Takeaways From the Patriots Loss to Philadelphia

Connor Barwin #98 of the Philadelphia Eagles sacks Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots during the first quarter on December 6, 2015 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

The New England Patriots and Houston Texans play Sunday night in a key AFC matchup at NRG Stadium. It was his fourth forced fumble in eight games this season and came with 1:02 left to play, giving the Patriots one final chance to tie the game. But he was charged with one when Jenkins grabbed a deflection and gave the Eagles a 21-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

That doesn’t mean the offense and defense have been blame-free. Those represent errors that get teams beat, which is exactly what happened.

It took the Philadelphia Eagles to score from all aspects of football to win this game. The Patriots were third.

Prophetic, it turned out.

The Pats tried to catch up and scored two touchdowns, but it was not enough as the champions failed to salvage the game for a win.

Sproles ran a punt back 83 yards for a score. However, the Patriots haven’t lost three straight games in over a decade. That punt was the one that was blocked and returned for a touchdown. “It’s kind of just a simple equation, but I think everybody understands”. The decision backfired as the ball was deflected into the arms of Malcolm Jenkins for a 99-yard touchdown return and a 14-point swing on the scoreboard.

The game featured yet another highlight reel catch from Odell Beckham Jr, but the Jets won it in overtime to improve to 7-5 and maintain a playoff spot. “If I turn the ball over twice, I don’t think we’re going to have the chance to win many games, so I think that’s what it comes down to”. But with Edelman out, it was Amendola’s play to run, and it worked. Hopefully they come out with the same fight but I’m not going to count on it, instead I will do the wait and see approach. “We just executed, man. We played fast, had fun”.

The Patriots have made a few changes with their special teams this season.

“Obviously, Coach O’Brien knows this team very well, so a lot of familiarity there”, Slater said. Even the most optimistic Eagles’ fan had to admit a loss Sunday would have pretty well ended the season, and not many of us expected anything different. The third-year linebacker didn’t play every defensive snap, as he typically does, but he wasn’t eased back onto the field either, as conditioning didn’t prove to be an issue.

Most of the other pieces are the same. The kick was actually a short drop kick by Nate Ebner, which Philadelphia recovered on its own 41-yard line. However, Chandler has clearly seen an increase in passes since the Denver game in which Gronk went down. “But I felt like I made plays when I had to make plays tonight”. “We didn’t have any answers”. They’ve managed 77, 85, 39 and 103 yards on the ground in their past four games. They’ve lost both games.

In close games, special teams can make a difference.

That’s a record for this stage of the season but results around the league this weekend provided us with some clarity with regards to the post-season – not least involving the Patriots themselves. “We need more consistency, and everybody doing a better job”.