How Big of an Upset Was the Patriots’ Win Against the Bengals? This Stat Explains It originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots have been hearing all offseason how poorly they would perform in the 2024 NFL season. They were recently told that their chances of beating the Bengals in Week 1 in Cincinnati were slim to none.
The Patriots shocked the doubters on Sunday afternoon by beating the Bengals 16-10, thanks to a stellar defense, a better-than-expected offensive line performance and Rhamondre Stevenson, who had one of the best games of his career.
The Patriots led for most of the game and made several winning plays on both sides of the ball in the final quarter.
How big of a surprise was the Patriots’ win?
The Patriots were 7.5-point underdogs on Sunday, and according to ESPN Stats & Info (courtesy of ESPN’s Mike Reiss), their win is the biggest Week 1 upset since 2018, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints as 10-point underdogs.
When asked after the game if the Patriots were big underdogs on Sunday, veteran defensive tackle Davon Godchaux responded with “disrespect,” according to Reiss.
The last time the Patriots were 1-0 was in 2020, when Cam Newton started at quarterback and led the team to a 20-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots haven’t gone 2-0 since Tom Brady’s final season in 2019. They’ll try to accomplish that feat next Sunday in their Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks at Gillette Stadium.
Kick-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time).
