FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots might be extremely difficult to stop once the regular season begins.
The Patriots’ backups kept the Philadelphia Eagles in Friday night’s game, but it was obvious after one quarter who had the better starting unit. Tom Brady and his offense looked comfortable, despite some shaky play by the offensive line, and second-year pro Kenbrell Thompkins stood out on a back-shoulder touchdown grab. The Eagles’ offense had a tough time moving the ball on the Patriots’ defense, and edge defender Rob Ninkovich made things especially difficult on Nick Foles and LeSean McCoy with impressive plays against the pass and run.
Brady wasn’t the only quarterback who shined on Friday. Patriots backups Jimmy Garoppolo and Ryan Mallett each had strong performances. Garoppolo had a breakout game last week, but Mallett outshined the rookie on Friday night. Garoppolo had success on his first two drives but tailed out as the second quarter wore on, whereas Mallett was making impressive throws for the entire second half of the game.
NESN.com’s Doug Kyed and Zack Cox discussed the Eagles-Patriots matchup after the game. Check out what they had to say in the video above.
