The New England Patriots shocked a lot of people with their Week 1 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals — except for maybe themselves. The Patriots’ defense set the tone early, forcing the Bengals to a three-and-out on their first three possessions. Then New England’s offense drove 80 yards on its second drive, capped off by a Rhamondre Stevenson three-yard touchdown run.
Even though the Patriots never trailed in the contest, the Bengals punted the ball to New England with 2:26 remaining in the game. With the Patriots up 16-10, it would typically be less stressful, but given how New England’s offensive line floundered in the preseason, and Cincinnati had all three of its timeouts remaining, the pressure was on to hold the ball and secure head coach Jerod Mayo his first win.
The Patriots relied on Stevenson for four consecutive carries and two first downs, during which the Bengals used all their timeouts plus the two-minute warning. The offensive line did its job, and the Patriots finished the last three snaps in victory formation.
“That meant a lot,” Mayo said over the phone as he left the stadium, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “We challenged our offensive line, and we challenged our running backs to take over the ballgame. And any time you can get out there, and everyone in the stadium knows we’re going to run the ball, and they can still pick up five yards here and there for a first down is huge. It should help us build our culture and team going forward.”
The Patriots will look to build on their culture and team when they host the Seattle Seahawks in their home opener at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. The Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos 26-20 to begin their season at Lumen Field.