FOXBORO — The Patriots’ season opener started like a type of video games the place all the pieces that might go mistaken would go mistaken.
Costly penalties on protection allowed the Eagles to maintain drives alive. A Mac Jones errant cross clanged off Kendrick Bourne’s fingertips and into Eagles cornerback Darius Slay’s ready arms for a pick-six. Running again Ezekiel Elliott was simply stripped for an additional turnover.
Down 16-0 simply over 10 minutes into the competition, halftime appeared like it could be a wake for the Patriots’ 2023 season slightly than a celebration of Tom Brady.
But the Patriots confirmed life and made it a sport. Their protection grounded the sometimes high-flying Eagles and regularly neutralized quarterback Jalen Hurts’ legs within the second quarter. Bill O’Brien continued his artistic and constantly-in-motion offensive play-calls. An offensive line that was lacking three of its 5 starters held up, and Jones was out of the blue trying like the higher of the 2 former Alabama signal-callers.
And then the sport broke large open with 3:35 left within the fourth quarter, when Patriots security Jabrill Peppers compelled Hurts to fumble with a textbook sort out. Cornerback Marcus Jones fell on the ball, and the protection gave Mac Jones and the offense an opportunity to win it trailing by 5 factors.
Ultimately, it wasn’t sufficient because the Patriots fell 25-20 to the Eagles in Week 1.
After the turnover, the Patriots turned the ball over on downs after Jones was sacked for the primary time all sport and Bourne dropped a third-down heave from the QB. Jones’ cross to tight finish Hunter Henry on fourth-and-17 — after a delay of sport penalty — was dropped and wanting the first-down marker anyway.
The Patriots compelled the Eagles to show the ball over on downs after which had 1:57 to finish the comeback. They made it all the way down to the Eagles’ 22-yard line earlier than rookie large receiver Kayshon Boutte caught a cross that might have gone for a primary down, however he couldn’t get each toes in bounds. The Eagles kneeled on the ball for the win.
Jones stated after the sport that he felt he let his group down.
“They gave me the ball twice to win the game, and I couldn’t do it,” Jones stated.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick took a danger early within the fourth quarter down 22-14, going for it on fourth-and-3 on the Eagles’ 17-yard line slightly than making an attempt a manageable 34-yard area objective with rookie kicker Chad Ryland. Jones was pressured and threw incomplete to Elliott for a turnover on downs.
“It was the best decision for the team,” Belichick stated after the sport about his choice.
The Patriots would have had two alternatives to win the sport late with a area objective. Belichick was requested if he regretted the choice.
“Made the best decision we could at the time,” he stated. “Didn’t know we would be down there multiple times. Six minutes to go in the game. I don’t know. If we had kicked it, I’m sure you would be asking why didn’t we go for it.”
The Patriots’ protection then bent however didn’t break, permitting a 51-yard area objective from Jake Elliott to place the Eagles up by 11 factors.
The Patriots’ offense made fast work of the Eagles’ protection on their ensuing drive with a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by an 11-yard landing cross from Jones to Bourne. The Patriots’ profitable two-point conversion was known as again by a holding penalty. Jones’ subsequent two-point try fell incomplete, making the sport 25-20.
The Eagles kicked off the scoring within the first quarter after a 14-play, 61-yard march that ate up 7:18 on the clock with a first-drive area objective.
The Patriots’ offense confirmed some promise early on its first drive earlier than Jones’ throw to Bourne was too excessive and large of its goal. Bourne leapt, adjusted within the air and acquired his arms on the ball, however he couldn’t haul it in, and Slay got here down with it for a 70-yard pick-six.
Elliott’s fumble then put the Eagles 21 yards out of the Patriots’ finish zone. Eagles wideout DeVonta Smith — a favourite goal of Jones at Alabama — beat Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones for a 5-yard landing catch.
The Patriots’ protection compelled 4 straight three-and-out drives to complete out the primary half whereas the Patriots’ offense started to hit its stride earlier than Brady’s huge ceremony, when proprietor Robert Kraft introduced the QB will probably be inducted into the group’s Hall of Fame subsequent June.
The Patriots put collectively a 10-play, 71-yard drive highlighted by chunk performs to large receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas that was capped off with a 9-yard landing cross from Jones to tight finish Hunter Henry.
Jones’ closing drive of the primary half was a six-play, 58-yard sequence that noticed him join extra with Henry and culminated with a 19-yard passing landing to Bourne.
BEST
TE Hunter Henry: Henry caught a landing and saved a fourth-quarter drive alive with an Stretch Armstrong one-handed snag. He caught 5 passes on six targets for 56 yards with the rating.
CB Christian Gonzalez: The rookie greater than held his personal in protection in opposition to Smith and A.J. Brown. For a cornerback who fell within the first-round for his perceived lack of physicality, Gonzalez additionally confirmed up a number of occasions as a run defender. He additionally sacked Hurts and had a large cross breakup on fourth-and-2 late within the fourth quarter.
DE Keion White: It appeared like each time the rookie edge-rusher was on the sphere, he was pushing an Eagles offensive sort out 5 yards into the backfield on a bull rush.
WORST
Run sport: A two-headed monster of Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson appeared meager Sunday, combining for simply 54 yards on 19 carries.
Defensive penalties: An offsides name in opposition to defensive finish Deatrich Wise and a holding penalty in opposition to security Kyle Dugger extended early Eagles drives within the first quarter. Wise was known as for holding offensive sort out Lane Johnson in a while a display screen.
Source: www.bostonherald.com