A defensive meltdown for the ages led to the Philadelphia Eagles getting pounded on the road in the wild card round of the playoffs by quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Mayfield went from looking like a temporary replacement quarterback to the possible long-term answer for the Buccaneers under center. And it all came at the expense of Matt Patricia’s defense.
Mayfield hung 337 passing yards and three touchdowns on the Eagles in a playoff game.
That ugly performance apparently struck a nerve with New England Patriots fans, who started rehashing their grievances with Patricia on social media. Patricia has spent 15 years in total coaching for the Patriots, but in his final year with the team in 2022, coach Bill Belichick made the odd decision to move him to offensive play-caller as the replacement for Josh McDaniels.
That decision sunk the Patriots offense and destroyed Mac Jones’ confidence at quarterback. In many ways, the Patriots are still paying for that decision to this very day.
So it should come as no surprise to see fans having a little fun at the expense of the Eagles, who lost 32-9 to the Buccaneers after promoting Patricia from senior defensive assistant to defensive play-caller.
Here are some of the best comments from Patriots Twitter: