Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site. WR Damaris Johnson, signed up by the Patriots during the week, made his New England debut, carrying 6 yards on an end-around on his lone carry….
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The NFL franchise that has become synonymous with winning has lost two games in a row. Now these same folks will give thanks for a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. Dobson, Hightower, Lewis: The list is probably as large as Bill Belichick’s collection of cut-off sweatshirts. When the scoreboard clock struck zero, Brady had lost consecutive games for the ninth time.
Following their shocking upset in New England against the Patriots – coupled with the Dallas Cowboys’ win over the Washington Redskins on Monday night – the Philadelphia Eagles are the current favorites to win the NFC East at 5-7.
The Pats tried to catch up and scored two touchdowns, but it was not enough as the champions failed to salvage the game for a win. Think root canal without any anesthetic. He finished the game with 100 yards from scrimmage and, oh yeah, tacked on an 83-yard punt return touchdown for good measure. And also they hadn’t loss back to back games in over three seasons, the fact they played piss poor the previous two games.
Speaking about the first interception, which was returned 99-yards for a touchdown, Brady called it a “dumb play” while trying to find Danny Amendola on third and five. So, too, has New England’s scoring, from 35.1 points per game with all three receivers to 25.8 without the trio. The Patriots would punt it are their next drive and Darren Sproles would return it for a touchdown. Bradford completed 14 of 24 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. It was a day full of fireworks and to add the fans got to see Tom Brady catch a pass. That had to be one of the cool moments of the game because it is not every day we get to see Brady catch a pass and risk his body like that. There’s really not much chance of a completion. Given a short field, the Eagles needed just eight plays to find the end zone and get on the board. Just a bad play. “We’re going to stay as positive as we can and try to do things better”. “[Hoyer] settled the game down with the run, he’s making quick and smart throws, good decisions with the football, not turning the ball over, he doesn’t hold it very long, gets the ball out quickly, doesn’t allow the pressure to get there”. “I just think it’s wasted energy to talk about that when what we should be talking about is who our opponent is and let’s prepare to play them”.
While the Patriots are struggling to cope without top receiving targets Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman due to injuries, Belichick said his defense also had to step up. What the team needs now is wins down the stretch. Suddenly the Patriots are tied atop the AFC with both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos.
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Lastly, this was a fantastic win by the Eagles! “Just do whatever I can to help the team”. We’re in a decent spot. “But that doesn’t matter this week because it’s a brand new week and it has got to start back over again”. “But when you give up 21 points when your defense isn’t on the field, you’re going to lose 98 percent of those games”.
