Last season, when the Philadelphia Eagles were shaky in beating the New England Patriots in the regular-season opener, head coach Nick Sirianni said he would ‘re-evaluate some of the preseason stuff,’ specifically whether he would play his starters during the preseason games.
But Jalen Hurts and most of the offensive starters sat for a second straight preseason game when the Eagles played the Patriots on Thursday night.
The reasoning for preseason Week 2 is clear. For one, it was raining in Foxborough in the hours leading up to the game. Secondly, the Eagles practiced against the Patriots on Tuesday, which Sirianni considers better work than the game at this point. And with a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, and a new offensive philosophy, Sirianni likes to have a ‘competitive advantage’ heading into the regular season.
So it’s likely Hurts’ first live action will come Sept. 6 in Brazil in the Eagles’ regular-season opener against Green Bay.
Here are some takeaways and observations from the Eagles’ 14-13 win:
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Did Tanner McKee make a case for backup QB job?
As for the game, the Eagles might have a competition for backup quarterback after all.
That’s because second-year quarterback Tanner McKee, who has gotten occasional second-team reps in practice, outplayed Kenny Pickett, the 2022 first-round pick of the Steelers whom the Eagles traded for in the spring.
McKee led the go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 28-yard pass to Joseph Ngata down to the 4 yard line. Kendall Milton’s 1-yard run with 4:23 left gave the Eagles a 14-12 lead.
McKee went 15-for-19 for 140 yards. He was better than Pickett, who played the first half, albeit against many of the Patriots starters on defense.
And while Pickett completed 11 of 13 passes for 67 yards, only two went further than 10 yards. Pickett was also sacked four times.
McKee took over in the third quarter. He completed four passes of more than 10 yards, including a 23-yard strike to Ngata. He left for a series in the third quarter and returned in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles clinched the victory when linebacker Brandon Smith recovered a fumble on a bad snap to Patriots QB Bailey Zappe.
E.J. Jenkins, Ngata shine, O-line struggles
Jenkins, vying for a third tight end spot, had a 19-yard reception from Will Grier. He finished with 5 catches for 47 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a leg injury.
Ngata finished with 5 catches for 88 yards.
But the game also showed that the Eagles don’t have a lot of depth on the offensive line behind the starters. That was exposed more when right guard Tyler Steen left in the first quarter when he re-injured his ankle. Steen was in the running at right guard although it already appeared that Mekhi Becton won that job.
Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith make big plays
Both Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith had difficult rookie seasons. But the former Georgia stars made strong plays on back-to-back plays in the third quarter.
On 2nd-and-10 from midfield, New England’s Drake Maye threw short to rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. Dean met him right away and tackled him for no gain. On the next play, Smith sacked Maye for an eight-yard loss, forcing a Patriots punt.
Kenny Pickett struggles in first half
Kenny Pickett started at quarterback and was accurate when he had time to throw, which wasn’t often, as the Eagles trailed 10-3 at halftime. Then again, Pickett was with backups on the offensive line and wide receiver. He didn’t have Saquon Barkley to hand off to, or AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith to throw to.
And then right guard Tyler Steen re-injured his ankle. Pickett was sacked four times in the Eagles’ first two drives without Steen.
Pickett was 11 of 13 for 67 yards in the first half. As a team, the Eagles had just 65 yards in the first half. But Pickett didn’t help himself, often holding the ball too long.
It could have been worse as Avonte Maddox stopped one Patriots drive with an interception in the end zone and 47-yard return that led to the Eagles’ only points, a Jake Elliott 42-yard field goal with 3:04 left in the first quarter.
But the Pats tied it up, then took a 10-3 lead as rookie QB Drake Maye scored from 4 yards out with 1:57 left in the second quarter.
Drake Maye scores first NFL touchdown
Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye scored the first touchdown of his NFL career, and it wasn’t through the air. Instead, he ran the ball into the end zone to put the finishing touches on a methodical touchdown drive.
The drive went eight plays for 49 yards, and it shaved 3:58 off the game clock. It was a drive that featured a little bit of everything with Maye leading a balanced offensive attack that kept the Eagles on their heels.
WR John Ross leaves with injury
John Ross, one of the receivers vying for the third WR spot, left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Johnny Wilson was placed in the concussion protocol after Tuesday’s practice.
Tyler Steen injures ankle as Mekhi Becton might have already won RG spot
The right guard competition appeared to be over even before Tyler Steen left in a cart at the end of the first quarter. Steen suffered an ankle injury, the same injury that kept him out for 10 days earlier in camp, allowing Mekhi Becton to take over.
Becton was among the starters sitting out Thursday while Steen suited up. Then Steen got hurt. Nick Gates took over for Steen.
Becton played the first series last week against Baltimore. Now, he’s in bubble wrap with the other starters. Sirianni hasn’t verbally declared the competition over, but he might have with his actions.
Avonte Maddox INT helps Eagles to early lead vs Patriots
Both of the Eagles starting safeties in Reed Blankenship and CJ Gardner-Johnson (shoulder) sat out, so converted corners in veterans Avonte Maddox and James Bradberry started.
Maddox made an impact right away. On New England’s second possession, he stepped in front of Austin Hooper in the end zone and intercepted Jacoby Brissett’s pass and returned it 47 yards to the Eagles’ 45. The Eagles got a field goal for a 3-0 lead with 3:04 left in the first quarter.
Many defensive starters did play, including edge rusher Bryce Huff, who had tackles on the Patriots’ first two plays.
Rookie WR sitting out with concussion
Johnny Wilson, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick who was having a good preseason, did not play Thursday because he was placed in the concussion protocol after Tuesday’s practice.
Wilson had one catch for seven yards against Baltimore last week. The 6-foot-6 receiver is in the running for the third wide receiver spot.
Eagles 53-man roster: Who’s leading 3rd WR battle?
It’s becoming more and more likely that the Eagles’ third wide receiver isn’t on the roster yet.
None of the receivers behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith took advantage of their chances in the Eagles’ 16-13 win over Baltimore last week. And that could possibly lead to outside help before the start of the season. It just so happens that veteran Juju Smith-Schuster was released last week by the New England Patriots.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.
