Patriots’ joyous victory shows it’s Jerod Mayo’s team now, without the immense shadow

CINCINNATI — Let the record show that Jerod Mayo’s first postgame news conference as a head coach in the NFL was also his first postgame news conference as a victorious head coach in the NFL. But when he stood there in the tiny interview room at Paycor Stadium on Sunday afternoon following the New England Patriots’ 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he convinced nobody when he said, “I try not to get too high, I try not to get too low.”

For anybody in the room who might have had difficulty summoning the words to explain just how off-the-mark Mayo was with that remark, thank heavens the Patriots have quarterback Jacoby Brissett in their employ. For when Brissett was summoned to deliver an analysis of Mayo’s postgame emotions, he replied: “Excited, man. It’s hard to win in this league. He played in this league. He understands how hard it is, especially on the road, against a good opponent. What’s the word? Ecstatic? Elated? Any word you can think of that means overjoyed, he should be. It’s his first one.”

Excited. Ecstatic. Elated. Overjoyed. Who knew the Patriots brought a playbook and a copy of “Brissett’s Thesaurus” to Cincinnati?

To be fair, Mayo also spoke lots of words that conveyed his understanding of the significance of what he and the Patriots accomplished Sunday. He went so far as to mention his family, his grandparents “and my Pop Warner coaches and all the people who instilled not only the X’s and O’s of football but also how to operate in life.” It’s also worth noting that Mayo delivered his postgame remarks at about 106 mph, suggesting a man very much caught up in the moment.

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Yes, it was a big upset for the Patriots to topple the Bengals on their home field, sending thousands of orange-shirted Cincy fans out to the streets with red faces. Yes, it was big that the New England defense did so good a job of bottling up the Cincinnati passing game that quarterback Joe Burrow spent most of the day delivering nothing but pass-the-gravy passes. It was big that Christian Gonzalez was so proficient at shadowing Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase that it was hard to believe New England’s second-year cornerback was lost for the 2023 season after just four games due to a labrum tear.

And, yes, the Patriots are 1-0. That’s the most important aspect to New England’s victory over the Bengals, except that it isn’t. Mayo’s first victory as head coach may turn out to pay long-term dividends for the Patriots in that it has taken the organization exactly 60 minutes of football to distance itself from the looming presence of Bill Belichick, who happens to be the greatest coach in NFL history. Oh, make no mistake: Belichick isn’t going anywhere. He’s pretty much a 24/7 television personality now, in addition to ladling out hints he’s still interested in being a head coach again if any NFL owner out there comes to the belief that their underachieving team is just a Hall of Fame-bound coach away from getting over the hump. And for those who keep track of this at home, it’s Belichick 333, Mayo 1 on the All-Time Victories Scoreboard.

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But know this: Had the Patriots lost this opener, as the oddsmakers told us they would, it would have been the 0-1 Pats taking on Seattle in Week 2 at Gillette Stadium. A loss there and it’s the 0-2 Pats heading to the Meadowlands to play the Jets. The debate over exactly when, or if, Drake Maye will step in for Brissett as starting quarterback will continue all season. New England’s offensive line will continue to be a talking point, though it was not an issue against the Bengals. But not only is Mayo in the win column in the season opener, but also his players lavished so much praise on him after the game that it’s clear they’re buying what he’s selling. And it wasn’t just the game Mayo’s players were talking about, but the weeks, even months, leading up to that game.

“Guys are excited, guys are happy,” center David Andrews said. “(They) put in a lot of work, from guys from the offseason on their own time to workouts to OTAs to training camp. And obviously a lot of work this week.”

Everyone contributes, everyone wins. pic.twitter.com/acOqLjmDv5

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 8, 2024

Brissett, the journeyman quarterback who contributed 15-of-24 passing for 121 yards to an offense that was highlighted by running back Rhamondre Stevenson’s 120 rushing yards, said he cried three times before the game and that Mayo had something to do with that.

“I cried when I got to the stadium,” Brissett said. “I cried when Mayo came up to me before the game, and he started laughing and said like, man, you’re about to win us a game, you’re about to ball out. I had never heard that from a coach and that meant a lot to me. And then I cried when I got on the field and we’re going out on offense.”

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Mayo contributed a discussion he says he had with Stevenson earlier in the year.

“I challenged Rhamondre in the spring,” Mayo said. “I said, ‘You don’t get a lot of love, a lot of hype.’ But I’ve always believed he’s one of the best running backs in the league, and when we signed him to the extension, there was no one happier than me because I know what he’s capable of and he showed that today.”

.@dreeday32 IS MOVING ➡️

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/8om9AMZcXI

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 8, 2024

If you’re the type who believes Sunday’s outcome was as much a product of Cincinnati’s failures as what New England did right, have at it. And anyway, it’s just one game, just one victory.

But Mayo has his first Gatorade shower and a game ball to put on his shelf. It’s his team now, only without the giant shadow.

(Photo: Joseph Maiorana / Imagn Images)