The New England Patriots ultimately lost at home on Sunday 25-20 against one of the best teams in the entire NFL.
However, the Patriots were in the game from the jump and managed to contain Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on defense, while the banged-up offensive line kept Mac Jones upright against one of the league’s best front-sevens.
Buy Patriots TicketsEven in a loss, there was a lot of good things to take away from the game. The defense looks elite as ever, and the offense looks competent. The Patriots showed confidence in their players, which is something we have failed to see the last few years. With that said, sloppy play hurt the team badly with two early turnovers leading to 14 points.
Let’s delve into some leftover notes from the game, now that we’ve had a chance to fully digest the heartbreaking loss.
Mac Jones silenced critics
Mac Jones had one of his best performances of his pro career, throwing for 316 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Jones showed elite pocket awareness and adjusted protections at the line of scrimmage to mitigate one of the best pass rushing teams in the NFL.
He hit the open targets, took advantage of mismatches and converted in the red zone, which we haven’t been able to say since his rookie year. This game looked like the 2021 version of Jones as opposed to the anomaly in 2022.
With the Patriots hanging in with one of the best teams in the NFL, there is growing optimism in New England. In the past, the Patriots would be in games thanks to opponent turnovers and defensive touchdowns. Jones might not admit it, but his command of the offense was what truly kept the team in the game.
Bill O'Brien and Adrian Klemm neutralized Philly's front-seven
Bill O’Brien and Adrian Klemm gave Bill Belichick a good return on his investment.
Klemm coached up rookie offensive guards Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi to start against the best front-seven in all of football. Jones stayed relatively clean all game, and Klemm was a huge part of this.
O’Brien called a great game that focused on getting the ball out of Jones’ hands quickly, which rendered the pass rush essentially useless. The offensive success was a combined effort of the coaching from Klemm, play-calling from O’Brien and overall execution from Jones and the offensive line.
If they can continue to build upon this, the initial worries of a shaky offensive front might go out the window.
Rookies shine under the bright lights
The Patriots suited up 11 of their 12 draft rookies for Sunday’s game.
Rookie Punter Bryce Baringer looked as good as advertised. Christian Gonzalez was one of the Patriots’ best overall defenders. Keion White looked like a monster for Philly to contain, and Marte Mapu played a solid first game with a few open field tackles.
With DeVante Parker being out for the game, Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte showed flashes of promise that allowed them to crack the initial 53-man roster. Boutte may have had a rough night, but he showed true ability to win on the outside. Being just 21 years old, he will slowly improve on his body control and toe-tapping as the season moves on.
Sidy Sow and Atonio Mafi held their own when called upon, as the Patriots were without their two starting guards against a monster defensive line in Philly. There was no rookie that stood out for the wrong reasons, and that’s huge when 11 of the 47 active players are playing in their first ever NFL game.
Aggressive play calling signals Belichick's confidence in 2023 Patriots
Many wanted to scrutinize the Patriots for going for it on fourth-down situations as opposed to taking the points, but I think that notion showed Belichick is confident in this 2023 team to win meaningful games.
It also showed that he trusts Bill O’Brien to execute the game plan, along with his defense to get stops when needed.
In previous years, fans called for the Patriots to go for it on fourth-and-short, especially when they had momentum from a good offensive sequence. In turn, they would punt or kick a deep field goal, resulting in points left on the field.
Although Sunday night didn’t go as planned, they were aggressive when they needed to be, and that signals faith in Mac Jones for 2023.
