Patriots Week 1 Recap
Photo credit: Joseph Maiorana, Imagn
FOXBOROUGH (PSF) - The Patriots shocked the NFL yesterday, upsetting The Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 in Cincinnati. In Jerod Mayo’s first game as an NFL head coach, The Patriots had a defensive masterclass against what’s expected to be one of the top offenses in the NFL.
Photo credit: Patspulpit.com
The defense was led by second-year stud defensive end Keion White, who ended up having 4 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. The loss of Matthew Judon was thought to hurt the Patriot’s defensive line, but that was not the case in Week 1. Holding Joe Burrow to only 164 yards passing yards and Ja’Marr Chase to 62 yards receiving, the Patriots defense had a game to remember. Kyle Dugger forced a fumble as Tanner Hudson was getting ready to score which was scooped up by Marcus Jones. This was the biggest play of the game, giving New England the momentum back. Jones now in his third season, is coming off a torn labrum he suffered Week 2 against Miami last year. In his rookie year Jones became the first rookie to score a touchdown on offense, defense, and special teams. If he’s healthy this year, watch out for this dynamic player.
Photo credit: NBC Sports Boston
The offense wasn’t nearly as successful, but still got the win. The Patriot offensive line struggled against Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati defensive line. Starting left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor who came over from Pittsburgh, was benched after the 12th offensive snap for Vederian Lowe, who then false started. If that wasn’t enough, Jacoby Brissett only had 121 yards passing and Austin Hooper, who’s the second-string tight end, led the team with 31 receiving yards. On a positive note, Rhamondre Stevenson had a fantastic game. He finished with 25 carries for 120 yards and scored the only New England touchdown. Coming off of a down year where he only had 619 total yards on the season, the Patriots are looking to get the Stevenson from 2022, who rushed for 1040 yards on the season.
If the New England defense can continue to be solid and the offense picks up on the passing game, don’t be surprised if the Patriots can grind out more unlikely wins this season.
