much like their victory on Sunday.