The New England Patriots won their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 at Paycor Stadium to move to 1-0 on the season.
New England, as big underdogs heading into the matchup, wasn’t expected to really compete with Cincinnati in this one, but the team stuck to their plan and forced their opportunities to play their game.
Patriots starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett did a solid job leading the offense, avoiding mistakes and evading some consistent pressure. That’s exactly why New England named him the starter over rookie quarterback Drake Maye at least to begin the year.
However, that hasn’t stopped questions from coming. On Mayo’s Monday morning appearance on WEEI, former Patriots tight end Jermaine Wiggins asked about Maye, and the coach shut him down immediately.
“Come on, Wiggy. We won the game,” Mayo said. “It’s about Jacoby, and I would also say, look, Jacoby, how many plays did he make yesterday with his legs? From a defensive perspective, you don’t really expect that, and when he does it, he does it. He did a good job. Jacoby did a good job controlling the game, not making mistakes. We won the turnover battle. We won the yardage battle. That’s what I’m talking about.”