It’s too early to judge how the Patriots will fare this season during Jerod Mayo’s first season as a head coach.

There’s a long way to go in this 17-game season. Mayo still has massive shoes to fill as the Patriots look to build an identity without Bill Belichick at the helm for the first time in nearly a quarter-century.

The roster still has obvious holes, Mayo and his staff are still new and relatively inexperienced, and there will almost certainly be bumps along the road as they grow.

But, the new-look Patriots already have one signature win under their belts and the rookie coach already has a level of respect in his locker room that isn’t given right away to just anybody.

“As a guy who has been there, who has won championships at every level really, you kind of just respect that,” said defensive lineman Keion White, who posted 2.5 sacks in the win. “He wouldn’t have you do anything that he hasn’t done or wouldn’t do himself.

“So, he’s really like a players coach. He’s relatable,” White added. “He communicates with all of them. And like he said in the interview with (Davon Godchaux), you want to run through a brick wall for him and that’s something special, I feel like.”

No matter the approach to player relationships, the important thing in the football business is the end result. Sunday’s result was clear.

Mayo had the players prepared to do their jobs, the players believed in the plan, and it resulted in an upset victory.

Here are a few final thoughts from the action.

Clear vision, strong result

The Patriots weathered their share of storms this summer. Matthew Judon was traded after taking his contract issues public. Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots and remains out indefinitely.

Not an ideal situation for a team coming off a 4-13 season while learning from a brand new coaching staff and entering the game as 8.5 point underdogs.

New England weathered it all and did not allow its confidence to be shaken. The Patriots looked sharp and prepared on both sides of the ball, beating a Bengals team which played in the Super Bowl two years ago.

“I don’t think people understand I think it’s the plan he put in place with us this week, knowing the work that he foresaw for us to get to this point,” quarterback Jacoby Brissett said. “Nobody believed in us and he just kept on preaching that the people in this room are the ones that matter and that came to fruition.”

“Coming on the road against a good team, Week 1, new coach, new offensive coordinator, new defensive coordinator,” Brissett added. “All these things that stacked up against us, none of that mattered once we got between those white lines and once we got on the plane to come here. The vision was clear, the communication was clear, and we came and executed.”

Gonzalez holds up against Chase

Ja’Marr Chase, who played in the game despite being unable to reach a new deal with the Bengals, made a team-high six catches for 62 yards. He did not score a touchdown.

It was a below-average game for the three-time Pro Bowler, who averaged 76 yards per game last season.

Christian Gonzalez spent much of the afternoon matched up with Chase and embraced the challenge.

“I feel like we went out there and executed and did what we wanted to do. There were some plays we left out there, obviously, there’s never a perfect game,” Gonzalez told reporters, per MassLive’s Mark Daniels. “We’ll get in the film room and watch it. Personally, I feel like I did good. It was a fun matchup. He’s one of the best receivers in the league. It’s fun.”

For the first time in a long time, no turnovers

The Patriots did not commit any turnovers on Sunday.

Prior to Sunday’s win, the last time the Patriots finished a game without a turnover was on Sept. 23 of last year when New England beat the Jets on the road.

Brissett almost had an interception when he lobbed an under thrown pass in Hunter Henry’s direction, but Henry fought for it and the ball landed on the ground incomplete.

Nevertheless, the Patriots kicked off the 2024 season without a single interception or a lost fumble in the opener. Those kinds of performances have been hard to come by for this group over the last few years.