PRO SPORTS ROUNDUP: Patriots fall to Eagles in season opener with Tom Brady in attendance
It has been 1,341 days since Tom Brady put on a New England Patriots jersey at Gillette Stadium, but on Sunday, it was not to be under center for the season opener. We will get to that reason in just a minute, after this recap.
The Patriots started the season off against the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles and came up just short in the end, 25-20.
This game could not have started off any worse for the Pats as the Eagles led 16-0 — in the first quarter. The second quarter was a different story as the Patriots defense held the Eagles scoreless, and QB Mac Jones and new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien started to get on the same page.
Jones threw TDs to Hunter Henry (7 yards), and Kendrick Bourne (19-yard dime) to cut the Eagles lead down to 16-14 at halftime.
In the third quarter, both defenses stood strong as Eagles kicker Jake Elliot scored the only points with a 56-yard field goal. Philly now led 19-14 headed into the final quarter.
Elliot knocked in two more field goals (48 yards, 51 yards) in the fourth quarter to extend the Eagles lead to 25-14 with 5:33 left in the game. Jones threw another TD to Bourne to cut the lead down to five points, but they failed on the two-point conversion.
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After a stop by the defense, the Pats drove the field for one last attempt for a comeback win. On 4th and 11 at the PHI 20, Jones completed a 12-yard pass to Kayshon Boutte for the first down. After the play was reviewed, it was determined that Boutte didn't drag his second foot before being pushed out of bounds, which ended the game.
Jones had a milestone night in the season opener as he finished with career highs in pass completions (35) and attempts (54). He added 316 passing yards, three TDs and one interception (pick six). Bourne and Rhamondre Stevenson (yes the RB) tied for a team-high in receptions (6) and receiving yards (64). Juju Smith-Schuster, who won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs last season, finished his Pats debut with only four catches for 33 yards.
Tom Brady's jersey is retired
It almost looked like the kind of comeback Brady, who was in attendance to get his jersey retired at halftime, used to do for two decades as a Patriot.
As Brady ran out of the tunnel with his infamous number 12 jersey on, the 64,628 sold out crowd gave him a roaring standing ovation. Six Super Bowls (nine appearances) later, Brady left the Patriots fanbase with a message.
"One thing that I am sure of, and that will never change, is that I am a Patriot for life," Brady said during his halftime speech.
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Red Sox beat Orioles in Sept. 10 game
Red Sox: 7, Orioles 3: The Red Sox (73-70) finished their three-game home series against Baltimore with a win after dropping the first two (11-2, 13-12).
The Orioles led the game 3-0 after two innings and it was looking like the Red Sox were going to get swept. As the Red Sox led 4-3 in the 6th inning, Triston Casas hit a three-run 402-foot dinger that gave the Red Sox a 7-3 lead. Rafael Devers scored twice, and Justin Turner was the only Red Sox player with two hits. Starting pitcher Brayan Bello picked up the win on the mound as he went five innings, allowed seven hits, three earned runs and struck out two.
After Bello was pulled, Josh Winckowski, Garrett Whitlock and Nick Robertson combined for a no hitter and seven strikeouts to close the game.
The Red Sox are still in the playoff mix, as they sit six games out of the last AL Wild Card spot that the Mariners (79-64) currently hold with 19 games left in the regular season.
Next up, they face their rivals the New York Yankees in a four-game series (9/11-14) over the next four days.
Contact Courtney Jacobs at cjacobs@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @CJ_Journalist.
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Sept. 10: New England Patriots lose, Red Sox win, Brady at Gillette
