Eagles Beat Patriots: A Dozen Overreactions Include Good And Bad in 14-13 Win

The Eagles got a late touchdown drive from Tanner McKee and then the defense stood tall on two comeback tries from the Patriots, and here are 12 overreactions.

Aug 15, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett (7) throws the ball against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports / Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time under head coach Nick Sirianni, the Eagles are 2-0 in the preseason – big whoop, right? - after beating the New England Patriots 14-13 on Thursday night.

The win was sealed by a defense that stopped the Patriots twice late in the fourth quarter after Philly took a lead on a Kendall Milton 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass from Tanner McKee to Ainias Smith.

Thomas Booker and Terrell Lewis had sacks on one of the Patrtios’ comeback tries, but New England got the ball back. They moved close to midfield, but a high snap ended the game when Brandon Smith fell on the loose ball, allowing the Eagles to run out the clock.

Here are 12 overreactions to what transpired:

Defense’s playmaking in big moment. Last week it was Patrick Johnson getting the strip-sack fumble and recovery to set up Jake Elliott’s winning field goal. Against the Patriots, Avonte Maddox stepped in front of tight end Austin Hooper for an endzone interception. He returned it 47 yards to help set up Elliott for a 42-yard field goal and 3-0 lead after the first quarter. The interception came on third-and-three and came on the ninth play of a drive that began on Philly’s 38-yard line.

McKee should be top backup QB. It probably won’t happen, but McKee continues to impress. He led the Eagles on a touchdown drive that covered 70 yards in seven plays and 3:20, and then threw a two-point pass to Smith for a 14-13 lead. He finished 15-for-19 and 140 yards and a passer rating of 97.4.

Kenny Pickett could not find the end zone in two quarters of work. In fairness, he was under duress and took four sacks. Some of that was the offensive line, some of it was receivers not getting open, and sometimes he held the ball too long. His line of 11-for-13 for 67 yards is misleading. There wasn’t much to like, but the Eagles do like him as their No. 2, and that probably won’t change.

Eagles QB Tanner McKee / John McMullen/Eagles SI

Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun. These two are battling to start and they both did nothing to hurt their case with Dean leading the team in tackles with five and doing a lot of run blitzing. He continues to build on a strong training camp. Baun’s play last week was a bit worrisome, but he made two nice stops before exiting early.

Offensive line depth. Max Scharping was a turnstile and probably cost himself a job and how much Tyler Steen can be counted on when the season begins is in question after he was carted off the sidelines with an ankle injury, which is probably the same ankle that has cost him several practices. Until it’s fully healed, he won’t be of much help, and that is a concern for the interior depth of the line.

Also, Trevor Keegan had a false start penalty in the two-minute offense with the Eagles looking for some late points after New England went ahead on a walk-in 4-yard touchdown from rookie Drake Maye.

Aug 15, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Tyler Steen (56) is carted off the field during the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

E.J. Jenkins. Two of his five catches for 47 yards were good for first downs. The converted college receiver caught all four of his targets, one of which was for 19 yards, and another that he caught while following backward after finding a soft spot in the Patriots’ zone defense. He also has shown up in training camp and needs to be this team’s third tight end. He suffered what looked like a left knee or ankle injury while being tackled on his fifth catch midway through the fourth quarter but jogged off; a good sign.

Joseph Ngata. Not known for creating much separation in his route running, there’s no denying the Clemson product has strong hands to pull in a 50-50 balls and his development from last year to this year. He caught all five of his targets for a team-high 88 yards, including the longest pass play of the night, a 23-yard connection from Tanner McKee. He’s not making the 53-man roster. Or will he?

Johnny Wilson concussion. Apparently, the rookie receiver went into concussion protocol following Tuesday’s joint practice. The rookie needs preseason games to continue his development. This is a setback and who knows when he will clear the protocol?

Fourth downs. The Eagles failed at a fourth-and-one tush push when Tanner McKee bungled the snap from Dylan McMahon couldn’t convert two other fourth-and-shorts. Against the Ravens, they were 3-for-4.

John Ross. The Eagles may have found their kickoff returner. In addition to one catch for nine yards, he returned two kicks for 68 yards, an average of 34 yards per return. One problem: He walked into the locker room early in the second half to be evaluated for a concussion.

Nolan Smith's roughing the passer penalty. It wasn’t much, but it looked like he did go helmet to helmet, ever so gently, against rookie Drake Maye. The 15-yard penalty helped the Patriots to tie the score at 3-3 with 11:01 to play in the second quarter. Smith did collect his second sack of the preseason by flying in for one late in the third quarter.

Will Shipley. For the second straight week, the fourth-round rookie shined. He didn’t score a touchdown like he did against the Ravens, but he had a nifty 19-yard catch-and-run right after Pickett took a 12-yard sack. Keegan and McMahon, and Nick Gates had some nice downfield blocking to help. Shipley had five runs for 15 yards and four catches for 31 yards.

Tristin McCollum. The Eagles have to find a way to keep this safety on the 53-man roster. He made three tackles and had a pass breakup and continued to have a strong summer.

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