The New England Patriots have heard all offseason about how bad they would be in the 2024 NFL season, and recently they were told their chances of going to Cincinnati and beating the Bengals in Week 1 were zero.
Well, the Patriots made the doubters look foolish on Sunday afternoon by beating the Bengals 16-10 thanks to a great performance from the defense, a better-than-expected performance from the offensive line, and Rhamondre Stevenson playing one of the best games of his career.
The Patriots led for most of the game and made several game-winning plays on both sides of the ball late in the fourth quarter.
How big was the surprise in the Patriots’ victory?
The Patriots trailed by 7.5 points on Sunday, and according to ESPN Stats & Info (h/t ESPN’s Mike Reiss), their win is the biggest Week 1 upset since 2018, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints as 10-point underdogs.
When asked after the game whether the Patriots were huge underdogs on Sunday, veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux replied, “Disrespectful,” according to Reiss.
The last time the Patriots led 1-0 was in 2020, when Cam Newton started at quarterback and led the team to a 20-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots haven’t been 2-0 since Tom Brady’s final season in 2019. They will try to accomplish that feat next Sunday in their Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
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