The New England Patriots (8-1) will look to rebound after their pre-bye loss, in a Super Bowl LII rematch in Philadelphia versus the Eagles (5-4) on Sunday. Here are three keys for New England, in hopes for a victory.

1. Shore up run defense

After appearing to have no weaknesses during the first half of their season, the Patriots defense has allowed 184.5 rushing yards per game over their last two contests.

The Eagles have one of the NFL’s better offensive lines, and their two-back attack of Jordan Howard and rookie Miles Sanders poses problems for a defense that sometimes struggles against offenses that efficiently run the inside zone out of the shotgun and spread-shotgun formations.

Stopping the run is a top priority here, even if that means New England has to go back to tinkering to four-man defensive lines consistently for the first time this season. Can this year’s personnel play well in that?

2. Limit passing game out of two-tight end personnel

With DeSean Jackson out, the Eagles have relied heavily on 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) with both tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert on the field at the same time.

In this formation, the Eagles not only have a beefier lineup the can block for the running game, they also have the personnel to run RPOs and find mismatches with their athletic pass catching tight ends.

“The RPOs – there’s a couple different versions of them – they use both and they have,” Bill Belichick said recently. They incorporated it into their offense several years ago and continue to use them.”

In Ertz, the Eagles have what is basically a very effective big inside receiver. It’s worth wondering if New England will either double cover him on third down, or place Stephon Gilmore on him, with the injuries and play of the Philadelphia’s depleted wide receiving core.

“Yeah he’s pretty good. He’s really good at everything,” Belichick says of Ertz.

“In the passing game, man routes, he can get open against a variety of defenders. He’s a tough guy to match up against. Until they come out of the huddle, it’s hard to really know where he’s going to be. He lines up in the tight end traditional location, but not a high, high percentage of the time. He’s in different spots.”

Ertz — seven catches, 67 yards, game-winning touchdown — was a handful in Super Bowl LII, and Goedert, their second-round pick following their Super Bowl win, poses a whole new set of problems.

“I think they play two tight ends more than any other team in the league,”  Belichick says.

“Those two guys combined play a lot. “It’s usually Ertz in 11-personnel but not always. Goedert plays in there a decent amount too, and obviously they’re both on the field when they go to 12. They’re, I would say, interchangeable. They’re able to move guys around to different spots. I’d say he plays probably a little more tight end than Ertz does, but they both play it and they can both extend outside and in slot, play off each other as well as.”

3. Switch up approach on offense (if needed)

The Patriots had gotten buy with less-than-stellar play from their offense as of late, but with their schedule heating up, that’s not longer viable.

The team showed some success versus the Ravens with a hurry-up approach, and that may be something the Patriots need to revisit on Sunday, if necessary.

Then again, Philadelphia has been so poor in stopping the pass, that this may be the turning of the tide for Tom Brady, who is due for a 45-plus pass attempt game in which he meticulously picks apart a defense with supreme pre-snap reads.

With rookie first-round pick N’Keal Harry probably making his debut, he could also be a factor.

Regardless, the Patriots may need to veer a bit from what they’ve done so far this season on offense.