CINCINNATI — The special thing about a Gatorade bath, Jerod Mayo learned Sunday afternoon, is not so much the immediate chills or the powerful impact of the liquid and ice cubes. It’s the soaked shoes that accompany such a celebration.
Mayo wore a new pair of Nikes, fresh shoes for a new post-Bill Belichick era, his first game in a role he’d long wanted. After the shower he got after the New England Patriots’ shocking 16-10 win over the Bengals, Mayo had to run across the field with blue-smeared shoes and Gatorade between his socks. It felt great.
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How New England’s offense and defense suffocated Cincinnati in Mayo’s debut
This wasn’t just a mediocre season-opening win for the Patriots. The sideline erupted in cheers as the offense went into victory formation, so physical and tough on the running game that New England ran down the clock in the fourth quarter and gave Joe Burrow no chance to orchestrate a game-winning attack.
The Patriots heard all offseason how bad they would be. No one gave them a chance this season. The optimists among us estimated about seven wins. Their roster stinks, they said. The plan is outdated. Who will win in 2024 by playing good defense, running the ball effectively, and controlling the clock?
On Sunday, the Patriots did it. They brought their widely derided plan to Cincinnati and beat a team with (if far-fetched) Super Bowl hopes. So, yes, the sidelines went a little crazy. High fives and bro hugs and a Gatorade bath.
GOT IT!! @Gatorade
pic.twitter.com/u8iUk0kXKM— New England Patriots (@Patriots) 8 September 2024
In a different era of Patriots football with very different expectations, few outside the building could have predicted such a scene in Week 1. But that’s how it’s been for these Patriots over the last six months.
They listened as everyone (including us here) cast skepticism on their strategy. They watched as several free agent wide receivers turned them down, even when they offered them more money. But they didn’t hide from their plan. It seemed crazy for the modern NFL, and it certainly seemed crazy for this re-forming, maladjusted team.
An inexperienced offensive coordinator with a terrible offensive line was supposed to develop an above-average running game? Sure. And an inexperienced, 35-year-old defensive coordinator was supposed to replace the greatest coach of all time when it came to developing game plans to confuse quarterbacks like Burrow? Please.
No, the Patriots are not a team fighting for the Super Bowl. But Sunday showed that this is a competent Team that ensures exciting things during the renovation and at the same time offers a glimmer of hope for the future.
“Hopefully the fans see what we’re trying to build,” Mayo said afterwards. “I talk about it taking time – and we’re not where we want to be yet. But we’re on the right track.”
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It seems only appropriate to start a discussion of this game with the defense. Mayo had insisted he was confident on that side of the ball even after the Pats lost their two best pass rushers. He expressed confidence in what DeMarcus Covington was building, even with legitimate questions about how Belichick’s absence could lead to a drop in the unit’s performance.
Instead, Covington developed a mixed coverage, rotating defensive line plan that confused one of the league’s smartest quarterbacks and turned an explosive offense into a failed dud.
The plan, Jabrill Peppers continued, was essentially to test their patience. You can make the 4-yard pass, but we’re taking away the deep throws. Are you disciplined enough to do that over and over again for four quarters without making a mistake?
The Bengals weren’t, not against that Patriots defense, not that day. No matter how you look at it, Burrow was bad, managing just 164 yards on 29 attempts. His expected scoring gains tied him with the worst of the week alongside Bryce Young and Daniel Jones. That’s what New England’s defense is capable of.
According to Next Gen Stats, a close race for the worst EPA day by a quarterback.
Bryce Young -12.6
Daniel Jones -12.4
Joe Burrow-12.4— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) 8 September 2024
“We don’t really listen to the outside players,” said cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who shadowed Ja’Marr Chase and limited him to 62 receiving yards. “We know everyone here believes in that.”
The other part of the Patriots’ plan is bolder. They aren’t worried about their offensive line. Eliot Wolf is downright defiant in his belief that the unit can be good. They believe they can still run the ball well.
That’s why Jerod Mayo had a candid conversation with Rhamondre Stevenson in the spring. He wanted the running back to know how important he would be this season and how much they could rely on him.
In a passing league, the Patriots want to control the game by running well. They want to play physical and weaken the opposing defense. They did that with Stevenson, who had 25 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown.
.@dreeday32 Hit it to score!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/kDNUiPHMWZ
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) 8 September 2024
That’s another reason for the excitement on the sidelines at the end of the game. It’s one thing to run the ball early in the game when the opposing defense is blocking the pass.
“But to be a physical team, you can run the ball when they knowledge “Are you going to run the ball?” Peppers said.
The Patriots did it. They brought the ball within six points with 2:13 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The whole stadium knew Stevenson would get the ball. He got it four times in a row with handoffs right up the middle. And the Bengals still couldn’t stop him.
“There comes a point where they know we’re running it, we know we’re running it, and all the fans know we’re running it – and we still have to gain 4 yards,” Mayo said. “In those cases, it’s really man-to-man. It’s nothing to do with X’s and O’s. It’s about dominating the player opposite, and that’s what these guys did.”
This plan is not the answer for New England forever. One day they will turn to Drake Maye. The offense will be more dynamic. At some point they will reconsider their recruitment of a top receiver.
But against the Bengals, the current plan looked competent and inspired confidence. On this day, after everything the Patriots had heard over the past six months about how bad they would be, that was cause for celebration.
Even with wet shoes.
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(Photo by Marcus Jones: Katie Stratman / Imagn Images)
