Former Virginia Tech kicker keys stunning Week 1 NFL upset

Shortly after the 2023 season, the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick parted ways ending the future Hall of Fame coach's career in Foxboro. After hiring Jerod Mayo as the next head coach of the franchise, the former Patriots player began adding and subtracting to the roster.

Last season New England had youngster Chad Ryland handle their kicking duties and it was a mixed bag of results at the end of the season. Yes, he pulled off a huge kick on Christmas Eve to help the Patriots stun the Denver Broncos in Colorado, but that was one of the few bright spots for him.

In early May, Mayo wanted some competition for Ryland in training camp and he signed former Virginia Tech kicker Joey Slye to a contract to push New England's kicker. Well, when the dust settled at the end of training camp, Slye ended up winning the competition, somewhat surprisingly and he quickly proved to his first-year head coach he made the right decision.

Joey Slye kicks New England past Cincinnati in Week 1

A big underdog in Cincinnati against the Bengals, who a lot of people see as a Super Bowl contender in 2024, the Patriots pulled off one of the bigger Week 1 upsets, 16-10, thanks in large part to Slye's leg.

The Patriots only found the end zone once in the game and their defense played outstanding and allowed Slye to come in and be the difference-maker. The former Hokie drilled kicks from 32, 35 and 37 yards. New England never trailed in the game taking a 10-0 lead into halftime and used two second-half field goals from Slye to end up being the winning margin.

Things are expected to be rough for New England in 2024, but for one week, Slye's leg made sure that Mayo got his first win as an NFL head coach and the Patriots pulled off a huge Week 1 upset of the Bengals.