Patriots defense chokes out Eagles for 17-10 win in Super Bowl LII rematch

PHILADELPHIA — In a performance that would have made Rocky proud, the Eagles stunned the Patriots early Sunday with a series of jabs.

They kicked a field goal on their drive. They marched slowly to a touchdown at the start of the second quarter, averaging fewer than six yards per play. Every time the Patriots drove deep into their territory, Philly hung tough and forced a field goal.

At halftime, the Pats responded by turning a backyard boxing bout into a wrestling match — and choked the Eagles out.

Shutting Philly out over the final 42 minutes, the Patriots earned a 17-10 victory in a long-awaited rematch of Super Bowl LII. The NFL’s best defense resurfaced after a needed bye and embarrassing blowout at Baltimore. It kept Sunday’s result from falling squarely on Tom Brady’s shoulders when the quarterback wasn’t ready to put the team on his back.

Brady completed 26 of 47 passes for 216 yards. The only touchdown drive he led ended with a 15-yard double pass from Julian Edelman to Phillip Dorsett minutes into the third quarter. Breaking from halftime, the Pats found a rhythm going up-tempo with three wide receivers, yet failed to produce an ensuing drive longer than 40 yards.

On the ground, no amount of trickery could invigorate a still lifeless run game. The Pats rushed for 74 yards at 3.4 yards per carry.

Excluding Philadelphia’s final two drives, which ended in turnovers on downs and a failed Hail Mary attempt, every series that followed Dorsett’s touchdown resulted in a punt. Though the Eagles didn’t go quietly.

Crossing midfield around the 2-minute warning, Wentz completed a 19-yard pass to Nelson Agholor at the Pats’ 26-yard line. From there, he fired three consecutive overthrows and then uncorked a high-arching prayer intended for Agholor, who failed to answer it while battling tight coverage from J.C. Jackson in the back of the end zone.

Following a quick Patriots three-and-out interrupted by Philly timeouts, Wentz took over at 0:34 remaining. A defensive penalty and long completion to Zach Ertz (nine catches, 94 yards) dragged the Eagles to midfield, where Wentz’s final throw hit the turf shy of the end zone.

Defensively, the Patriots’ performance hit every hallmark of a Bill Belichick defense. The Pats pressured Wentz and collected five sacks. All-Pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore blanketed Ertz on must-have third downs and the final drives, essentially eliminating Philly’s best weapon. And the unit denied big plays, forcing the Eagles to live off their jabs, which proved ineffective over time.

The Eagles struck first on a 42-yard field goal from Jake Elliott on the game’s opening drive. Jason McCourty’s 49-yard defensive pass interference penalty launched Philly’s offense downfield, where it quickly sputtered in Patriot territory. The 3-0 lead held though a pair of Patriot punts and the end of the first quarter.

Three Patriot red-zone trips in the second quarter resulted in three field goals and a 10-9 deficit at halftime. The Eagles offense stalled repeatedly after wrapping up its 95-yard drive with a Dallas Goedert touchdown catch earlier in the quarter.

Danny Shelton’s strip sack of Wentz late in the second led to Nick Folk’s third field goal, a 39-yarder that stood as his longest of the game. Folk also hit from 22 and 35 yards away.

The Patriots defense also snuffed out Philadelphia’s 2-minute drill near the end of the half with two sacks of Wentz.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/33Uinw0