The Philadelphia Eagles[1-0] defeat the New England Patriots[0-1] 25-20 in Week 1. Next week, the Eagles will host the Vikings while the Patriots host the Dolphins.
1st Quarter: On the opening drive, Eagles Kicker Jake Elliott kicks a 32-yard field goal. Patriots Quarterback Mac Jones throws a tipped pass which is intercepted by Darius Slay and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. Eagles Defensive Tackle Jordan Davis forces Patriots Running Back Ezekiel Elliott to fumble and Linebacker Zach Cunningham recovers at the Patriots 26-yard line. Eagles Quarterback Jalen Hurts throws a 5-yard touchdown to Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith(Jake Elliott’s extra point is missed wide right).
2nd Quarter: Mac Jones finds Tight End Hunter Henry for a 9-yard touchdown. Mac Jones throws a 19-yard touchdown to Wide Receiver Kendrick Bourne. Eagles lead at halftime 16-14.
3rd Quarter: Jake Elliott kicks a 56-yard field goal for the Eagles.
4th Quarter: Jake Elliott kicks a 48-yard field goal for the Eagles. A.J. Brown caught a deep pass which seems like he bobbled. The issue I have is that the Eagles had snapped the ball and the Belichick threw the challenge flag. Whistles blew in the middle of the play. The play was ruled incomplete and that I do not care about but I do have an issue with a late challenge flag thrown. Jake Elliott kicks a 51-yard field goal to make it a two-possession game. Mac Jones throws an 11-yard touchdown to Kendrick Bourne(two-point conversion is unsuccessful). Jalen Hurts fumbles the ball and Cornerback Marcus Jones recovers at the Eagles 41-yard line. The Eagles won 25-20.
Eagles Notes:
Weather-It was clear weather was a factor on both sides with throws that were off the mark and fumbles. Do not expect this type of performance from either team going forward.
Play Calling/Decision Making-Play calls designed too much for Jalen Hurts to run. There are 4 different running backs[3 for this game because Penny was inactive] and only Kenneth Gainwell was used effectively. Dallas Goedert was not utilized at all. I understand that Belichick is a mastermind at disguising coverages which he did all game. Belichick wanted to force Hurts outside the pocket because that is where he struggles. Then late in the game there is a decision to go for it to ice the game and had they made it then it would have been one of the best decisions of the week but they did not. Punting would have been the safe option. There was too much time left and it was at the New England 44-yard line. The Patriots had nearly 2 full minutes to go score a touchdown to win the game. Luckily the defense is good enough to stop them but both sides should not have to rely on one another as much as they did today. The offense needs to finish drives and the defensive coaches need to adjust better. Late in the game with the lead, the first instinct is to do a QB draw with Jalen Hurts???!!! Stupid decisions and hopefully the coordinators learn immensely from their mistakes.
Linebackers/Safeties-Worst part of the game was Mac Jones easily and quickly passing over the middle because Linebackers and Safeties are the weakest part of the defense. I still do not understand how Justin Evans is on the roster and he started this game. There are 2 better safeties on the bench for this game. Nakobe Dean played solid up front but ended up getting hurt. This defense needs to play better up the middle if they want to be what they were last year. This is also on the defensive coaching for not making clear adjustments for those mistakes. This tells me if you have a quick release of about 2.5 seconds or less then you can beat the Eagles defense up the middle. Luckily Brady retired and Rodgers is not going to be playing this season so both of the quickest releases from last year will not be playing the Eagles.
Jake Elliott-Player of the game. He missed an extra point early but accounted for 13 points. In this weather, it was better than anyone could have hoped for. I will also give credit to Arryn Siposs who was holding those kicks and averaged over 49 yards per punt. In a game where each team who possesses the ball is struggling, this becomes a large factor in the win. Hats off to both Siposs and Elliott.
Final thought-Just like the Detroit game last year. On the road, against a team that everyone believes you should dominate, it ends a lot closer with many mistakes. Still a long season and this team is known for making adjustments which is something I can always rely on Nick Sirianni to do.
-Jordan Burden