On Sunday, the primary recreation of the post-Invoice Belichick period formally started for the storied New England Patriots franchise, as former participant turned head coach Jerod Mayo made his debut because the chief on the sideline on the highway towards the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the Patriots parting methods with Belichick after 24 seasons whereas additionally buying and selling Matthew Judon and Mac Jones, the consensus has been that New England is in full rebuild mode and certain in competition to be one of many worst groups within the league this yr.
Nonetheless, that didn’t seem to be the case on Sunday when the Patriots went into Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati as heavy underdogs and pulled off maybe the largest upset of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
With celebrity quarterback Joe Burrow again underneath heart, the Bengals have been regarded as a reliable Tremendous Bowl title contender, however that appeared removed from the case, as New England dominated the sport from begin to end.
This recreation was emotional earlier than, throughout, and after for veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who admitted to shedding some tears earlier than they took on the Bengals due to what Mayo mentioned to him.
“Mayo got here as much as me… earlier than the sport, and he like began laughing, and he’s like, ‘Man, you’re about to win us this recreation. You’re about to ball out.’ I had by no means heard that from a coach y’know? And that meant rather a lot to me,” Brissett mentioned.
#Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett mentioned he cried 3 occasions earlier than the sport — a type of occasions was after Jerod Mayo’s pre-game pep speak.
“Mayo got here as much as me… earlier than the sport and he like began laughing and he’s like, ‘Man, you’re about to win us this recreation. You’re about to ball out.’… pic.twitter.com/ekpERY58d0
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) September 8, 2024
As a veteran journeyman, Brissett hasn’t been capable of finding a long-term job within the NFL however obtained off to an ideal begin in his second stint with the Patriots, who could possibly be a greater staff than anticipated.
Regardless that this might develop into a fluke and a nasty day for the Bengals, the Patriots will journey this momentum transferring ahead because the staff everybody anticipated to be an underdog in each recreation this season.
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