Preseason Week Two Live Blog: Patriots vs. Eagles

The Patriots welcome the Super Bowl Champion Eagles to Foxborough for tonight’s preseason meeting, the first meeting between the two since Philly knocked of New England in February at Super Bowl LII. Tom Brady is expected to start and play at least a quarter, so Patriots fans get a chance to see #12 in action.

OK, it is game time. Everyone enjoy, and be sure to post comments and questions. Go Patriots!

FIRST QUARTER

15:00- The Patriots kickoff and the Eagles return it to the 26. 1st & 10, Eagles…

14:51- Good rush on 1st down, 2nd & 10 after the incomplete pass. 2nd & 10…

14:00- Crossen comes up and makes a nice tackle. Loss of six, 3rd & 16…

13:58- Looked like an interception, but it hit the ground. Good defense to start though, and Riley McCarron will return the punt (fair catch).

13:49- Tom Brady and the Patriots offense takes the field; this should be interesting with the newer receivers.

13:43- White for 6 thru the air, hurry up, 2nd & 4…

13:20- White for three, but there was illegal hands to the face by Philly, so it’s an automatic 1st down. The Patriots are trying to set a fast tempo. 1st & 10…

13:05- White for five, still going no-huddle…2nd & 5…false start. That annoys the coaches. 2nd & 11…

12:06- After a gain of nine, 3rd & 2 turned into a 22-yard run by James White. Malcolm Jenkins was called for a terrible personal foul because he lowered his head. How are they supposed to tackle?? 1st & 10, Patriots…

11:11- White runs for two after a five yard catch by Dorsett; 3rd & 4 from the Eagles 4…

10:19- Touchdown, Patriots!! Brady to Hogan for the six, and Gostkowski comes in and drills the extra point. I think it is pretty clear that the Patriots are playing with a little extra tonight. It is impossible to lose a Super Bowl to a team then not be excited to face them again six months later, regardless of the game being in the preseason. Brady looked like himself on that drive, which is good for the Patriots, but bad for the rest of the NFL. Patriots 7, Eagles 0

10:10- Terrible kick coverage because the contain man lost contain, and the Eagles will take over at their own 46. 1st & 10, Eagles…

9:50- Good run by Adjai is whipped out by a false start on the next play. 2nd & 7, Eagles…

9:19- Aiken with the drop on a catchable ball; it was behind him, but he needs to make that play. 3rd & 7, Eagles…

9:11- Chung with the sack, and the Patriots defense stuffs the Eagles for a second consecutive series. The secondary looks fast, and the defensive line is playing well so far. Patriots take over at their own 10. 1st & 10…

8:22- Gillislee runs for two, 2nd & 8…

7:50- Edelman with the catch for a gain of seven, 3rd & 1…

7:19- Gillislee looked like he was stopped, but he made a nice play to reach out and get the 1st down. 1st & 10…

6:32- Incomplete pass, 2nd & 10…

6:28- Brady hangs Patterson out to dry, and the Eagles foolishly took the bait on the cheapshot. 1st & 10, Patriots…

6:06- Three yard run by Gillislee, 2nd & 7…

5:52- Incomplete pass, 3rd & 7…

5:46- Brady went deep to Hogan, but it was broken up. Darby should have picked it off, but he dropped it. The receivers aren’t getting open, and the loss of Cooks is clearly hurting the offense. The Patriots are forced to punt.

5:35- Too bad Foles didn’t play like this in February; he is all over the place. 2nd & 10…

5:30- Adjai for four yards, 3rd & 6…

4:48- The Patriots jumped, but it didn’t matter because the pass was complete.

4:34- Chung got hit in the “sensitive area”, but he appears to be OK. 2nd & 10, Eagles…

4:26- Incomplete pass; it was caught, but the receiver was out of bounds. 3rd & 10…

4:00- Clayborn creates the sack by forcing Foles to move up to a waiting Adam Butler, who wrapped him up. The Patriots offense will take over. Patriots 7, Eagles 0

3:00- Hogan with the drop on a pass he NEVER should have dropped. Now the Patriots will face a 3rd & 3…

2:54- Brady to Edelman for six, 1st & 10…

2:28- White takes the screen pass for 20, 1st & 10 from the 50…

2:08- Edelman makes the catch, and the moronic Eagles hit him with the head…AGAIN! Another 15 yards…KEEP YOUR HEAD UP!!

1:49- Hogan for three, 2nd & 7…

1:26- White for two on the run, 3rd & 5…

:46- Hogan makes the catch, but he wasn’t at the sticks. I’m sorry, that is just a bad route. It is 3rd & 5, why is he running a crossing pattern that is only three yards? I guarantee he was supposed to get to the sticks. Gostkowski came in and kicked the field goal, and the Patriots should be happy about how they’ve moved the ball. This is all being done without Rob Gronkowski too, so there are a lot of positives. Patriots 10, Eagles 0

:00- Adjai picks up 15 through the air to end the first quarter. Overall, the Patriots dominated the quarter. Nick Foles looked awful, and the Eagles defense is going to struggle with the rule change. OK, I think that is all of it. On to the second quarter!

SECOND QUARTER

15:00- Philly will start at their own 40; Adjai runs for three, 2nd & 7…

14:28- Zach Ertz gains 20; he was WIDE OPEN! 1st down, Eagles.

13:27- Gain of two on the play, 2nd & 8…

13:15- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! Clayborn gets the strip, and the rookie linebacker Bentley took it 50 yards for the touchdown. Bentley has been a stud this preseason, and once again he was in the right place at the right time. This Patriots front seven is getting pressure, being disruptive, and they look fast. It appears that the Patriots have improved defensively. Patriots 17, Eagles 0

12:15- Sudfeld has come in for an injured Nick Foles, who is being attended to in the med-tent. Foles’ injury looked ugly, possible shoulder issue. 3rd & 7…

11:42- McCourty held the man up in open space, which is difficult, and Bentley finished it off to prevent the Eagles from picking up the 1st down. Bentley is all over the field. The Patriots may have found themselves a steal. New England takes over their own 24. Patriots 17, Eagles 0

10:48- White with the loss of three on the run, 2nd & 13…

10:12- MIKE blitz goes unblocked, forcing Brady to just throw it away. 3rd & 13…

10:00- White makes a catch for three yards, but that clearly wasn’t enough. Allen boomed a 58-yard punt, and the Eagles will take over at their own 30.

9:12- Crossen and Bentley combine for the tackle after the reception, 2nd & 2…

8:46- Missed tackle leads to a 12-yard run by Adjai (I believe it was Jason McCourty). 1st & 10…

8:15- Great coverage by Gilmore on the breakup down the sidelines. That would have been a big play; good job by Gilmore. 2nd & 10…

8:10- Crossen with a horrible DPI; why would he slap his hands like that? He closed, all he had to do was turn and break it up. Bad technique leads to the Eagles being in the red zone. 1st & 10…

8:02- Incomplete pass due to strong pressure; 2nd & 10 from the Patriots 20…

7:58- DPI again on Crossen, who looks lost. He has raw ability, but the instincts aren’t strong. 1st & Goal, Eagles, from the Patriots one.

7:00- Bentley blows up another play; 3rd & Goal…

6:29- Jason McCourty just got scorched for a touchdown. Don’t shoot the messenger, but the word is Jason is not a lock to make the roster. He didn’t play in Week One, and he hasn’t looked good tonight. Patriots 17, Eagles 7

6:25- Edelman with a gain of six on the catch, 2nd & 4…

5:14- Patterson looked like he had a touchdown on a screen, but he stepped out after 20 yards. Great run, he can FLY. 1st & 10…

4:35- Tye with a gain of 11 on the catch, 1st & 10…

4:19- Loss of two on the run, 2nd & 12…

3:56- Tye with the drop on a play-action that was well-designed. Make the play! 3rd & 12…

3:50- Good coverage forces Brady to throw it away; Gostkowski drilled a 49-yard field goal, and the Patriots extend their lead to 13. Patriots 20, Eagles 7

3:24- Four yard gain for Philly, 2nd & 6…

2:57- Wise and Rivers with the sack, forcing the Eagles into another 3rd & long.

2:16- Van Noy comes on the blitz with Chung, and with the other side being collapsed by Clayborn and Rivers, Van Noy easily gets to his target and makes the sack. This pressure is very encouraging; if the Patriots can do this in 2018, they are going back to the Super Bowl.

1:45- White with the run for four, 2nd & 6…

1:25- Hollister with the great catch for 25 yards, 1st & 10…

:59- Hogan with the catch for seven, and 15 is tacked on for a facemask penalty. The Patriots are putting together a textbook two-minute drive. 1st & 10, Patriots…

:52- TOUCHDOWN, PATRIOTS!! James White takes the screen pass in from 20 yards out on a perfectly executed play, and the Patriots are now ahead by three touchdowns. Hollister had a terrific block on the score, and it appears he has carved out a role on this team. He has gained the trust of Brady, and that is all it takes. Patriots 27, Eagles 7

:50- Big gain on 1st down (28 yards) and the Eagles are at the 50. 1st & 10…

:36- Gibson picks up 18 more, and the Eagles are at the Patriots 32…

:30- Crossen scorched again, and the Eagles are in the red zone. Bad defense on this series.

:25- Good pressure cause a throwaway; 2nd & Goal, Eagles. The Patriots defense looks exhausted.

:21- Crossen gets called for the hold; he is struggling big-time. 1st & Goal…

:17- Wise forced the throwaway with the strong rush. 2nd & Goal…

:12- Sproles gets stuffed by Bentley after a gain of one; 3rd & Goal, Eagles…

:08- Bentley breaks up the pass on a tough play; this kid is good, real good. The Eagles will go for it on 4th…

:03- Stuffed!! The Patriots get good pressure, and this time Crossen gets in the way and breaks up the pass. New England will down it to end the first half. It may only be preseason, but that stop was huge. It keeps the Patriots up by three touchdowns, and they receive the ball to start the second half. Patriots 27, Eagles 7

HALFTIME

15:00- Hoyer leads the offense out the start the 2nd half; hopefully he plays well.

14:21- 2nd & 10 after the incomplete pass, 3rd & 7…

14:17- Flat throw by Hoyer, but Decker needs to make that catch. Decker has struggled so far, and he hasn’t played a lot tonight. Hopefully he gets it going in this half; the ability is there, and he is in the second year off a major injury, so he should be more explosive.

13:33- 2nd & 6, Eagles…

13:14- Four-yard gain on the run, 3rd & 2 for the Eagles…

12:45- 1st down run for the Eagles as the continue their drive. 1st & 10 from their own 49…

11:59- After a gain of six on 2nd down, the Eagles are facing 3rd & 4 from the Patriots 45…

11:30- Interception, Patriots! Christian Sam makes the play off the drop/deflection. It was a very heads up play by the rookie linebacker. New England’s offense will take over, this time hoping to at least string together a few 1st downs. There are guys out there tonight that are trying to not get cut. This should be interesting.

11:25- Roughing the passer puts the Patriots at the Eagles 39; 1st & 10, Patriots.

11:16- Gillislee runs for 15, then on the tackle the Eagles are called for a BOGUS 15-yard penalty. That is terrible. 1st & 10, Patriots, from the Eagles 13…

10:27- Touchdown, Patriots!! Patterson catches the screen, jukes the defender out of his uniform, and floats into the end zone from 10 yards out. Seriously, the guy is so fast it looks like he is off the ground. Next-level speed and quickness is fun to watch. Patriots 34, Eagles 7

10:21- Sudfeld with a nice throw on the rollout, putting the Eagles at their own 36 after the gain of 20. 1st & 10…

8:53- Wiltz got scorched, but Treggs dropped the ball, forcing the Eagles into a 3rd & 7…

8:45- Carter picks up 22 on the catch; 1st down, Eagles, from the Patriots 38…

8:06- Crossen with a good tackle after the Eagles picked up six yards; 2nd & 4…

7:26- Middle screen goes for 20; 1st & 10, Eagles…

6:57- Incomplete, 2nd & 10 from the Patriots 17…

6:52- Jordan Richards just made the best pass breakup of his career. 3rd & 10, Eagles…

6:45- Touchdown, Eagles. Rodgers (former St. Johns HS student) with the touchdown catch to make it a three touchdown game again. That was a beautifully executed play by Sudfeld and Rodgers. Patriots 34, Eagles 14

6:38- Patterson scorched his man, but Hoyer couldn’t get it there. He almost caught the jump ball anyways. Wow, he is fast. 2nd & 10…

6:27- Nice throw by Hoyer, six yard gain, 3rd & 4…

5:57- Decker with the drop again; that ball was right on his hands, there is just no excuse for that. Allen boomed a punt, and the Eagles returner just kept backing up, eventually being tackled at the Eagles two. Between Decker and the Philly returner, we could see two cuts tomorrow. It is amazing to see how far and fast Decker has fallen. 1st & 10, Eagles.

5:18- 57-yard connection from Sudfeld to Gibson; the Patriots defense is non-existent right now.

5:02- Incomplete pass, 2nd & 10…

4:52- Valentine with the sack after another strong pass rush. Let’s see if the secondary can keep Philly from picking up the 1st down…

4:08- Gain of five, Philly will go for it on 4th & 5…

3:34- Incomplete pass that was forced by a strong pass rush by Geneo Grissom. The Patriots force the turnover on downs.

3:27- Hill runs for five on 1st & 15, Patriots now facing 2nd & 10 from their own 36…

2:46- Hill got drilled, upended, and then landed on his head. That is not a good way to land. 3rd & 8…

2:20- Patterson drops the out-route, and Ryan Allen will come on to punt.

2:08- Davis was backing up again! He lost only five yards this time, putting the Eagles in a tough position again to start their series.

2:02- Ward with the catch and gain of eight; 2nd & 2…

1:19- Another huge gain through the air (28 yards) and then 15 was added for the new bogus penalty. That was legitimately one of the cleanest tackles you’ll ever see. The league really needs to look at this because it is a problem.

:59- Touchdown, Eagles. Wide open again due to poor communication. The Eagles have climbed back into this game, and Sudfeld looks good. The extra point attempt was no good, so the Patriots hold a true two-touchdown lead. Patriots 34, Eagles 20

:46- Hills cuts back and picks up nine; 2nd & 1…

:23- Hill for five more, 1st & 10, Patriots, from their own 39.

:00- That is the end of the third quarter, and the Patriots hold a two-touchdown lead. Philly has been moving the ball at will this half, so it is important for the Patriots to continue to run the ball, use play action, and try to score. Preseason or not, they want to beat this team. Patriots 34, Eagles 20

FOURTH QUARTER

15:00- Patterson with the drop, 2nd & 10…

14:43- Bolden runs for 18, making the Philly defenders look bad. 1st & 10, Patriots…

14:01- Bolden with another gain of 12, 1st & 10…

13:29- Bolden with another good run, this time for nine. 2nd & 1…

12:56- Gillislee picked up the 1st down, and then 15 was tacked on for illegal hands to the face. The Patriots will have a 1st & 10 from the Eagles 19…

12:42- Gillislee runs for no gain. 2nd & 10…

12:06- Incomplete pass to Bolden; Hoyer took a late hit. 3rd & 10…

11:59- Nine-yard gain to Patterson; 4th & 1, and Gostkowski comes in…

11:25- The 29-yard attempt is good from Stephen Gostkowski, and the Patriots extend the lead back to three scores. Great job by the offensive line and the running backs on that drive, specifically Brandon Bolden. Patriots 37, Eagles 20

11:21- Physical defense out there on that play; 2nd & 9, Eagles….

10:40- Strong pressure forces a bad throw, and the Eagles are once again facing a 3rd down. 3rd & 9…

10:29- The Patriots receive the punt at their own 25. The offense will try to put together another clock-killing drive to put this game away. Patriots 37, Eagles 20

9:56- Patterson with a gain of nine on 2nd down gives the Patriots a 1st & 10…

9:20- Webb with a gain of one, 2nd & 9…

8:42- Webb loses two on a screen that was doomed from the start; 3rd & 11…

8:04- Lucien can’t make the catch on the throw that was just a little to long. Allen continued his strong night with a booming punt, but the coverage could definitely be better.

7:52- Two-yard gain on the run, 2nd & 8, Philly…

7:01- Harris with the tackle; 3rd & 7…

5:59- The Eagles pick up the 1st down on 4th & 1, but they are just trying to get reps now because this game is close to over. 1st & 10, Eagles…

4:53- The Eagles pick up four on the completion, 2nd & 6…

4:26- Incomplete pass, 3rd & 6…

4:16- Davis with the sack! 4th & 14…

3:27- Good run by Webb, finding five when it wasn’t there. 2nd & 5…

2:52- Etling with an incomplete pass; 3rd & 5…

2:40- Etling runs for 10, first down, Patriots.

2:11- Webb runs for 2; 2nd & 8…

:00- That’ll do it here from Foxborough, and the Patriots move to 2-0 on the preseason. Beating the Eagles was nice, but it will be nicer if they play them in another Super Bowl.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Patriots saw some very encouraging things tonight. Brady looked good, Hollister is emerging as not only a second tight end but an actual threat in the passing game, and Jeremy Hill looked good for a second week in a row. James White and Ja’Whaun Bentley were simply awesome, and the pass rush was the reason the defense looked good. Again, very strong overall effort tonight.

Thank you for joining us, and be sure to join us again for the Week Three of the preseason, the week of the dress rehearsal. Goodnight, Patriots fans!