It was more than just the New England Patriots’ first game under head coach Jerod Mayo and his revamped staff when they took on the Cincinnati Bengals in the season opener. Furthermore, it was the first Week 1 match without Matthew Slater since 2007.

Earlier in the offseason, the seasoned club captain declared his retirement from professional football. The Patriots had a significant hole to fill once Slater’s Hall of Fame-caliber career ended, both on and off the field.

On Sunday, we witnessed the Patriots’ plan to fill it against Cincinnati. Prior to, during, and following their 16-10 victory, they displayed the substitutes for Matthew Slater.

First up was David Andrews, an eight-year captain and center. Andrews, a Patriot with the second-longest tenure now behind long snapper Joe Cardona, assumed Slater’s previous position as the team’s spokesman during the coin toss. He made the same decision as his predecessor to follow the “heads” call.

Meanwhile, Cardona was chosen as the team’s captain for the first time in his professional life, taking over from Slater as the official commander of the special teams squad in New England. Brenden Schooler, who had previously led the club in kicking game tackles during his first two seasons in the league, was the group’s leader on the field.

During the third phase of the game, Schooler played as a punt team gunner for 17 of the 21 available snaps. He finished with three tackles.

Brenden Schooler gunner highlights pic.twitter.com/mk8rh1j7DH

— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) September 9, 2024

In 2022 and 2023, Schooler—a former undrafted free agent—acted as Slater’s backup. He shown during that period that he was capable of replacing the veteran at some point. He accomplished that on Sunday, turning in the most tackle total of his career as an individual.

The Patriots looked to linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley in addition to Andrews, Cardona, and Schooler to assist in stepping into Slater’s shoes. The 28-year-old, another captain, was picked to speak to his teammates in the locker room following the match.

He also dissected the post-game huddle, which is known for its “Awww yeah” chant.

FIRST ONE 🗣️

Awwwwww yeahhhhhhhh pic.twitter.com/q9YnU6e0OZ

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 9, 2024

“So, what are our thoughts about visiting Cincinnati and assuming control of their trap?” Bentley enquired. As forceful as the Patriots’ overall effort on their first game after Matthew Slater, the rest of the team responded in kind.

Yes, that’s right.

Bengals’ lack of feeling in their Patriots defeat.

I have been a Cincinnati Bengals fan for 56 years, which is longer than most of you have been alive. Both the 1968 initial season and the year Paul Brown moved the team to Cincinnati were times I was present.

I’ve been writing for Cincy Jungle for the past ten or so years. I endured the “lost decade” with suffering. The Bengals had four 3-13 seasons, two 4-12 seasons, and one 2-14 season throughout the twelve years between 1991 and 2002.

I was present when Marvin Lewis’ teams had an amazing 16-year record of 131-122-3 and made it to the playoffs seven times, winning the AFC North four of those occasions. Sadly, Cincinnati went 0-7 in those playoff games and lost every one of them.

I will thus be the first to express my gratitude for all that Zac Taylor has accomplished since taking charge. The Bengals returned to the AFC Championship Game in 2022 after making an appearance in the Super Bowl in 2021. Cincinnati ended with a 9-8 record last year, marking their third consecutive winning season.

Let me tell you, though, the act is becoming a bit old. I’m searching for emotion, and Sunday’s loss marked the Bengals’ third straight opening-day defeat and their fifth under Taylor. Sadly, I did not see much of it. They lost 16–10 to a New England Patriots club that, on paper, this Bengals team should have comfortably defeated.

Greetings from the NFL, where anything can happen. We anticipated that Cincinnati would run the ball effectively against the Patriots. With the signing of Kendall Milton from the Philadelphia Eagles and the dynamic duo of Zack Moss and Chase Brown, the Bengals had “the potential to be regarded as the best running back room in the NFL,” per one publication.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, hardly made an attempt to run against New England. The Bengals’ offense totaled just 77 yards in the first half, with Joe Burrow accounting for 70 of those yards. Seven yards were accounted for by the running assault.

Cincinnati was only able to gain 70 yards on the ground during the contest on 16 tries. In contrast, the Patriots ran for 170 yards on 39 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 120 yards on 25 attempts, while journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett managed 32 yards on seven carries.

Sadly, the majority of those yards resulted from erroneous tackles. Bengals defenders were forced to make tackles for loss or little gain time and time again. They came up empty time and time again.

Cincinnati only failed to tackle Brissett once, but they made mistakes on three or four other instances. Two Bengals defenders once converged on Brissett, but Brissett bounced off of them as he went for a first down.

Even though this was awful, I’ve seen worse. The absence of feeling, which I find completely unacceptable, is what I haven’t witnessed. I didn’t witness a single player yelling at his teammates to get them fired up or slamming his helmet to the ground in frustration. In actuality, nobody appeared to give a damn. Another typical workday at the workplace.

I apologize, but Cincinnati and its supporters deserve better, and we must make that demand. If any player is happy with their performance on Sunday, they should go.

We require the guys who celebrated this win like they had just won the Super Bowl, as you witnessed on the opposing sideline. Yes, it’s just one game, but each and every game has a signal.

And that signal isn’t good right now.