The Philadelphia Eagles came into Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Monday night with a lot of people nationally wanting to see where they think this club might finish after a disappointing 8-8 season in 2011. They came away with a 27-17 win over the New England Patriots in a nationally televised preseason game.
The first half between the two clubs was fought to a 14-14 tie. It was basically a battle between most of New England’s second and third team players against the Philadelphia starters and the Patriots backups handled the situation fairly well.
The Patriots got on the board first behind 2nd year QB Ryan Mallett, who started in place of Tom Brady and over normal 2nd string QB Brian Hoyer. Mallett played the first four drives of the game for New England and led the team on two scoring strikes; the first was a 51-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski that capped a 1st quarter drive of 11 plays on 56 yards.
With the Patriots up 3-0 the defense got a little rough with Eagles QB Michael Vick, DE Jermaine Cunningham, manhandled an offensive lineman and smoked Vick. Vick ended up going down on one knee before he could back to the huddle and was removed from the field by trainers and taken for X-rays on his ribs.
Mallett, a former Arkansas Razorback, wasn’t all sunshine and roses he got picked in the 1st quarter by Philadelphia’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie but it was nullified by roughing the passer penalty on Rookie of the Year candidate Fletcher Cox and the Patriots caught a huge break.
Mallett made up the error in his ways when he threw a 7-yard TD pass to Alex Silvestro who converted from DE to TE a little over a week ago. The TD capped a 13 play 80-yard drive and gave the Patriots an 11-0 lead after a penalty to the Eagles on the TD. Bill Belichick decided to run the goal line offense and went for two and converted on a Shane Vereen 1-yard run.
The Eagles though rallied with a pair of scores in the second quarter to take a 14-11 lead. RB LeSean McCoy Puente it in from 1 yard out for the first score. The run capped a 3-play 24-yard drive after New England rookie Brandon Bolden muffed a punt that Philadelphia recovered.
The Eagles defense set up their offense for the second score when Hoyer, who came into the game for the first drive of the second quarter, fumbled while being sacked. Eagles rookie backup QB Nick Foles threw a 1-yard TD pass to TE Clay Harbor for the score. It only took two plays to go 12 yards and take the lead.
The Patriots were able to get even prior to the half when Gostkowski added his second field goal a 35-yarder to tie it 14-14.
Philadelphia had a chance to take a lead going into the half but Patriots rookie S Nate Ebner picked Foles at 2-yard line just seconds before the half ended to kill the drive.
The Eagles took the lead 21-14 early in the third quarter when Foles hit Harbor again for another TD on a three yard pass that capped the opening drive of the half.
After Philadelphia’s Alex Henery missed a 55-yard field goal attempt the Patriots were able to get three points back when Gostkowski hit his own 55-yarder, his third of the game, to cut the deficit to 21-17 in the middle of the third quarter.
Henery redeemed himself somewhat when he made a 42-yard attempt nearing the end of the 3rd quarter to give the Eagles a 24-17 lead after three.
Late in the fourth quarter Henery added a 21-yard chip shot to make the final score 27-17 in favor of the Eagles.
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Game Notes:
Robert Kraft and the Patriots had a moment of silence for Garrett Reid, son of the Eagles head coach Andy Reid, who passed away two weeks ago.
Andy Reid is among Bill Belichick’s closest friends in the NFL coaching fraternity.
The Patriots honored all the Olympic medalists from New England prior to the game.
Patriots started Ryan Mallett at quarterback instead of Brian Hoyer.
The Patriots did not dress 26 players, among them were:
- QB Tom Brady
- CB Kyle Arrington
- CB Devin McCourty
- LB Jerod Mayo
- G Logan Mankins
- DT Vince Wilfork
- TE Aaron Hernandez
- WR Wes Welker
- WR Brandon Lloyd
- T Sebastian Vollmer
- RB Jeff Demps
- DE Gerard Warren
- DE Jonathan Fanene
This was the 20th preseason meeting between the teams and the first since 2009.
Patriots lead the Preseason Series, 10-9.
The Eagles last played a preseason game at Gillette in 2008 and won 27-17.
New England has won 8 of the last 10 preseason meetings between the clubs.
Eagles QB Nick Foles transferred from Michigan State when Brian Hoyer took over as the Spartans QB.
Two weeks in a row the Patriots have had a quarterback get sacked and fumble, when Hoyer coughed up the ball in the second quarter. Both led to opponent TD’s.
Rookie LB Dont’a Hightower was calling the defensive signals in place of Jerod Mayo. That’s how highly thought of the first rounder out of Alabama is thought of.
Tough night for the Patriots offensive tackles Nate Solder and Marcus Cannon they got beat by Eagle defenders several times.
Michael Vick did not return to the game after the Cunningham hit, the X-rays were negative.
Patriots S Patrick Chung left the game in the first quarter with a possible shoulder injury after tackling Eagles RB LeSean McCoy.
We learned Mike Tirico is a huge Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band fan, he saw them for the 28th time Saturday night in Foxboro.
Next Game
The Patriots visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Friday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa FL. Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. on the Patriots Television Network.
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photo credit: reuters pictures
