Game film analysis, player ratings and 5 up/5 down below.
I don't recall which former NFL head coach mentioned this to me, but it's always been stuck in my head:
"I wish we played the Patriots early in the season instead of late. Bill (Belichick) puts a mirror in front of your face. He tells you where all your flaws are. Better to have that information sooner rather than later."
If you're the Eagles, coach Nick Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson this week, the film from the Eagles' 25-20 victory told you something pretty definitive:
"We don't think much of your quarterback, especially with how he sees the field."
It's absolutely true that the Patriots' defense played great against a very talented opponent on Sunday. It could very well be a harbinger of things to come for this unit.
But there were also other factors that should, at least for a week, temper the reaction to this game (if they do it against the Dolphins next week and Dallas ... go nuts).
First, it's Week 1. Especially with how teams approach training camp and the offseason now, the first week of the season can be completely thrown out the window. I mean, just look at the way the Bengals and Joe Burrow have started the last two seasons. You can get some information from this week (promising start for Mac Jones and Bill O'Brien, for example), but you can't make any grand declarations. Teams will recalibrate and water will seek its leel.
Secondly, the weather and the early 16-0 lead seemed to play into a very conservative gameplan overall for the Eagles. It appeared that Sirianni didn't want to show too much to future opponents unless they needed to. With the Patriots' bumbling around for a quarter and a half, there was little urgency for the Eagles to put their foot down. When the Patriots closed to 16-14, the Eagles opened it up the next two drives and moved the ball well to push the lead back to eight.
Third, this type of performance by the Patriots' defense should have been expected. They had basically everyone back from a good defense and added their first three draft picks. The Patriots had all summer to get ready for this Eagles offense and you need that time to prepare because it is unique with Jalen Hurts' running ability. The Eagles made a living last season off opposing defenses not being prepared for them with a regular prep week of two days of gameplanning and three practices.
The Patriots had all offseason to craft a great gameplan - which we know they can do with time - and multiple practices (and Malik Cunningham as scout QB) to prepare. We saw them in camp working on Eagles stuff multiple times. They used the Packers preseason game and QB Jordan Love to get live reps to hone their muted pass rush. The result was a Patriots defense that was as prepared for any game I have ever seen - like Super Bowl prep. Their amount of mental mistakes was infinitesimal - two, maybe three. Normally there are a handful in a good week. Kudos to Belichick, Steve Belichick, Jerod Mayo, the assistants and the players. It was a superb performance all around.
Fourth, the Eagles - who do less in camp and the preseason (zero snaps for the starters) - were clearly not as ready to go as the Patriots, especially on the offensive line, QB and secondary. Worshipping at the sports science altar, as owner Jeffrey Lurie and GM Howie Roseman demand, might work in season openers against the 2022 Lions (especially that terrible defense), but it was not wise against a Belichick-coached team. Sirianni is already planning changes as a result.
"I'll definitely re-evaluate some of the preseason stuff next year," Sirianni said after viewing the film of this game. "You know, I know they played the first two years that we were here, they only played one series against the Jets in 2022. Maybe I should have played (Hurts) a series or two this preseason, and I already wrote that in my notes.
"You know, second thought, if I had to do it over again right now, I would say, yeah, I would have played starters one or two drives in the preseason. But next year will be a new thing with new situations and new everything, so I'm not worrying about that right now. I'm just got it in my notes to think about right now, though."
That brings us to Hurts. I watched a little of him for Super Bowl prep, but I don't know how he normally plays on a weekly basis. What I can tell is this: he played a very poor game. His reads as a passer and runner left a lot to be desired - I counted 14 times where he erred in his decision making and he left a ton of plays on the field. Was some of it due to the Patriots? Yes ... a little. We're talking simple math about how many receivers are on one side of the field compared to defensive backs, and easy read-option decisions. Some of them I illustrate in the video below:
If you're Hurts and the Eagles, you should be very concerned about what the film says in this game. Future opponents are going to borrow a lot of what the Patriots did and Hurts has to be much better. Doesn't really matter how much talent you have if the triggerman making all the decisions isn't up to the task.
Belichick just put his mirror up on Hurts and the Eagles, and it wasn't pretty.
PLAYER RATINGS VS. EAGLES
(I will be back tonight with unit ratings and discussions ... ran out of time. Hey it's Week 1 for everybody.)
UNIT RATINGS
Quarterback (3 out of 5)
Rating would have been higher but the pick-six was mostly on Jones. He has to be more patient with that route combination, and he didn't have much pressure on him on that play. ... Jones' PFF big-time throw percentage of 7.3 was his second-highest the past two seasons (7.7 at Minnesota). ... Had several really nice throws in this game. We gave him seven plus throws in the game, four minus throws and two minus decisions. Jones' decision-making was very good overall in this game. Bill O'Brien's offense is giving him more answers. ... Pressure rate overall wasn't absurd at 33.3 but with between 15-20 dropbacks being of the quick game/screen variety, the dropback pressure was much higher. ... Needs to start games faster with better footwork. Legs needs to stay in throws. Needs more energy on balls, especially to his right. Footwork needs to be improved on those throws.
Liked
23 yards Deep sideline pass to Douglas
11 yards to Montgomery with pressure
All 3 TDs were great throws
Scramble before end of half, throw to Smith-Schuster on next play against pressure
18 yards to Bourne against pressure
3-12 getting hit - drop by Bourne
Both failed toe-taps to Boutte
Didn't like
Pick-six 3-9 (2:03 1Q): Had Bourne on slant, took short to Juju on incompletion
1-10 (7:38 2Q): Underthrew deep shot to open Bourne
Two-point conversion to Gesicki
Dangerous flat throw to Douglas with 1:39 left
Not giving Boutte a chance with 1:02 left
Running backs (1 out of 5)
Elliott fumble was real killer here but he ran the ball better than Stevenson, who is still very elusive in space. ... Stevenson was tentative at times but tough sledding against league's best defensive line. ... Patriots can do better than Elliott in the quick game packages.
Receivers/tight ends (1.5 out of 5)
Not grading on a curve despite youth being an issue. ... Had 7 poor routes, including 3 by Bourne. Has to get cleaned up if he wants more playing. Has been a constant issue here. ... Five drops including the toe taps. ... Henry was terrific but drop and penalty (might have been on Pharoah Brown). He's going to be the main guy for Jones. ... Gesicki looks fine, appears they are still figuring out how to use him. ... Smith-Schuster is bringing very little at this point. No explosion and some route confusion. Big mental error on 4th and 3. .... Brown can block, that's for sure. ... Need more Douglas, especially on jet motion. Same with Montgomery, who had a game-best 24.2 mph at one point. ... Boutte was average off the line. Too early for him to be playing. Needs development. ... Not having Parker was a huge void. ... How much better would this offense be with DeAndre Hopkins at X and Jakobi Meyers at slot? Patriots win this game if they went that route.
Offensive line (1 out of 5)
Wasn't a complete disaster against that front but 20 pressures, 10 hits and 40% stuffed runs is terrible efficiency. ... Sidy Sow was out of his weight class in this one, not his fault. Atonio Mafi had some really competitive reps, something to build off of. ... Most of Calvin Anderson's issues came in the second half which is an indication of conditioning (miss all of camp). He wasn't that bad considering. Definitely has a chance to be full-time guy. ... 80 offensive snaps is a crapton any week, but especially Week 1. ... Trent Brown showed well against some tough matchups. ... David Andrews was simply outstanding.
DEFENSE
Defensive line (4 of 5)
9.5 of 14 pressures came from this group. ... Very few mental errors in this game. Deatrich Wise led way with two penalties and a 16-yard gap. ... Matthew Judon was very assignment-sure for him (2 minus plays). Not as many impactful plays but that's because of the opponent. ... Keion White was terrific outside of one poor RPO read. His power was outstanding and a real factor going forward. Lane Johnson might not have been ready to go in this one, but what White did to him was still impressive. ... Josh Uche was quiet. ... Lawrence Guy was great. ... Run fits all around were on point.
Linebackers (5 of 5)
Ja'Whaun Bentley had five impactful plays - all in the first half - as he led the way in a great effort against a tough scheme. Jahlani Tavai and Mack Wilson were solid. Wilson had a key pass coverage rep.
Secondary (3 out of 5)
On paper the results were good but the Eagles were very complicit with lack of aggression - I'm sure they're kicking themselves for not testing physical matchups more - and Jalen Hurts being terrible with his reads. He left a ton of completions and yards on the field. It wasn't because of the Patriots. He was just bad/not ready to go. For example, on the Christian Gonzalez/Marte Mapu double of Brown in the end zone, that was actually a coverage bust from Gonzalez. It was just an awful read by Hurts who had Dallas Goedert wide open on the under (which Hurts is supposed to throw if the cornerback goes deep). There were several plays like this that Hurts just did not see clearly. The looks were not, on the whole, all that complicated by the Patriots. ... Good debut from Gonzalez but he was better late. Had minus pass coverage, missed tackle and 23-yard gain before closing with a sack, pass tackle and pass breakup on fourth down. ... Eagles did not test/stress Jonathan Jones and the new safety alignments. Grade is incomplete there. ... Outstanding tackle/fumble by Jabrill Peppers, and another poor decision from Hurts. Peppers showed surprising speed on the sideline pass breakup. Encouraging.
FIVE UP
David Andrews: Completely clean sheet against the best defensive line in the league was impressive.
Keion White: Terrific debut for the rookie makes you wonder if Deatrich Wise's days as a starter are numbered.
Ja'Whaun Bentley: Was tremendous at limiting the Eagles' six-back offense and getting off blocks, especially early.
Hunter Henry: This is going to be a dynamic duo.
Mac Jones: This overall performance was only bested by three games last season (Arizona, Miami and Cincinnati)
FIVE DOWN
Kayson Boutte: Not much explosion and two horrendous drops on the lack of toe touches.
Juju Smith-Schuster: Had a drop and a crucial bad route on 4th and 3 that could have cost this team the game. No juice off the line.
Atonio Mafi: As expected, was completely whipped at the point of attack. Good size but really slow feet.
Sidy Sow: Looked about 250 pounds out there, received a ton of help and was a liability. I mean, he was an emergency sub.
Calvin Anderson: Wasn't much better than the two rookies but a tough challenge.