Jerod Mayo reflects on his first win as Patriots head coach 

Despite entering the 2024 campaign with low expectations, Mayo’s Patriots delivered a statement win against a Bengals team with championship aspirations — with New England opening a season 1-0 for the first time since 2020 thanks to a tenacious, ground-and-pound offensive gameplan, timely turnovers, and a disciplined execution in all three phases of the game. 

“I thought the guys went out there and competed hard,” Mayo said of New England’s performance on Sunday. “We talked about establishing the run game and stopping their run game, making them one-dimensional, we did a good job with that. I’d say we still left a lot of plays out there, but we’re going to enjoy this one on the flight home and look forward to next week. Very proud.”

While most of the concerns surrounding the 2024 Patriots revolved around the offensive line and several glaring holes on their depth chart, Mayo and his ability to steer the ship as a first-year head coach also served as a valid talking point for a New England franchise in transition. 

Given the doubts raised about Mayo in his first season as head coach, Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley stressed that the New England locker room rallied around Mayo entering Week 1.   

“It’s special, just because when Jerod became a coach, me and him were working hand in hand,” Bentley noted. “He’s always been like that older brother type of figure for me. “Kust watching him kind of just propel into the head-coaching job and how great he’s been doing in the transition and everything — despite all the outside noise — just staying focused. And we’ve just been preaching that message throughout the whole team, and it’s been working out for us. So we look forward to keeping that going.” 

Mayo — a two-time Pro Bowler during his eight seasons as a Patriots linebacker — only made the transition to coaching in 2019. But, the 38-year-old said he felt confident about calling plays and handling the situational hurdles that come with managing the game in his new role. 

“I’ve been playing football my entire life and I was a great Madden player back in the day,” Mayo said with a grin. “But I understand situational football. I would also say our staff understands situational football. We talk through those things. Like I said all week, I have to make the ultimate decision. Felt good about the way it operated today.”

Mayo, who received the game ball from Robert Kraft following the victory, echoed some of the messages preached by Bill Belichick when it came to avoid complacency and operating with a short memory moving forward. 

Still, the young head coach took a step back to reflect on the journey he’s taken to reach this point in his football career, even if he continued to present a business-as-usual front while fielding questions. 

“A lot of people talk about how they’re self-made and things like that. But we’ve all had people that have helped us along the way. I definitely think about my family. I think about my grandparents. I think about my Pop Warner coaches and all the people who instilled, not only the X’s and O’s of football, but also just how to operate in life. 

“One thing you guys will notice about me. I mean, you can write whatever you want to write. I’m pretty much stoic. I try not to get too high, try not to get too low, and that’s always been my mentality, from a little kid up until now.”

It might just be Week 1, and New England still has a ways to go if it wants to reassert itself as a contender in the NFL. But as Mayo stressed on Sunday, a road win against the Bengals stood as a step forward for a team aiming for much higher aspirations down the road. 

“For the fans, hopefully they see what we’re trying to build,” Mayo said. “I talk about — it takes time, and we’re still not where we want to be, but we’re headed in the right direction.”