PHILADELPHIA — After a sluggish start, the Patriots were able to find their rhythm, especially on defense and come away with a 17-10 win over the Eagles on the road.
Like two weeks ago in Baltimore, the team fell behind early, but was able to overcome a 10-0 deficit in the first half.
It wasn't the prettiest of wins at all, but it was a defining win where a lot of mental toughness was shown and getting it done with what they had. New England needed to stop the Eagles on their final drive when they got deep into Patriots territory, but were stopped at the 26-yard line.
Here are 10 quick thoughts from Sunday's game.
1. The game, particularly for the Patriots defense, completely flipped after the Eagles went up 10-0 following a 16-play, 95-yard drive. After that, the Patriots defense held Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense to zero points and 165 yards on 43 plays (3.84 yards per play), but 98 of the yards came on the final two possessions where the Patriots were defending the end zone. Stephon Gilmore had a solid game in the secondary, as he covered a number of different pass catchers in the game, including Zach Ertz. Ertz was pretty much all of the Eagles offense as it was without a number of its offensive weapons.
2. While the Patriots got the win, it was not Tom Brady and the Patriots offense's finest day. The quarterback was under pressure quite a bit and wasn't sharp with some of his passes. Brady finished 26-for-47 with 216 yards for a quarterback rating of 67.3. He was the victim of multiple drops by his pass catchers, but he certainly could have been better as well. It was a case of him getting happy feet at times in the pocket and throwing quicker than he needed to.
3. Trailing 10-9 coming out of the break, the Patriots went no-huddle on the first drive of the second half, which ended with a touchdown and two-point conversion to take a 17-10 lead. It came on a double-pass — Brady-to-Julian Edelman-to-Phillip Dorsett. It is worth noting Josh McDaniels needed to call a double-pass in the red zone to get a touchdown, as it has been a major issue this season. That is not a good thing and needs to be something that gets cleaned up in the coming weeks.
4. N'Keal Harry made his NFL debut and after playing just seven snaps in the first half, was forced into No. 3 receiver reps in the second half following the injury to Dorsett after the touchdown. Harry finished with three catches on four targets for 18 yards. Overall, it was a good debut, especially being forced into a bigger role due to injury.
5. The Patriots have had a difficult time offensively in the first quarter the last two games. They have had five drives totaling just three first downs and all of them have resulted in punts. This week wasn't as bad as the 17-0 hole against the Ravens, but 10-0 isn't much better — especially considering both games have been on the road.
6. Part of the reason for the Eagles getting off to such a fast start was they were completing controlling the game up front. Their offensive line was pushing the Patriots' off the ball. Even missing a number of offensive weapons, Philadelphia moved the ball with ease, including a 16-play, 95-yard drive that took up 9:33 of game time.
7. Edelman's touchdown pass continued his impressive run of throwing passes in the league. For his career, he is 4-for-4 with 90 yards and a touchdown for a perfect 158.3 passer rating. The receiver added five receptions for 53 yards receiving.
8. Danny Shelton was very impressive for the Patriots up front in the game. He finished with seven tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. The veteran defensive tackle is a completely different player than he was a year ago. A lot of credit should go to him for coming back this season with a new attitude.
9. In addition to playing some snaps at fullback, Elandon Roberts recorded his first sack since Nov. 11, 2018 against the Titans. Overall, the Patriots defense finished with five sacks, as eventually it was able to pressure Wentz.
10. The Patriots were without one of their top defensive players in Patrick Chung, as he missed the game due to lingering heel and chest injuries. Taking his place on defense was a combination of Duron Harmon, Terrence Brooks and Jonathan Jones. Gunner Olszewski was also inactive and Mohamed Sanu took his place returning punts.
With five sacks, the Patriots defense is up to 37 sacks on the season, their most through 10 games since 1979 (when they had 43).
