🏈 Patriots win!?!?

Good Morning, Boston.

😤 How can you not root for Jacoby Brissett? This man heard everyone saying he was nothing but a placeholder for Drake Maye for weeks, then went out and won his first start of the season anyway. Here’s to some well-rewarded tears for QB1.

What’s on tap today:

• Fly, Eagles, fly!

• Oh (Quick) Snap!

• The GOAT’s new groove

Let’s get into it…

LEADING OFF

The man with the (new) plan

Jerod Mayo has the Patriots believing in themselves. For weeks, the first-year coach Mayo and his team heard how bad we all expected them to be. How lucky they’d be to even win four games. How the coaches got it wrong starting Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye, and how the defense wouldn’t be as good without Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore. They heard us. But they didn’t listen. Now, the Patriots are 1-0 after knocking off a Bengals team many expect to make the playoffs.

Their win felt like old-school Patriots football. New England’s upset of Cincinnati wasn’t flashy. But winning football doesn’t have to be.

• The Patriots dominated in the run game behind Rhamondre Stevenson (120 rushing yards, one TD) and a bulldozing offensive line.

• Their defense harassed Joe Burrow, one of the NFL’s best QBs, and ripped the ball from the Bengals through sheer will.

• They won the turnover battle, 2-0.

• They were in better shape and wore Cincinnati down.

It’s a game Bill Belichick would’ve been proud of. But there’s more to it than that.

It was also a testament to Mayo’s new approach. The Patriots’ new head coach carries over the same commitment to detail and excellence Belichick did. But the way he picked up an emotional Brissett shows he knows how to get the most out of his players in a positive way. Brissett and his teammates responded with relentless effort and focus. Under Mayo, the Patriots are proving you don’t have to be a mindless football machine or a master manipulator to leave the field with a W. 

That doesn’t mean the Patriots will shock the world this year. Each week is its own beast in the NFL. As impressive as this week’s victory was, it’s no guarantee the Pats will win their home opener against the Seahawks this coming Sunday or escape a brutal September and October slate — which includes four games against 2023 playoff teams and two against the Jets — with a winning record. Their long-term outlook still depends largely on Maye’s development, not a Week 1 victory. 

Whatever their final record is this season, Week 1 taught us a lot about this team. Most importantly:

• They’re better than we thought they were.

• They won’t be the NFL’s doormat.

• They’ll play hard for each other – and their coach.

This doesn’t mean they’ll win a Super Bowl this year, but there’s a winning foundation in there somewhere.

POLL

🤔 Did Week 1 change your expectations for the Patriots?

BOSTON SPORTS

Quick hits & headlines

📈 Boston College does it again. Not that we expected anything different, but the Eagles took care of business against Duquesne in Chestnut Hill on Saturday with a bludgeoning 56-0 win. The bigger deal: BC didn’t take its foot off the gas after its upset win over Florida State last week. Next up? The 24th-ranked Eagles head to No. 6 Missouri Saturday. Get your popcorn ready.  

🏈 Don’t miss B-Side Sports’ killer Patriots podcast. Center David Andrews and former Pats QB Brian Hoyer are taking you inside the game like never before with “The Quick Snap,” a Pats-focused show in partnership with Shadow Lion. The first few episodes have a little bit of everything, from funny stories about Tom Brady to a chat with the victorious Brissett himself. You already know you want to watch the breakdown of this Week 1 win.

⚾ Trevor continues his Story with the Red Sox. I was at Fenway Saturday night when the Sox shortstop returned to the lineup — recording his first hit and RBI since fracturing his shoulder in April. It’s probably too late for Story to save the Sox’s slim playoff hopes, but returning to the lineup after suffering what many assumed to be a season-ending injury is very impressive.

🏒 PWHL Boston has a wicked cool new name. Our women’s pro hockey team’s dark green sweaters are now etched with the new logo of the Boston Fleet. The anchor outline and smooth wave patterns make the Fleet’s take on the classic “B” logo design the most unique in town. Plus, the intro video goes hard. Welcome ashore.

BEYOND BOSTON

Out-of-town report

Rookie QBs struggle in Week 1. Caleb Williams couldn’t throw. Jayden Daniels wouldn’t throw. Bo Nix had announcers begging him not to throw. I’m betting the Patriots feel good about sitting Drake Maye rather than watching him join this group. 

Drew Bledsoe cooks Tony Romo. Bledsoe’s had some tough luck with getting replaced by big-name QBs who eventually became highly-paid broadcasters. But there’s no doubt whether he’s Team Brady or Team Romo after this roast.

LAST CALL

Brady didn’t blow it

Tom Brady wasn’t that bad in his broadcasting debut. Did he knock it out of the park in his first reps as FOX Sports’ new color analyst? No. Social media couldn’t wait to cook him as he battled nerves and repeated stutters in the first quarter. But he definitely got better as the game progressed and flexed some of his famous football IQ and competitive spirit. He cares too much not to keep improving. So let’s put the pitchforks away for now.

THE BEST THING I SAW IN SPORTS

One down, many to go…

🥹 Jerod Mayo takes another cold shower. Whatever happens the rest of this season, watching Mayo get the Gatorade bath and all that love from his players for winning his first game as an NFL head coach is insanely cool. Enjoy this one, Pats fans.

🗞That’s a wrap. I’ll be fighting the urge to run through a brick wall for this guy.

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