BOSTON – The Patriots gave Jerod Mayo a win in his first game as head coach, surprising the Bengals 16-10 in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon.

There were high-fives and hugs for Mayo as the final seconds counted down on New England’s victory. He also got a celebratory Gatorade bath from defensive linemen Daniel Ekuale and Davon Godchaux.

Rhamondre Stevenson tore the Bengals apart with 120 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries on the ground, while Jacoby Brissett completed 15 of 24 passes for 121 yards and another 34 yards on the ground on four carries like a veteran. The Patriots defense made life difficult for Joe Burrow and the Bengals for most of the afternoon, holding them to just one touchdown and one field goal while forcing four three-and-outs and one offensive fumble.

The Patriots controlled proceedings for much of the first half and took the lead first with a 14-play, 80-yard drive that took 7:20 to play. New England ran 43 yards on that drive, including a big 16-yard run by Brissett on third-and-5 that put the Patriots at the Cincinnati 8-yard line. A few plays later, Stevenson threw the ball in from three yards out to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead.

The Bengals offense started the game with three three-and-outs and then wasted a scoring opportunity on their fourth possession. After a Mike Gesicki touchdown was taken back after a review in the back of the end zone, Burrow made a short pass to tight end Tanner Hudson. It looked like Hudson was going to make a direct hit, but Pats safety Kyle Dugger knocked the ball out of his hands before he reached the end zone, and the ball bounced right to Marcus Jones, who returned it 17 yards to the New England 18-yard line.

The Patriots entered the red zone on their next possession, but had to settle for a field goal and went into halftime with a 10-0 lead.

The Patriots were down three possessions on their first possession of the second half, but a nice hit by New England long snapper Joe Cardona forced Bengals returner Charlie Jones to fumble New England’s punt. Jaylinn Hawkins recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Cincinnati 24-yard line, but they had to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Joey Slye to take a 13-0 lead.

After Cincinnati lost just two fumbles all of last season, the Patriots forced the Bengals into two fumbles on Sunday afternoon. New England converted those turnovers into six points.

Late in the third quarter, the Bengals finally managed a 90-yard touchdown drive, with Zach Moss converting it from five yards out to make the final score 13-7. Moss ran 33 yards on the drive, and the Bengals offense finally managed to beat the New England defense.

Brissett used his legs to pick up a key first down on a third-and-2 on New England’s next possession, and also hit tight ends Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry to move the chains for the Patriots. But the drive stalled at the Cincinnati 18-yard line, and the Pats settled for a 37-yard field goal from Slye to extend their lead to 16-7 with 8:46 left in the game.

On their next play, the Bengals entered New England territory and got to the Patriots’ 33-yard line, but Keion White made a huge sack for the Patriots on third-and-5. The Bengals then had to settle for a 51-yard field goal and the score was 16-10 with 6:14 left.

The Patriots only made it to the 50 before punting the ball back to the Bengals with just over three minutes left in the game. But Brandon Schooler brought down Jones on the punt return at the Cincinnati 10-yard line, and the Bengals only gained five yards as the New England defense forced another three-and-out to get the ball back to the offense with 2:13 left on the clock.

That was the last time Burrow and the Bengals got the ball. Stevenson made a nifty move to gain nine yards on a second-and-5 run, getting a Patriots first down and bringing the game to the two-minute warning. A few plays later, he fought his way another nine yards on a second-and-7 run, forcing the Bengals to call their final timeout and sealing the win for New England.

The Patriots, 1-0, now head home to host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. New England had a record of just 1-7 at Gillette Stadium last season.