The purge was complete when Bill Belichick left New England after last season, the departure of the sport's most decorated head coach four years after the sport's most successful quarterback, Tom Brady, retired after the 2019 season.
New England's new era officially began in earnest last Sunday with a stunning season-opening win with rookie head coach Jerrod Mayo at the helm and new-old quarterback Jacoby Brissett under center.
The Patriots were playing without Belichick at the helm for the first time in 24 years, and despite it being just one game against a team in the midst of a complete rebuild and expected to be one of the worst in the league, the outcome seemed a given.
Belichick won 302 regular season games.
Mayo recorded their first win last Sunday.
It was moving, it was surprising and it made you wonder how much Mayo learned from Belichick.
The Patriots won thanks to Rhamondre Stevenson's 120 rushing yards and the team's lone touchdown. Brissett, who played for Belichick as a Patriots rookie in 2016, kept the ball and the defense contained Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, forcing and recovering two fumbles against a team that had just two fumbles last season.
Now, the Patriots are looking to improve to 2-0 with a win against the Seahawks on Sunday.
The Patriots were 8.5-point underdogs to the Bengals and weren't heavy favorites to win any game in preseason betting for 2024, but they finished last in the AFC East with a 4-13 record last season. Their 13.8 points allowed per game were tied for worst in the league.
But the defense gave the Patriots a chance to win last season, allowing 21 or fewer points in eight of 17 games, and it looks like it could be the same this season under the 38-year-old Mayo, who has spent his entire professional career with the Patriots as a player, assistant coach and now manager.
Brissett is a veteran who could fill the role for the time being with first-round draft pick Drake Maye and would be a big step up from last season's Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
“Nobody believes us, [Mayo] “I kept preaching that it's the people in the room that matter,” Brissett told reporters after the team's upset win over the Bengals.
After the win, Mayo was doused in Gatorade by defensive linemen Davon Godchaux and Daniel Equelle, after which Mayo players showered him with praise.
“He's our leader. He gives us the passion to go all out for him and run through walls for him,” Stevenson said.
“It means a lot that he's communicating with us and relying on us as individuals and getting feedback from us,” safety Kyle Dugger said.
“Winning is always good, but winning for Mayo is special,” defensive end Keion White said. “As a guy who's won at every level, you just have to respect him. He's approachable. He communicates well with all of us and he makes you want to run through a brick wall for him.”
Mayo, of course, deflected the praise and redirected it back to his players.
“Winning as a coach is a big thing, but what it means for me is another matter…” [but] “I'm grateful for what it does for my players,” he said. “I can't say enough about my players. I'm nothing without them.”
It didn't take long after that for Mayo to morph into Belichick mode.
“I'm going to enjoy this game for the next few hours, but honestly, this is a 'what have you done to me lately' kind of thing,” he said. “It's time to turn the page and get ready for the next game.”
Though he didn't say it in words, what Mayo really meant was, “We're heading to Seattle.”
