Happy… Victory Monday?
What?!
For the first time since 2020, the New England Patriots have started their season with a win and are now 1-0.
That’s right, folks – the Patriots have a winning record.
And while it is indeed Victory Monday, it is also Overreaction Monday, with fans everywhere either panicking or looking at Super Bowl hotels or coping or rationalizing or whatever else we do on the first Monday after Week 1 games, even though we know with absolute certainty that what happens in Week 1 doesn’t actually mean anything. So yes, let’s all enjoy it — but let’s also…
Fuck it. Let’s just enjoy it.
1. It makes me very happy to say that this was an old-school Patriots win. They were more physical. They won at the line of scrimmage. They forced turnovers without allowing any. They were superior on special teams. They won the battle for possession. They limited the opponent’s best weapon. The quarterback made smart decisions. It was just what we had become so accustomed to for 20 years that we found things like, “I can’t believe they didn’t go all out on fourth down and 49-10” to complain about.
2. Let’s start with the biggest surprise of the day, the offense. We all knew that to be successful against this Bengals team, the Patriots would need long, sustained, error-free offenses that would take up a lot of time and wear out the defense with a tiring running game. And we all also knew – or at least we thought we knew – that with such a bad offensive line, it would be very difficult to get anything done on the ground. So we’re all stretched to our limits.
3. I’ll have to watch the video again, but I saw a lot of zone blocking strategies up front and incredible patience from the man we’re all going to rely on this year: Rhamondre Stevenson. Of his 120 yards on the ground, I think half were explosions right through the gap (aka “The Chipotle”) with strong yards after contact, and the other half were patient stop-and-go gaps where he waited for leaks (aka “The Arby’s”) where Mondre picked the right cut and got to the outside. And you can’t do either of those things unless you a) have confidence in your guys up front and b) those guys up front are winning their individual battles.
4. And after the chaos of O-line penalties we saw Thursday and Friday night, I can’t remember if there was anything else besides the occasional holding or false start. There was the occasional deep throw from Jacoby Brissett, but the majority of his 15 completions were high-impact passes from short to moderate range that allowed skilled players to make an impact after the catch. It was an efficient, conservative game plan that allowed the Patriots to possess the ball nine minutes longer than the Bengals. And among those 34 minutes of possession was a 14-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ate up nearly half a quarter and a 12-play, 68-yard field goal drive after a Bengals fumble.
5. Of course, there are areas where there is room for improvement. I don’t like that the best receiver of the day had two catches for 31 yards and that no Patriot caught more than three passes. And at some point they’re going to have to loosen things up a bit, especially when they’re down by a few points. But if it ain’t broke…
6. Maybe I’m being too positive and overly effusive here, and if so, it’s probably only because yesterday’s Patriots offense reminded me so much of myself. Unspectacular. Pretty forgettable. Harder than expected. A little predictable. Does the same thing over and over again. Not visually appealing. But at the end of the day, you can’t argue with the results.
7. The last thing I’ll say on offense: If Jacoby Brissett can continue to do exactly what he did yesterday and maybe gain 10 percent more air yards, I’m happy with him until then. He’s smart, mobile, tough and makes no mistakes.
8. Tee Higgins being out was a huge boon for the Patriots. And whether Ja’Marr Chase’s food poisoning was due to bad sushi or because he can’t currently afford as much sushi as he thinks he deserves is pure speculation. But Chase was on the field and was only able to catch six balls for 62 yards, with nearly half of those yards coming on a single 28-yard catch when the Patriots were in the zone. New England has mixed up its coverages frequently, but most of the time Chase was running to the line and seeing Christian Gonzalez staring at him. Gonzo followed Chase under numerous looks, be it slot, press-man, deep zone and I believe at least one fake blitz pass off. The results are hard to argue with. Gonzo said Chase wouldn’t earn his new contract yesterday, and he certainly didn’t.
9. On the other side of the contract coin, Kyle Dugger is already proving he has no intention of resting after getting his bag. Six tackles. One forced fumble that led to a 10-point Patriots drive. Lineup all over the field.
10. But the best player on the field for both sides, in my opinion, was Keion White. 2.5 sacks, including a strip sack, three QB hits, four tackles, two tackles for loss. Not too surprising given White’s skill set, but what is surprising is that White put up those numbers while primarily standing between the tackles. New England seemed to rotate Wise, Jennings and Uche on the edges, with White occasionally poking out. His strip sack came from the outside, against former Patriots legend Trent Brown, turning a 2nd-and-6 into a 3rd-and-long. Another sack came off an apparent 3-technique where Hawkins flashed before backing away, and a combination of Uche and Wise forced Burrow into the pocket where White was waiting to bring him down. Simply a force across the board.
11. Speaking of Uche, apparently it’s pronounced Ooh-Shay rather than Ooch-ay, which I’ve been saying since he joined the team. I’m OK with the change as it allows for more regular comparisons to another linebacker with a similar last name.
12. Ultimately, this was just a game where the Patriots imposed their will and the Bengals had no answer. Whether it was fourth down stops, winning one-on-one situations, finishing plays or advancing after physical contact, New England wanted it and Cincy didn’t.
13. And it feels good to know that the Patriots didn’t lose the game because of special teams. In fact, this was the best special teams performance we’ve seen from this team in several seasons. They get on the field fast. They force long field runs. Long snapper and oldest player on the team, Joe Cardona, forces a game-winning fumble. And Joey Slye (who is strong by the way – damn) was perfect that day. Just a win for the whole team from start to finish. You can’t ask for more than that.
14. I know there are some Pats fans who see this game as a disaster because they were hoping to go winless so the team could secure the first overall pick next year. And there are probably others who are looking at Brissett’s stats from last night’s game and clamoring to get Drake Maye. And I always say, whatever brings you the most joy and happiness as a sports fan, go for it. Just don’t forget to remind the teacher that she forgot to pick up last night’s homework while you’re calling the police because the neighbor was walking his well-behaved dog without a leash while you’re suing your other neighbor because their fence extends 3/8 of an inch past your property line, in between complaints about Brissett and Maye.
15. And finally, a big congratulations to Jerod Mayo on his first ever win as an NFL head coach. He has an impossible job and is trying to fill impossible shoes, but all indications are that his players love him and are willing to follow him anywhere.
16. In my opinion, there are very, very few occasions when a regular season win is worth a Gatorade bath – but your first win as HC of the NEP is definitely one of them. Congratulations, Coach. And thank you.
None of us here are under any illusion that this Week 1 win is a sign of things to come. The Patriots will be underdogs in almost every game this year and will likely still be a top-five pick in the 2025 draft. And that’s OK. But wins like this are the first of many building blocks that will make this team relevant again. So let’s take advantage of all this and prepare for the home game this Sunday.
And, just FYI, I’ll be there. So if any of my avid fans out there are going to be at the game and “buy my favorite Patriots writer a beer” is on their bucket list, Sunday is your chance.
