4 Big takeaways from Patriots’ 25-20 loss vs Eagles

A celebratory day at Gillette Stadium provided New England Patriots fans with fireworks on and off the field in their Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Legendary quarterback Tom Brady was honored both pregame and at halftime, with New England owner Robert Kraft making the announcement that the team would void the normal waiting period and would induct the signal-caller into the Patriots Hall of Fame this upcoming June.

On the field, New England’s offense overcame an early 16-0 self-inflicted deficit to make the game competitive, drawing within two and five points of the Eagles at different points throughout the match.

Ultimately, the self-inflicted mistakes were just too much to overcome, and multiple late drives by the Patriots deep into Philadelphia territory just couldn’t give the home team a lead.

Here are 4 big takeaways from the 25-20 loss.

This isn't Matt Patricia's Patriots Offense

The Patriots’ offense looked lifeless a majority of the times they took the field last season. With de facto offensive coordinator Matt Patricia calling plays, the team just could never seem to get any momentum going and played less to make waves on offense and more so to limit turnovers.

But Sunday’s game showed how that offense is now a part of Patriots past.

New England did not start great, digging themselves into an early hole with a pick-six on a pass deflection and then a lost fumble on a screen pass in back-to-back plays. But after spotting the Eagles 16 points, the Patriots offense went to work.

The team stormed back, putting something together that Patriots fans had not seen in over a season: a cohesive and complete offensive drive.

It started midway through the second quarter when the team embarked on what would be a 10-play, 71-yard drive ending in a touchdown pass from quarterback Mac Jones to tight end Hunter Henry. The offense overcame multiple third downs and tough plays to score their first points of the season.

And then just two minutes later, New England got the ball again and proceeded to march downfield and put up this 19-yard touchdown pass from Jones to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.

The team added a third touchdown, another catch from Bourne, later in the game.

While the team’s lackluster offensive start dug them a hole that they could not get out of before the clock hit zero, the unit looked far and away more improved in comparison to last season. The athleticism of the skill position players was utilized well, with multiple receivers (Bourne most notably) getting to showcase their offensive ability to a much larger extent.

It remains to be seen how consistent the Patriots offense can be this year. But if this first game is any indication, they will surely be entertaining to watch.

Monster defensive performances outside the stats sheet

Aided by multiple rookie starters, New England’s defense came into the game ready to play. While the offense gifted the Eagles an early lead, the defense kept the team in the game – stifling Philadelphia’s potent offensive attack and allowing the Patriots to climb back into it.

Edge rusher Matt Judon sacked Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on Philadelphia’s first drive of the game, forcing the team to settle for a field goal.

From that point onward, the Patriots established a “bend but don’t break” defensive mindset that carried throughout the matchup. After their first 16 points, the Eagles were kept out of the end zone for the remainder of the game, with their final nine points coming on three field goals.

The coverage was great, too. New England’s secondary kept the Eagles’s offense under 200 receiving yards, all while playing sticky coverage and forcing Hurts to scramble. And when he did scramble, the team did a good job (a much better one at least) at staying with him compared to last season. On his nine attempts, Hurts ran for 37 yards.

But the biggest attribute of the defense on Sunday afternoon was the youth movement. Newly re-signed linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley led the team in total tackles with nine. Rookie defensive end Keion White only recorded one pass breakup on the stats sheet but was a menace all game long along New England’s defensive line, consistently pressuring Hurts into quick throws or scrambles.

But it was rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez who made his presence known. Gonzalez didn’t exactly set the world on fire by any means (and gave a few free yards to the Eagles on soft coverage in the first half), but he made it clear that he deserves to be a starting corner in this defensive unit. The rookie recorded his first career sack on a corner blitz late in the fourth quarter and broke up what would’ve been a game-winning first-down completion from Hurts to wide receiver A.J. Brown at the end of the game, allowing the Patriots another shot at an offensive drive.

New England’s offense was inconsistent, but the defense showed up all game long against one of the NFL’s best offensive units.

Good offensive scheming negates a bad offensive line

New England’s starting offensive line coming into the game looked like this:

Down guards Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu to injury, the Patriots rolled with two rookies on their offensive line to open up the season. And while Jones was under pressure many times throughout the game, he was only sacked twice against one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

Per Next Gen Stats, Jones had an average of 2.52 seconds to throw the ball in Sunday’s game. That’s down from 2.69 in 2022. So why did New England’s offense look that much better? The answer lies in the scheming.

Last season with Patricia at the helm, the Patriots ran many longer-developing offensive plays, hoping that their lackluster offensive line could hold off defenders longer than they were actually able to. In Sunday’s game, New England used the athleticism of its receivers to draw up quick-hit routes, minimizing the potential damage of a less-than-ideal offensive line. Even on this 19-yard touchdown pass, Jones only takes a three-step drop before firing a laser to Bourne.

Jones’ average completed air yards per pass last season was 5.2. On Sunday, it was 3.6, and the offense looked better for it.

Money Mac may be back

Quarterback Mac Jones completed 35-of-54 passes for 316 passing yards and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 91.3 on Sunday.

Jones only broke the 300-yard threshold in a game twice last season, with both games coming against two defenses (Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings) that finished the season having given up more passing yards than two-thirds of the league.

But who gave up the fewest passing yards in 2022? That was the Eagles, who trotted out an improved secondary (touting additions such as cornerback Greedy Williams and safety Terrell Edmunds) in addition to a very much improved defensive line.

All signs pointed to Philadelphia making Jones’ life a nightmare during their Week 1 matchup, but New England’s signal-caller looked comfortable against the formidable defensive front despite playing behind an injured offensive line.

Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s history with Jones, stemming from their shared time at the University of Alabama, may have finally helped ease him into an NFL offense. While Jones looked comfortable at times playing under coordinator Josh McDaniels during his rookie season, he had trouble consistently finding his footing last season under Patricia.

Against what could very well be the NFL’s top defense for a second consecutive season, Jones overcame early miscues to put together a great performance, one that could’ve resulted in victory if rookie receiver Kayshon Boutte could’ve kept both feet inbounds. And he looked far more comfortable and more productive in the offense than he did at any point last season.

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Story originally appeared on Patriots Wire