What happened in the New England Patriots game today? Here’s everything you need to know about the season-opening loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
– The word “disaster” gets thrown around a lot in sports. But it truly felt like one in the opening minutes of this game as the Patriots fizzled on offense, threw a pick-six and fumbled the ball away early. It was the sort of start that brought the boo-birds out at Gillette Stadium on a cold, dreary day.
– But then they turned it around. The Patriots held on for dear life and never let this game get truly away, even with a start that would have doomed some other New England teams in recent memory.
– Against all odds, Mac Jones and Bill O’Brien’s retooled offense managed back-to-back brilliant drives to close out the first half and close the gap to 16-14.
– The glimpses were brief, but there were flashes of a pretty effective-looking offense out there. Time will tell whether New England can put things together as the season progresses — and when they’re not playing a Super Bowl team.
– Jones did his best Tom Brady impression Sunday, airing it out as he tried to will his team to a comeback win. Jones set a new career-high in pass attempts as New England had to rely on the passing game to do any serious damage.
– In what may have been the biggest drive of his career, Jones had the Patriots within striking distance. But his fourth-down attempt to Kayshon Boutte was ruled incomplete on review as the review did not get a second foot down.
– The defense was a big reason that this game stayed close. Against an Eagles team that was in the Super Bowl last year, this Patriots team hung around in impressive fashion. The pass rush looks like it could do some damage this year while the secondary looks like a talented unit that could continue to grow.
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– Jabrill Peppers is a dangerous man. With the team in dire need of a turnover, the hard-hitting safety laid a crushing hit on Jalen Hurts to force a fumble in the closing minutes, giving Jones the ball with a chance to win the game.
– The fumble gave Jones and the offense a prime chance with 3:28 left. However, a quick 7-yard sack and a drop by Kendrick Bourne doomed that drive. hard to fault Jones there. He made a brilliant throw on the Bourne drop and didn’t really have a chance on the sack.
– The decision to go for it on 4th-and-3 on the 17-yard line while trailing 22-14 in the fourth quarter was an interesting one. Sure, it’s a one-score game, but the field goal makes the comeback a lot easier. Does Bill Belichick believe in his offense? Does he not believe in his rookie kicker? Either way, the aggressive call is a changeup from recent years.
– Hunter Henry has an early entry for the Catch of the Year Award. Facing 4th-and-8 in the fourth quarter, Jones fired the ball high and deep to Henry under pressure. Still, Henry managed to get a mitt on it, haul it in and trundle forward for the first down.
– There were a series of close calls that could have been reviewed in this one. However, Belichick waited until the fourth quarter to throw the flag on what looked to be an incredible 48-yard completion to A.J. Brown. Replays showed that Brown apparently bobbled it by a hair upon review.
– Behind a patchwork offensive line that included two rookie starters, there wasn’t much in terms of running room. However, there were stretches where Jones got decent time in the pocket. That’s an encouraging sign with both Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu out due to injury.
– Brady made his much-anticipated return to Gillette Stadium with two appearances that were short, but sweet. First, he appeared pregame atop the newly rebuilt lighthouse and rang the bell up top.
– Apparently, this made Brady the first Keeper of the Light. Keep an eye on the team making that a new tradition with different guests.
– Brady’s halftime ceremony was brief, but eventful. The retired quarterback came out to his old pregame song, “Public Service Announcement” by Jay-Z, and made his signature run to the endzone to pump up the crowd.
– One last Brady note: Robert Kraft announced that the team will be breaking its own rules to put Brady in the Patriots Hall of Fame in record time. The Patriots are skipping the vote and the waiting period to induct him on June 12, 2024 in a ceremony at Gillette Stadium.
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– Christian Gonzalez was given a tall task in his NFL debut, drawing A.J. Brown as his primary assignment. He hung on pretty well. But what really stood out was him coming up with a sack on a corner blitz and later making a huge pass break up on fourth down to keep the game alive late.
– Ezekiel Elliott’s Patriots debut started out great. He got the ball on a quick speed option from Mac Jones, taking it 11 yards. But on his second touch, he turned a nifty snag on a screen pass into a fumble for the team’s second turnover.
– Elliott’s usage has been fascinating. The Patriots lined the veteran up wide on a number of occasions, taking advantage of his skills as a receiver in the passing game.
