For the first time under head coach Nick Sirianni, the Eagles are 2-0 in the preseason—what a celebration, right?—after beating the New England Patriots 14-13 on Thursday night.
The victory was sealed by a defense that stopped the Patriots twice late in the fourth quarter after Philly took the lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Kendall Milton and a two-point conversion pass from Tanner McKee to Ainias Smith.
Thomas Booker and Terrell Lewis scored sacks on one of the Patriots’ comeback attempts, but New England got the ball back. They moved closer to the halfway line, but a high snap ended the game when Brandon Smith fell on the loose ball and the Eagles ran down the clock.
Here are 12 overreactions to what happened:
Defensive playmaking in the big moment. Last week, Patrick Johnson made the strip-sack fumble and ball recovery that set up Jake Elliott’s game-winning field goal. Against the Patriots, Avonte Maddox lined up in front of tight end Austin Hooper and caught an end zone interception. He returned the ball 47 yards, setting up Elliott’s 42-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead after the first quarter. The interception came on third-and-3 and was the ninth play of a drive that began at Philly’s 38-yard line.
McKee should be the best backup QB. That probably won’t happen, but McKee continues to impress. He led the Eagles on a touchdown drive that saw them cover 70 yards in seven plays and 3:20 minutes, then threw a two-point pass to Smith that extended the lead to 14-13. He finished the game 15 of 19 passing for 140 yards and a 97.4 passer rating.
Kenny Pickett couldn’t find the end zone in two quarters. To be fair, he was under pressure and took four sacks. Part of that was because of the offensive line, part of it was because receivers couldn’t get free, and sometimes he held onto the ball too long. His 11-for-13 passing for 67 yards is misleading. There wasn’t much to like, but the Eagles like him as their No. 2 and that’s not likely to change.
Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun. These two are battling for the start and neither has done anything to hurt their position. Dean is the team’s best with five tackles and has made plenty of run blitzes. He continues to build on a strong training camp. Baun’s play last week was a little concerning, but he made two nice stops before going out early.
Depth of the offensive line. Max Scharping has been a turnstile and probably cost himself a job, and how much Tyler Steen can be expected to play early in the season is questionable after being wheeled off the sidelines with an ankle injury, likely the same ankle that cost him several training sessions. Until he’s fully healed, he won’t be of much help, and that’s a problem for the depth of the inside line.
Additionally, Trevor Keegan received a false start penalty in the two-minute offense, and the Eagles were hoping for some late points after New England took the lead with a walk-in 4-yard touchdown by rookie Drake Maye.
E.J. Jenkins. Two of his five catches for 47 yards were good for first downs. The converted college receiver caught all four passes aimed at him, one of them for 19 yards and another he caught while running backwards after finding a weak spot in the Patriots’ zone defense. He has also shown up in training camp and needs to be this team’s third tight end. He suffered what looked like a left knee or ankle injury on his fifth catch midway through the fourth quarter when he was tackled, but jogged away; a good sign.
Joseph Ngata. He’s not known for creating much yardage while running routes, but there’s no denying the Clemson product has strong hands for catching 50-50 balls and his development from last year to this year. He caught all five passes aimed at him for a team-high 88 yards, including the longest pass of the night, a 23-yard pass from Tanner McKee. He doesn’t make the 53-man roster. Or does he?
Johnny Wilson’s concussion. Apparently, the rookie receiver was placed in the concussion protocol after Tuesday’s joint practice. The rookie needs preseason games to continue his development. This is a setback and who knows when he will pass the protocol?
Fourth attempt. The Eagles failed on a tush push on fourth-and-one when Tanner McKee botched Dylan McMahon’s snap and failed to convert two more fourth-and-shorts. They were 3-for-4 against the Ravens.
John Ross. The Eagles may have found their kickoff returner. In addition to one catch for nine yards, he returned two kicks for 68 yards, an average of 34 yards per return. One problem: He went to the locker room early in the second half to be checked for a concussion.
Nolan Smith receives a penalty for unnecessary force against the passer. It wasn’t much, but it looked like he went helmet-to-helmet with rookie Drake Maye, ever so gently. The 15-yard penalty helped the Patriots tie the score at 3-3 with 11:01 left in the second quarter. Smith picked up his second sack of the preseason, flying in for one late in the third quarter.
Will Shipley. For the second week in a row, the fourth-round rookie shined. While he didn’t score a touchdown like he did against the Ravens, he did manage a great 19-yard catch-and-run after Pickett made a 12-yard sack. Keegan, McMahon and Nick Gates helped with some good blocks downfield. Shipley had five runs for 15 yards and four catches for 31 yards.
I’m Tristin McCollum. The Eagles need to find a way to keep this safety on the 53-man roster. He made three tackles and had one pass defense and continued to have a strong summer.
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