There's a chink in the armor: Patriots pull out an unconvincing win against the Eagles
Samuel Van Eerden
November 27, 2007
To say the Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots Sunday night match-up was a David vs. Goliath of our times would be an understatement. The Patriots have been a monolith of aggressive domination all year long, coming into last night's game with a 10-0 record and a top-ranked offense which is scoring points like no other team in history behind Quarterback Tom Brady's record pace of 38 TD passes. Coach Bill Belichick has been rightfully accused of running up the score against opponents, as his Patriots averaged over 40 points a game through the first ten, while his defense has only given up 15.7 points per game. The Patriots release the dogs early and often as was again evidenced in last week's 56-10 victory against the sub-.500 Buffalo Bills, in which the Patriots were still playing their starters during the 4th quarter.
Against the 5-5 Philadelphia Eagles--a sporadic team that is a shell of the line-up that played the Patriots a couple years ago for Superbowl XXXIX and lost by 3--the Patriots got off to a quick start when Cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted an early A. J. Feeley pass and returned it for six. Less than 90 seconds in, and the Patriots were already up 7-0 . . . and Tom Brady hadn't even touched the football. The home crowd in Massachusetts settled in to watch another full helping of home cooking served up by Belichick and the boys.
What they actually witnessed was a game. Playing with backup Quarterback A. J. Feeley, the Eagles were shockingly resilient (how dare they!) against one of the best teams to ever play the game, tying the most points scored by a Patriot opponent all year, en-route to holding the Patriots to a season low. And while Tom Brady finished with 380 yards passing on the night, it was the first time all year he's thrown less than 3 touchdowns in a game (in fact, he only threw one; a second-quarter strike), and his passer rating was the lowest single-game output of the season. With A. J. Feeley the Eagles were a little more sure of what they could expect from the Quarterback spot. With the exception of a couple years ago in Miami, Feeley has backed up Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia and been efficient (if not brilliant) in limited playing time. The 30-year-old A. J. is not as mobile or as strong as Donovan, but he is more consistent than the Jakyle/Hyde number-five we've seen put up a passer rating of 158.5 one game and 61 the next.
After his early pass was returned for a touchdown, Feeley settled into a nice rhythm, driving his team on three long scoring drives in the first half. On defense, Jim Johnson's Eagles countered the no huddle, pass-happy offensive attack of the Patriots with a myriad of defensive looks; dropping 8 on one play, then rushing 6 on the next. Although they pressured Brady early and often--and eventually finished with 3 sacks--the schemes appeared to only stall the inevitable as Brady converted third-down after third-down in route to a 24 point first half scoring output.
Things bogged down in the third quarter however, as the Patriots saw two drives in Eagle territory produce zero points, while the Eagles responded to a Patriot missed field goal with an 80 yard drive of their own which yielded a touchdown and a 28-24 lead which would hold until mid-way into the fourth quarter when Patriots Running Back Laurence Maroney bulled his way into the end zone from 4 yards out to give the Patriots a lead they would not surrender. A. J. Feeley would throw two interceptions on the final two Eagle drives to seal the deal for the Patriots as they moved one step closer towards a perfect season.
As we wrap up yet another week of NFL football action, the buzz is thunderous: The Patriots are mortal! The Patriots CAN be beaten! Up to this point Superbowl hype has basically been a question of which team the NFC will serve up to the Patriots for dinner on February 3. But after a shockingly close game on Sunday night, the Patriots don't appear to be quiet the same giant they were before.
Some giants are invincible; but every Goliath has his David.
Against the 5-5 Philadelphia Eagles--a sporadic team that is a shell of the line-up that played the Patriots a couple years ago for Superbowl XXXIX and lost by 3--the Patriots got off to a quick start when Cornerback Asante Samuel intercepted an early A. J. Feeley pass and returned it for six. Less than 90 seconds in, and the Patriots were already up 7-0 . . . and Tom Brady hadn't even touched the football. The home crowd in Massachusetts settled in to watch another full helping of home cooking served up by Belichick and the boys.
What they actually witnessed was a game. Playing with backup Quarterback A. J. Feeley, the Eagles were shockingly resilient (how dare they!) against one of the best teams to ever play the game, tying the most points scored by a Patriot opponent all year, en-route to holding the Patriots to a season low. And while Tom Brady finished with 380 yards passing on the night, it was the first time all year he's thrown less than 3 touchdowns in a game (in fact, he only threw one; a second-quarter strike), and his passer rating was the lowest single-game output of the season. With A. J. Feeley the Eagles were a little more sure of what they could expect from the Quarterback spot. With the exception of a couple years ago in Miami, Feeley has backed up Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia and been efficient (if not brilliant) in limited playing time. The 30-year-old A. J. is not as mobile or as strong as Donovan, but he is more consistent than the Jakyle/Hyde number-five we've seen put up a passer rating of 158.5 one game and 61 the next.
After his early pass was returned for a touchdown, Feeley settled into a nice rhythm, driving his team on three long scoring drives in the first half. On defense, Jim Johnson's Eagles countered the no huddle, pass-happy offensive attack of the Patriots with a myriad of defensive looks; dropping 8 on one play, then rushing 6 on the next. Although they pressured Brady early and often--and eventually finished with 3 sacks--the schemes appeared to only stall the inevitable as Brady converted third-down after third-down in route to a 24 point first half scoring output.
Things bogged down in the third quarter however, as the Patriots saw two drives in Eagle territory produce zero points, while the Eagles responded to a Patriot missed field goal with an 80 yard drive of their own which yielded a touchdown and a 28-24 lead which would hold until mid-way into the fourth quarter when Patriots Running Back Laurence Maroney bulled his way into the end zone from 4 yards out to give the Patriots a lead they would not surrender. A. J. Feeley would throw two interceptions on the final two Eagle drives to seal the deal for the Patriots as they moved one step closer towards a perfect season.
As we wrap up yet another week of NFL football action, the buzz is thunderous: The Patriots are mortal! The Patriots CAN be beaten! Up to this point Superbowl hype has basically been a question of which team the NFC will serve up to the Patriots for dinner on February 3. But after a shockingly close game on Sunday night, the Patriots don't appear to be quiet the same giant they were before.
Some giants are invincible; but every Goliath has his David.
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