Patriots 31 Eagles 22: Full Recap - 3 Ups and Downs
Last nights'game vs the Eagles was nothing but promising especially for the Patriots first time in action for the 2013 season. The game started off fast with Brady and ended with Tebow time which was less than hoped for. Here's a recap quarter by quarter.
Quarter 1
Fast paced with a pound and ground 6 play drive got the Patriots into the end zone in about 3 minutes. Brady on the first play handed off to Ridley who took it 62 yards but seemed to run out of breath quickly. One thing to notice with Ridley is that he's gained a few pounds which may be a cause of concern early on. Big back Lagarrette Blount did his job on the first drive by getting those small, necessary gains on the ground. One Person I must rave about is Nate Solder. Solder looked better than ever with great protection from a potentially red hot Eagles defensive line. The O-line was better than anyone could've imagined (continuity helps). The defense continued their struggles when Michael Vick made it look easy when he threw a long bomb to Desean Jackson over Aqib Talib which demonstrated the Eagles commitment to an Oregon style offense. Rookie wideouts Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins totalled for 5 catches, 4 for which were caught by Thompkins who seemed like he has picked up this Patriots system. Dobsons lone catch was one where he caught the ball in traffic and turned around just in time for a Brady bullet. Dobsons catch demonstrated to me not just his quick awareness but his great hands. Vereen gave me a flashback to January when he hauled in a touchdown in the far left side of the end zone while being perfectly covered by a linebacker. I see Vereen and Brady having a chemistry especially for TD's. Brady's two and only drives of the game both resulted in touchdowns. Back to the defensive side Tommy Kelly forced a fumble along with Chandler Jones which was picked up by Brandon Spikes. The fumble, which was initially ruled an incomplete pass was questioned by Head Coach Bill Belichick who eventually won the challenge.
Quarter 2
Mallet entered the game early in the first but never pushed the momentum. Mallet eventually was knocked out of the game with a head injury in the second quarter. One thing of notice was that Julian Edelman was not with the first team offense which surprised me, myself, and I greatly. Amendola caught 1 catch but it was a good start for Tom and Danny. Tight End Jake Ballard blocked well and led the Patriots along with Brady to 2 scoring drives. The big man, Lagarette Blount conquered the field with a twirling 51 yard run to the end zone which was led by big blocks from tight end Zach Sudfeld. The second team defense struggled with Nick Foles all night. Stephen Gostkowski had a terrible game and made coaches rethink the possibility of more competition for him. The second quarter was dominated by Blounts running ability.
Quarter 3
Quarter 4
The fourth quarter included just running down the clock. The Eagles scored and grabbed a 2 point conversion as well. The only excitement was when Greg Salas of the Eagles made a one hand grab and almost scored a touchdown in the final seconds.
3 Up, 3 Down, 1 to be cut.
UP:
Lagarette Blount, Stevan Ridley, Shane Vereen-- All scored and showed their worth and value on this Patriots team.
Kenbrell Thompkins-- 4 catches may not seem like much but those four catches were mostly in tough coverage. Thompkins will be a big part of this offense.
Duron Harmon-- Harmon did a great job in solidifying the cover 2 spot for the Patriots defense. Look to see more of him in the future.
DOWN:
Ryan Mallet-- No momentum along with sloppy passes made Mallet's potential trade value fall.
Stephen Gostkowski-- Only 33% on the night as he only made 1/3 field goals.
Leon Washington-- It's only the preseason but Washington didn't really flash at me in the return game.
CUT:
George Winn-- Ran for -2 yards and has been futile in camp according to scouts. He is also one of the most expensive rookie free agents as well.
STATS
