After entering the week as underdogs, the New England Patriots downed the Cincinnati Bengals 16-10 on Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium to move to 1-0 on the season.
While a number of players will be highlighted for their efforts, someone who probably won't receive much praise simply because of the role he fills is defensive back and special teams ace Brenden Schooler.
Schooler recorded three tackles on special teams, as he's taken over as the leader of the group since Matthew Slater's retirement.
The 27-year-old was all over the coverage, displaying his impressive instincts for getting to his man.
Just an absolute monster game from #Patriots ST Brenden Schooler (41) on punt coverage. https://t.co/FwB3eMb18k pic.twitter.com/hfF3vjmxaM
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) September 9, 2024
Schooler also showed some incredible athleticism, as Next Gen Stats announced that on punt coverage during the first quarter, he reached 22.42 mph, which was the fastest of any player in Week 1 thus far.
Brenden Schooler reached a top speed of 22.42 mph as a gunner on this play, the fastest top speed reached by any player in Week 1 entering MNF.#NEvsCIN | @Bengals https://t.co/ideT8UJZhF
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 9, 2024
New England's special teams unit, now led by Jeremy Springer, looked much improved during Sunday's season-opening victory after looking grotesque over the last few seasons under Cam Achord's leadership.
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