FOXBOROUGH — The most fascinating Patriots season in recent memory kicked off with a wild game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
As was widely expected, New England fell to the Eagles, but they made it very, very interesting. Here are eight takeaways from a crazy 25-20 loss:
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1. Early hole really hurts
The Patriots spotted the Eagles an early 16-0 advantage with a pair of self-inflicted turnovers. Mac Jones hummed a pick-six too high and behind Kendrick Bourne, Ezekiel Elliott put a ball on the ground — more on both in a moment — and were never able to take a lead. Giving the reigning NFC champions a two score cushion out of the chute was a killer.
2. Mac Jones gets cooking
In the loss, New England’s offense looked the best it has since Josh McDaniels left following the 2021 season.
Jones shook off the early interception to deliver one of his most prolific games as a passer. To kick off his third season, Jones went 35-of-54 for 316 yards, threw three touchdown passes and appeared in command of his group. There’s obvious reason for optimism here.
3. Last effort falls short
Trailing 25-20 late in the fourth quarter, the Patriots had a pair of drives to win the game, but couldn’t convert them. The game effectively ended when Kayshon Boutte couldn’t get a second foot inbounds on a 4th-and-11 in the red zone.
4. Patchwork offensive line holds up
With both Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu out with injuries, rookies Atonio Mafi and Sidy Sow — who spent all of training camp at tackle — got the nod at guard and held up quite well, as did Calvin Anderson, who didn’t see a snap of preseason action due to illness.
Mac Jones dropped back 56 times and was only sacked twice, both coming late in the game.
5. Bourne again
After spending 2022 in Matt Patricia’s doghouse, Bourne looks like a different receiver in Bill O’Brien’s offense.
Jones’ poorly-thrown pick-six did bounce off Bourne’s hands, but the receiver responded with a pair of touchdown catches of his own, the second of which was a sweet toe-tapper in the back of the end zone. Bourne and finished with six catches for 64 yards and looked like New England’s most explosive offensive player.
6. Strong start for rookies
The Patriots had 10 players make their NFL debut on Sunday afternoon and the rookies held up well.
“There is no way to get experience besides getting experience,” Belichick said on Friday. “So, they’ve played some preseason games, had a lot of practices. I’m sure they can feel the difference in intensity, in terms of preparation and the ramp up that’s happened here the last few days, but that’s good. They should feel that way. Go in there and get their feet wet. Just have to jump in and start swimming. There is no baby pool. Just dive right in and try not to drown.”
Tasked with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, Christian Gonzalez was thrown into the deep end and swam quite well. Keion White added some pressure to the pass rush, Marte Mapu saw action at safety, and the aforementioned offensive linemen played as well as could be expected.
7. Henry hauls one in
Death, taxes, and Jones targeting Hunter Henry in the red zone.
The tight end scored New England’s first touchdown of the season, breaking free from Eagles safety Reed Blankenship for a nine-yard grab in the second quarter. It may be a new season, but Henry is still clearly Jones’ favorite target down near the goal line.
8. Elliott slips up
Renowned for his ball security, Ezekiel Elliott went the entire 2022 season — 248 touches — without fumbling in Dallas. However, the veteran back put the ball on the ground on his second touch with the Patriots. In the first quarter, Elliott caught a pass from Jones and quickly fumbled it away. The Eagles wound up scoring their lone offensive touchdown of the first half on the short field.
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