Skip to main content
Philadelphia Eagles
Advertising

Philadelphia Eagles News

Eagles Defeat Patriots, 35-28

580App-Zach-Ertz-Jordan-Matthews-120615.jpg

It was a game that wouldn't be determined until the final seconds, but the Eagles were able to come out on top, defeating this skilled Patriots team, 35-28. Philadelphia saw scoring from all areas of the game, including the defense and special teams, and those big contributions are what helped the team come away with the win. Take a look at the biggest takeaways from the Sunday afternoon victory ...

1. Down To The Final Minutes

A New England touchdown with 3:02 remaining in the game brought the score to 35-28. The Eagles were back in possession of the ball and moved into Patriots territory, but at the 1:13 mark running back Kenjon Barner fumbled at the Patriots' 28-yard line. New England recovered and immediately worked to move down the field. Quarterback Tom Brady led his team to its own 37-yard line before throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down to turn the ball over on downs and ultimately end the game.

2. Jenkins' 99-Yard Pick Six; Ball Don't Lie

Early in the season, the Eagles' defense was one of the best in the league at creating turnovers. But coming into this game, they hadn't notched a takeaway since November 8. On first-and-10 from the Philadelphia 33, Tom Brady attempted a deep pass to Danny Amendola, who appeared to catch the ball, take a few steps with it, lose control and had the ball bounce into the hands of a waiting Eagles defender. Instead, the pass was ruled incomplete, and the Patriots maintained possession, getting all the way down to the Philadelphia 5-yard line.

On third-and-goal, still from the 5-yard line, Brady attempted to thread the needle to Amendola through double coverage on the goal line. The ball was batted into the air by Walter Thurmond and caught by Malcolm Jenkins, who took it 99 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 21-14 lead.

3. Interception Tom

Brady came into Sunday's game with just four interceptions on the season, but in the third quarter he threw two - the pick-six by Jenkins and another by Byron Maxwell on a miscommunicated route in the end zone. This marks the first time since Week 11 of last season that Brady has thrown multiple interceptions in a game. It also marked the first Brady interceptions the Eagles have had in their history against the veteran quarterback.

4. Thirty-Five Consecutive Points

At the 11:14 mark of the fourth quarter, the Eagles extended their lead with a 10-yard Jordan Matthews touchdown that brought the score to 35-14. The 35 straight points scored by Philadelphia marked the first time the Patriots had allowed any team to score 35 or more unanswered since September 1993.

5. Hop Aboard The Sprole Train

On the New England possession following Jenkins' touchdown, penalties and poor execution stalled its drive after three minutes and just 8 yards. The Patriots were forced to punt away from their own 37, and Darren Sproles was able to take advantage of fantastic blocking down the field, taking the ball 83 yards for his second punt return touchdown of the season and give his team a 28-14 lead.

6. Huge Play Goes Eagles' Way

Often times, the difference between winning and losing comes down to the ball bouncing one way versus another. With 16 seconds left until halftime, the Patriots set up to punt away to the Eagles and take a 14-7 lead heading into the locker room. Instead, safety Chris Maragos broke free into the backfield and cleanly blocked the ball, which bounced directly into the waiting hands of linebacker Najee Goode, who returned it 24 yards for a touchdown to tie the game up at 14-14.

7. Ertz Touchdown Puts Philly On The Board

After being forced to punt on each of their first four drives, the Eagles were in desperate need of an offensive spark. After the Patriots elected to attempt a drop kick instead of a traditional kickoff midway through the second quarter, Philadelphia's offense was given a short field. Beginning at their own 41, Sam Bradford and the Eagles went 59 yards on eight plays, marching down the field and finishing the drive off with a 5-yard strike to Zach Ertz in the back of the end zone. It was the third-year tight end's first touchdown of the season after having a handful of would-be scores called back this year because of penalties.

8. Bradford's Back

In his first start since sustaining a concussion and left shoulder injury in the Week 10 game against Miami, Bradford went 14-of-24 for 120 yards on Sunday afternoon, throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions.

9. Sproles And Barner Get Brunt Of The Carries

With DeMarco Murray struggling to get going and Ryan Mathews out with a concussion and groin injury, the Eagles leaned heavily upon reserve running backs Sproles and Kenjon Barner. Murray rushed eight times for 24 yards, while Sproles added 66 yards on 15 carries and Barner added another 39 on nine carries. Sproles also made a big impact in the passing game, with 34 yards on four catches.

10. Barwin, Graham With A Pair Of Sacks Each

Both Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham were able to bring Brady down twice throughout the course of the game. Barwin's first sack came at the 10:20 mark of the quarter and Brady lost 7 yards on the play. New England was forced to punt from its own 30-yard line after a failed third-down attempt. His second came on the following drive, forcing another loss of 7. Once again the Patriots were forced to punt.

Then later in the game, it was Brandon Graham's turn to stick it to Brady. He sacked the veteran signal-caller twice, the first for a loss of 3 yards and the second for a loss of 7 yards. The two sacks brought Graham's season total to 6.5, which is a new career high for the linebacker.

The Eagles traveled to New England to face the Patriots in Week 13. View the full gallery here...

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content

LATEST VIDEOS

Advertising