Patriots come out on top in Super Bowl rematch with Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles came up short in a Super Bowl LII rematch against the New England Patriots with a 17-10 loss on Sunday.  The Eagles had a good start with a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter, but appeared to fall asleep on the field soon after. Later, right tackle Lane Johnson left the game with a concussion, a huge loss to Philadelphia’s offense.  The loss was on full display as Carson Wentz was sacked five times following Johnson’s exit. The offense struggled even more than usual with Alshon Jeffrey, Jordan Howard, and later Miles Sanders unavailable during the game.

The Patriots took full advantage of the lackluster offense with the number one defense in the NFL. They were able to hold the Eagles to zero points throughout the second half of the game. Late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were able to drive down the field to the Patriots’ twenty six yard line. Wentz threw the ball on a fourth and ten attempt to Nelson Agholor. Agholor dropped the ball that would have been able to bring the Eagles within one point of New England. Assuming the extra point would have been good, the Eagles would have tied the score and possibly brought the game into overtime. However, over five possessions Philadelphia only had twenty two yards to show for it. So perhaps they would not have walked away with a win anyway.

The defining moment of the game came halfway through the third quarter for the Patriots; A trick play. On a third and 11 attempt Tom Brady threw the ball backwards to Julian Edelman, who threw a pass to Phillip Dorsett for a touchdown. New England struggled with their red zone offense throughout the game, but this was one of the better play calls of their season so far.

Fan Reactions

Eagles fans were less than thrilled following the game. Many found a scapegoat in Wentz or Nelson Agholor, who was not at practice today for reasons unknown. Many fans were quick to defend Wentz saying though he did have sloppy performance during the game he cannot be expected to throw the ball and catch it as well. Regardless, it’s clear the wide receivers need to step up their performance following that game. It has been clear since the start of the season and yet there is no noticeable improvement. Fans are understandably frustrated with the performance on both sides of the ball.

Are there issues going forward?

Earlier on twitter, fans sparked a debate based off of a tweet from a Cowboys fan comparing the fact that Nick Foles supposedly won a Super Bowl with the same wide receivers that Carson Wentz has now. A good amount of people were quick to agree, most of them not Eagles fans. Multiple aspects of this year’s team is different than the 2017 team. They do not have the same receivers. Alshon Jeffrey and Nelson Agholor have largely regressed since 2017. They don’t have Trey Burton or Torrey Smith anymore, who was a deep ball threat and an option for speed. They no longer have Corey Clement, who has been injured all season, or LeGarrette Blount. The defense is older and not in their prime any longer. Moreover, they lost former offensive coordinator Frank Reich, now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Mike Groh has been struggling to fill his shoes. Carson Wentz is not the only one at fault for Philadelphia’s struggles this season. Hopefully some changes will be made to spark some life into the team. They face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday November 24th. Kickoff is at 1:00 pm.