Breer: This is how Pats opponents rated Mayo’s first two weeks

Breer: How Pats opponents rated Mayo’s first two weeks originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Jerod Mayo has made a solid start as Bill Belichick’s successor in New England.

The Patriots’ first-year head coach started the 2024 season with a surprise win over the Cincinnati Bengals and narrowly missed a 2-0 win after an overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. While there is still plenty of room for improvement, it’s fair to say the Mayo-led Patriots have exceeded expectations through the first two weeks of the season.

Mayo made a positive impression on its first two opponents, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. On Thursday Patriots pregame liveBreer reported how the Cincinnati and Seattle coaches evaluated the newly formed Pats during their respective meetings.

“One of the things that kept coming up in conversations with Bengals coaches was that the identity comes from the power running game, which I think is obvious to all of us,” Breer said. “And also that there are a lot of Cleveland characteristics in that running game. The Bengals are obviously very aware that Cleveland is in the AFC North and (offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt is from there, so that makes sense.”

“It was interesting talking to the Seahawks. They told me they looked like a typical Patriot team. Good play in certain situations. They do things at the end of halves based on their strengths. They played really hard and were also able to identify and exploit Seattle’s weaknesses.”

“I think those would be two checkmarks on the first two games of Jerod Mayo’s staff, where they managed to import some things from outside the building and then also retain some things that they’ve done well inside the building over the years.”

The Patriots have relied heavily on the running game in Van Pelt’s offense, and given the state of the offensive line, that’s not expected to change any time soon.

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson has 201 rushing yards on 46 carries (4.4 YPC) and two touchdowns in the first two games. Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has completed 30 of 51 (58.8 percent) for 270 yards and just one TD. He has already been hit 15 times, including four sacks.

While the offense has struggled, Mayo’s defense has risen to the occasion. The group ranks fifth in points allowed (16.5) and second in rushing yards allowed per game (58.0). Aside from a brutal mistake on DK Metcalf’s 56-yard touchdown on Sunday, the pass defense has performed well despite the loss of standouts Christian Barmore and Matthew Judon.

Mayo and Co. want to improve their record to 2-1 with a win over the New York Jets. Football on Thursday evening.