Despite the loss, the New England Patriots played a hell of a game against the reigning NFC champions Philadelphia Eagles. The defense did their best to hold down the potent Philly attack. On the other hand, the new-look offense started slow, but Mac Jones eventually found his rhythm. It was too little too late, though, as the Pats struggled to come back in the fourth quarter.

After the game, Mac Jones took responsibility for the loss, saying that he let the defense down. It's an awesome gesture, and one that the Patriots locker room clearly appreciated. Linebacker Deatrich Wise appreciated the “honorable gesture”, but he reiterated that Jones did not need to take the blame, per MassLive.com.

“I think it’s very honorable for him to say that. It’s very selfless,” defensive lineman Deatrich Wise said. “I know he holds himself to a very high standard, but I don’t think it’s all him. It’s a team sport. A lot of guys did a lot of things that we would have liked to improve on. I know he takes it on his shoulders as most leaders do. At the same time, there’s things we could have done on defense to stop that as well. I’ll tell him, ‘you don’t need to take that blame. We’ve got your back.’”

Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers also chimed in with a similar sentiment.

“You love that and you can tell it means something to Mac,” said safety Jabrill Peppers. “He’s a fiery guy, competitive guy and most importantly, he wants to win and loves to win. I wouldn’t say he let us down. We had some plays out there where if we make those plays, they don’t score points.”

Football is a team sport, even more so than other team sports. Both sides of the ball need to be in sync to be able to succeed and win games. Wise acknowledges that even the defense wasn't perfect. It's an honorable thing to say, and exactly what you want to hear from your leader. Still, that doesn't give the defense a free pass.

The Patriots' stout defense will be tested against arguably the most potent offense in the AFC East right now. The Miami Dolphins' attack looked incredibly dangerous in Week 1. Granted, it was against a struggling Los Angeles Chargers defense. Still, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will give New England a lot of problems. Can Mac Jones exploit Miami's soft underbelly and expose their defense to go toe-to-toe with Tua Tagovailoa and his army of weapons?