Although many things went wrong in the game, including the Patriots allowing two special teams touchdowns and turning the ball over on offense twice, Belichick gave his team credit for fighting back in the fourth quarter to make it a seven-point game with three minutes left after the Patriots trailed by 21 early in the final quarter.
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Philadelphia wide receiver Riley Cooper batted the ensuing onside kick out of bounds and then caught a 14-yard pass from Sam Bradford on third-and-11, seemingly allowing the Eagles to run out the clock. On film, it’s clear Collins did make contact with the pass. By rule, it’s legal for a defender to contact a receiver after a ball is tipped, so Butler’s penalty may have been rescinded if the Patriots had challenged the play. The team signed the 31-year-old Austin to a one-year, $2.3 million deal in the offseason.
Special teams were also an issue. No point risking one of the best offensive weapons in the National Football League on games that don’t matter, right? “… It’s about the two teams playing each other, the 2015 Texans versus the 2015 Patriots”.
Sproles ran a punt back 83 yards for a score.
At first glance, the Patriots’ 10 interceptions don’t look that bad, ranking smack in the middle of the pack.
There has been a lot of talk that the New England Patriots should rest their Pro Bowl Tight End Rob Gronkowski until the playoffs.
The Eagles moved into a tie for second place in the division, a half-game behind the Washington Redskins, who play the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. The linebacker, acquired in a trade with the Bills in exchange for running back LeSean McCoy in the offseason, had just 17 tackles and an interception on the season entering Sunday’s game against New England.
The following Patriots possession they were forced to punt.
But, Bill, what about your very obvious, very real connections to the Patriots? But on the next play, Brady lobbed the ball into the end zone and it was picked off by Byron Maxwell.
The running back had 10 catches for 115 yards and a score, but said he left some plays out on the field. Brady connected with Scott Chandler for a 14-yard touchdown while Rashaan Melvin recovered the enduring onside kick.
Before the week began, the site gave the Eagles just a 7.5 percent probability of reaching the postseason.
While Brady didn’t have the best of games, the Eagles do deserve credit for pulling off the impressive upset.
Sam Bradford only managed to throw for 120 passing yards in the win, but did connect with Jordan Matthews and Jordan Ertz for touchdowns. It was the 71st 300-yard game for Brady, third-most all time. Brady was 40-8 after a loss in his career.
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Streak-snapper: Patriots 38, Bengals 24. This followed the weird Nate Ebner drop kick.
