The New England Patriots were supposed to get blown out of Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
They were facing the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles with both starting guards and their No. 1 outside receiver all ruled out before the game. It was a matchup that put them toe-to-toe with the best pass-rushing team in football. It’s the same team that had 70 sacks last season and demolished opposing quarterbacks on a weekly basis.
Yet, despite the odds, the Patriots were a drive away from sending the Eagles packing with a monumental upset loss on the road. On a got-to-have-it play in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, a beautifully thrown pass to rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was ruled out of bounds on what would have been a fourth-down conversion in the red zone.
Boutte failed to get both feet in bounds for a second time in the game, which ultimately gave the Eagles the break they needed to escape with a 25-20 victory.
That is not a catch by Boutte. 2nd time today. pic.twitter.com/bmDe0jCUYn
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) September 10, 2023
The game was full of self-inflicted wounds for the Patriots, including a pick-six thrown by quarterback Mac Jones and a costly fumble by Ezekiel Elliott. There was also a questionable decision by the coaching staff to go for it on a fourth down in the red zone, instead of electing to kick the field goal in another fourth-quarter drive.
The sputtering offense for New England got off to a rocky start, but they eventually started to make plays against arguably the best defensive team in the league. Jones finished the game 35 completions for 316 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
If the offense can find some consistency to pair with their elite defense, the Patriots could end up becoming a legitimate contender in the AFC East division.
The road won’t get any easier with the Miami Dolphins coming in for a visit at Gillette Stadium next Sunday night. It’s on to Miami for a Patriots team that came within a play of potentially knocking off the Super Bowl favorites on opening day.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]