The Philadelphia Eagles clinched a 14-13 victory over the New England Patriots with a crucial two-point conversion on Thursday in Foxborough, Mass. Although AJ Brown did not participate in the game, he acknowledged Joseph Ngata's key receptions during the match.
Ainias Smith grabbed the crucial two-point conversion pass from Tanner McKee, while Ngata topped the game with five catches for 88 yards for Philadelphia.
The Patriots had two additional opportunities to regain the lead, but their first drive ended in a punt and their second was stopped by a fumble near midfield.
McKee, who has occasionally worked with the second team in practice, appeared to outperform Kenny Pickett, the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick whom the Eagles acquired in the spring.
The Tanner McKee and Joseph Ngata connection proving effective for the Eagles
Tanner McKee directed the drive that led to the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, featuring a 28-yard pass to Joseph Ngata that brought the Eagles to the Patriots' 4-yard line. Kendall Milton then scored on a 1-yard run with 4:23 remaining, securing the win for the Eagles over the Patriots.
McKee went 15-of-19 for 140 yards, proving to be the most efficient of the three Eagles quarterbacks in action while regular starter Jalen Hurts rested.
Following a narrow victory over the New England Patriots in their regular-season opener last year, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni mentioned he would “re-evaluate some of the preseason stuff,” focusing on whether to field his starters in preseason games.
Eagles starters sitting out
For the second consecutive preseason game, Hurts and most of the offensive starters sat out.
Brown, along with Hurts, fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith, and running back Saquon Barkley, watched from the sidelines, as Philadelphia's key skill-position players took the night off, continuing the trend from the preseason opener.
Regardless of his participation in the preseason finale against the Vikings on August 24, Brown is expected to play a crucial role in the regular season. He has amassed 2,952 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in his last two seasons with the Eagles.
The decision for Week 2 of the preseason was straightforward: the rain in Foxborough before the game and the fact that the Eagles had already held a valuable practice session against the Patriots on Tuesday, which Nick Sirianni believed provided better preparation than the game itself.
It's probable that Hurts will see his first game action on September 6 in Brazil during the Eagles' season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Commendable effort from the Patriots
Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett played three series, completing 3 of 7 passes for 17 yards and an interception. Three other quarterbacks then took the field, but New England finished the game with only 14 completions on 29 attempts for 113 yards.
Rookie first-round pick Drake Maye scored the Patriots' only touchdown with a 4-yard run late in the first half. He also passed for 47 yards, completing 6 of 11 attempts.
The Patriots' offense showed more energy with Maye at quarterback, as the rookie led the team to score on both of his first-half drives. He connected well with rookie receiver Javon Baker on a third-and-9 pass for a 12-yard gain. Maye's first drive concluded with a 51-yard field goal by Joey Slye, tying the game.
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