Nobody Should Try to Rain on the Patriots’ Week 1 Parade

The New England Patriots didn’t win the Super Bowl on Sunday. They won their Week 1 game on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that failed to reach the playoffs last season. With 16 regular season games remaining, New England could still finish anywhere from 1-16 to 17-0. Since it is only one regular season win, accounting for just 5.88% of their regular season schedule, some people are acting as though the Patriots shouldn’t be celebrating the win too hard. This could not be further from the truth.

Jerod Mayo walked the sideline as an NFL head coach in Cincinnati. He replaced Bill Belichick following New England’s 4-13 record in 2023. Replacing Belichick is no easy feat. In 24 years as head coach of the New England Patriots, Belichick’s teams won 17 AFC East titles, nine AFC Championships, and six Super Bowls. Belichick became the NFL’s winningest head coach of the Super Bowl Era along the way. Mayo replacing him was no easy task.

Also Read – Ten Takeaways From New England’s Week 1 Win in Cincinnati

In all likelihood, Mayo will never approach what Belichick did as New England’s head coach. There is no shame in that. No coach in history enjoyed the level of success that Belichick did with the Patriots. Furthermore, Jerod Mayo’s Patriots couldn’t win a Super Bowl in Week 1. They could only register one regular season win, and they did just that.

An Awesome Start to the 2024 Season

New England entered the game as more than a touchdown underdog. They were reportedly the overwhelmingly popular pick among all NFL teams to lose in Week 1. Those who felt certain about Cincinnati’s victory would ultimately regret their decision. The Bengals’ loss knocked out more than 43% of entrants in Yahoo! Sports survivor pools.

It might not have been the New England Patriots beating “The Greatest Show on Turf” to win Super Bowl 36, but it would certainly take a major upset to exit Cincinnati 1-0. New England did just that.

The Patriots controlled the clock behind Rhamondre Stevenson’s ground game. He finished the game with 120 yards rushing and a touchdown. New England also limited self-inflicted wounds, winning the turnover battle 2-0. Coupled with solid defense and special teams play, it was a great team victory in Coach Mayo’s debut.

Think you got a TD? THINK AGAIN.

📺: #NEvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/IXOlJyHhJq

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

New England won 16-10, indicative of a close game that could have gone either way up until quarterback Jacoby Brissett took a knee in victory formation. The margin of victory did not matter. The victory did.

No Need to Spoil a Good Thing

While some celebrated New England’s success on Sunday, there were even more ready to minimize it. People took to social media wondering what was wrong with the Cincinnati Bengals instead of crediting the New England Patriots’ performance. Comments ranged from claiming Joe Burrow is still hurt and Ja’Marr Chase isn’t trying until he gets a new contract, to the loss should get Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor fired. The assumption was that Cincinnati must have done something wrong, because New England stinks.

Except, New England did not stink on Sunday. They played very well. They deserved to win.

But giving them credit for a hard-earned victory was not enough for some. Boston sports radio host Andy Hart ridiculed the level of celebration after the win. “Was this a hat and t-shirt game?????” Hart asked sarcastically regarding the Gatorade shower given to Mayo after the game.

Was this a hat and t-shirt game????? https://t.co/UC20VMdfS9

— Andy Hart (@JumboHart) September 8, 2024

The “hat and t-shirt games” mean celebrating a division title, conference championship, or Super Bowl title. Hats and t-shirts are distributed to the team to celebrate afterward. These things do not happen for a Week 1 victory. It was simply a way to troll the New England Patriots for celebrating their win. There is no need for it.

Let the Patriots Celebrate

There is a good chance there will not be any “hat and t-shirt games” for the Patriots this season. But there was a good chance they wouldn’t defeat the Bengals on Sunday, and they managed to do just that.

Two decades of unparalleled success spoiled many, fans and media alike, who follow the Patriots. It set a high standard for the franchise, which will always be tough to attain. Winning Super Bowls should always be the goal, but it doesn’t mean that New England should wait until hoisting a Lombardi Trophy to celebrate victories.

Sunday marked the first game of Jerod Mayo’s head coaching career. His team pulled up an upset victory on the road to begin the season 1-0. Some were wondering how long it would take the Patriots to win their first game this season, saying that an 0-10 start was within the realm of possibilities. Mayo and his team quashed that talk in Week 1. They deserve to celebrate the victory before moving on to prepare to play next weekend.

Nobody is asking the City of Boston to plan a Duck Boat parade for the New England Patriots after one win. They haven’t accomplished anything worthy of such a celebration just yet. But that doesn’t mean the team shouldn’t take a minute to stop and celebrate what they did accomplish. They pulled off a hard-fought, well-played road victory for a rookie head coach that very few felt they had a chance to win. They earned their moment, even if they haven’t earned hats and t-shirts quite yet.