Darius Slay Explains How Matt Patricia Aided Eagles In Win Over Patriots

FOXBORO, Mass. — How much of an impact Matt Patricia’s intimate knowledge of the Patriots would have on the field remained to be seen with the Philadelphia Eagles facing New England in the season opener Sunday.

And as it turned out, the longtime Patriots coach and current Eagles senior defensive assistant played a factor in Philadelphia’s 25-20 season-opening win at Gillette Stadium, according to star cornerback Darius Slay.

Slay praised Patricia, who spent 14 seasons with the Patriots across two stints, for his contribution, including keeping the Eagles focused on the task at hand.

“Him being around this building for so long, man, he understands this team,” Slay said. “He already knew that team would never back down, up or down however it was. He was sending that message inside.”

Slay said that the message from Patricia came at halftime. Philadelphia jumped out to a 16-0 first-quarter lead with Slay helping the Eagles to the early advantage with an interception of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones that he returned 70 yards for a touchdown.

But that momentum dissipated thanks to two second-quarter scores by the Patriots, including a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Kendrick Bourne with 25 seconds left in the first half to cut into the deficit, 16-14.

“(Patricia’s) not on the sideline, so he came in and he’s just like, ‘Hey ya’ll, got to keep playing because this team will always keep going,'” Slay said. “I know when he was in Detroit we felt the same way.”

Patricia’s halftime message wasn’t the only way in which Slay felt the coach aided the Eagles. After being the offensive play-caller last season for the Patriots and working closely with Jones — albeit with the experiment failing miserably — Patricia had exclusive insight into the third-year signal-caller.

While Jones completed 35-of-54 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns, Slay still felt the intel from Patricia was beneficial in the end.

“He came with a game plan, gave us some good knowledge on Mac Jones,” Slay said. “Just letting us know what he don’t like and what he’s uncomfortable with. We used (that) to our advantage. A lot of times we got him off his spot. He still made plays with his legs. Coach Matt Patricia did a great job of letting us know what his spot is and getting him off his spot.”