The 2024 regular season began with a winning formation for the team under new head coach Jerod Mayo.

The New England Patriots defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 on Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium.

Here’s a look back at the season opener, in which the visitors scored 1-0.

Brissett’s Reboot

For the first time since the fall of 2016, Jacoby Brissett was a Patriots starter on Sunday. The 31-year-old team captain filled the role with caution and mobility, completing 15 of 24 passes for 121 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers. He added 32 yards as a rusher.

Switching the huddle to “11” personnel after the game’s coin toss was postponed, New England’s opening drive spanned a completion to tight end Hunter Henry and a total of 25 yards before ending in a punt. The next possession, Brissett scrambled for a pair of first downs, hit four different targets, including tight end Austin Hooper for 16 yards under duress, and deflected at the goal line en route to a 7-0 lead. It became a double-digit advantage at the break when a battle for control survived a dangerous shot into the end zone.

The second half continued with a punt, a field goal, a punt, a field goal, a punt for the Patriots. But as the gap closed, so did the time remaining. No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye watched from the sidelines. And so did idle rookie Joe Milton III as the emergency third QB.

Patriots Offensive Line Without Seeds Becomes Jumbo

With Sidy Sow unable to start at left guard due to an ankle injury, the Patriots selected the Bengals’ 2019 draft pick Michael Jordan from the practice squad the night before the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

The first offensive line to take the field would also feature Chukwuma Okorafor at left tackle, captain David Andrews at center, rookie Layden Robinson at right guard and Mike Onwenu at right tackle. Another member of the 2024 draft class, Caedan Wallace, entered early and often as a potential tight end for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. And Vederian Lowe, who was called up early for a false start, filled in on the blindside opposite three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

One sack was allowed in pass protection on a Sunday, subjected to hard hits. In the running game, 172 yards were forced before kneel-downs.

Stevenson finds end zone, crosses century mark

A trio of running backs are on the active roster in Foxborough, and each is expected to lend a hand in some way Sunday.

Rhamondre Stevenson stayed on the field and threw 25 carries for 120 yards, including pick-ups of 12, 14 and 17, and the first touchdown of September. The runs came behind a powerful right sideline near the goal line. He recovered his own fumble in the fourth quarter after a challenge flag was thrown. Downhill jump cuts were key to his outing. Contributing from the backfield by the four-year-old, $36 million bell cow were a trio of catches.

Antonio Gibson served as the change of pace. But the March acquisition was held in check with 18 yards from scrimmage on seven touches, while November waiver claim JaMycal Hasty joined him deep and returned a kickoff 27 yards.

New England’s wide receiver room has eight catches

The starting lineup consisted of three wide receivers for New England.

DeMario Douglas caught two passes for 12 yards from there, and started the afternoon with a third-and-8 conversion from the slot. KJ Osborn contributed three catches for 21 yards. And Tyquan Thornton had two catches for 27 yards with a long of 17.

Javon Baker was a healthy scratch with 90 minutes to go before kickoff. Fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk curled to make his first career catch with strong hands as the third quarter wound down. The position group combined for 13 targets.

White in front and after Burrow

With defensive tackle Christian Barmore on the non-football injury list while recovering from blood clots, the outage required total replacement. But the 46th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft did the heavy lifting after recording one sack as a rookie.

The front line got started with a strip sack by Keion White on second down. The Old Dominion and Georgia Tech product would lend a helping hand by the end of the afternoon with 2.5 sacks. Both follow-ups came on third down. A split with captain Ja’Whaun Bentley was one of them. They were joined in the starting lineup by Davon Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale, Anfernee Jennings and Jahlani Tavai.

Three straight three-and-outs were how the matinee started for the unit. Cincinnati didn’t move the chains until 10:33 remained before halftime. A turnover on downs followed for quarterback Joe Burrow and Co.

The pursuit of the secondary

Cincinnati’s former Heisman Trophy winner finished 21 of 29 attempts through the air for 164 yards on Sunday.

The Patriots opened with Christian Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones on the edge of the secondary. Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger accompanied the corners. The latter safety punched away a fumble by tight end Tanner Hudson that would have ended up in the end zone. Starting nickelback Marcus Jones was quick on the spot for a scooping return of 17 yards before halftime. The turnover snapped a 13-play drive.

Perennial All-Pro candidate Ja’Marr Chase, limited in practice by contract negotiations and an illness, had six receptions on as many looks for 62 yards. The No. 1 wide receiver was a shadow of the No. 0 cornerback, whose first catch of the year went for a minimal gain on a screen. But elsewhere, Marco Wilson, the fourth corner on the depth chart, was penalized for 20 yards of defensive pass interference on wideout Andrei Iosivas. It was part of a drive that went 90 yards and put the Bengals on the board with a touchdown by running back Zack Moss.

Additional to the kicking game

While the Patriots started with an illegal formation on special teams on Sunday, there was more to see when undrafted rookie Dell Pettus left the kickoff line early.

Veteran kicker Joey Slye scored each of his three field goals in Cincinnati. The NFL veteran made it a 10-0 lead from 32 yards out at halftime, then made it a 13-0 lead from 35 yards out and a 16-7 lead from 37 yards out.

He made his only extra point during a matinee in which holder Bryce Baringer launched a handful of punts for 250 yards. There were booms 56 and 54 between them. There was also a forced fumble by long snapper Joe Cardona that would have caught safety Jaylinn Hawkins. And along the way, reigning NFLPA All-Pro selection Brenden Schooler rounded out a pair of tackles within 10 yards of the uprights.