Moral Victory? Maybe, But Patriots Told Familiar Story In Loss To Eagles

FOXBORO, Mass. — During the Tom Brady era, you could count on one hand the amount of times a Patriots defeat was considered a “moral victory”. There were no such things as good losses in New England.

Well, the number probably has tripled since the G.O.A.T left town.

It’s fitting, then, that Brady was in attendance to watch Jones and the Patriots open their season with a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The player who so often found ways to win saw first-hand what his former employer has become: a franchise that finds ways to lose.

Last week, we predicted the Patriots would start fast against Philly then hold on for a close win after the defending NFC champions figured things out. But the reverse happened, with Mac Jones getting off to a putrid start before stabilizing and nearly pulling off the best win of his career. After trailing 16-0, New England made it a two-point game at halftime and twice had the ball late in the fourth with a chance to orchestrate a go-ahead drive.

Considering the Patriots were without DeVante Parker and played 11 rookies, including starting two on the offensive line, they deserve credit for taking Philly to the wire — especially after the way the game started. It was an encouraging performance, and Bill Belichick’s operation looked far more buttoned up than at any point last season. The rookie class looked great, too.

But the game also saw the continuation of an alarming trend, one that’s seen the Patriots routinely get close to beating elite opponents and quarterbacks before failing in the end. In many ways, it was the same old song and dance for a team that seems permanently this close to making a statement.

There were two turnovers and seven penalties. They got off to a slow start. Belichick made questionable decisions in the fourth quarter. The offense didn’t capitalize on a great performance from the defense.

The score might’ve been different had Jake Elliott not gotten lucky on a doinked-in field goal. The drive-killing holding penalty on Hunter Henry was a bogus call. Maybe the rain really did cause Jones’ back-breaking pick-six. Had Kayshon Boutte kept his feet in bounds, New England probably would’ve won. The Patriots had more first downs than the Eagles, more total yards, were better in the red zone and on third down and made more explosive plays on special teams.

Add it all up, and the Patriots were the better team Sunday night. Except the scoreboard told a different tale, as it often has since the start of the 2020 season.

Here’s a rundown of other close-but-no-cigar losses since Brady bolted Foxboro for Tampa Bay:

2020
— 35-30 road loss to Seattle Seahawks: Cam Newton threw for nearly 400 yards but got stopped on the final play.
— 26-10 road loss to Kansas City Chiefs: Brian Hoyer completely melted down but the rest of the team played well.
— 24-21 road loss to Buffalo Bills: Newton fumbled away a potential game-winning drive.

2021
— 17-16 home loss to Miami Dolphins: Damien Harris fumbled near the goal line late in the fourth quarter.
— 19-17 home loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jones outplayed Brady; Patriots might’ve won if Belichick went for it on fourth down.
— 35-29 home overtime loss to Dallas Cowboys: Jones arguably had the best game of his career but the defense cratered late in regulation and in OT.

2022
— 37-26 home loss to Baltimore Ravens: Patriots held a third-quarter lead and trailed by just five in the fourth but Jones threw three picks.
— 27-24 overtime loss to Green Bay Packers: Bailey Zappe was a third-down conversion away from beating Aaron Rodgers on his home field.
— 33-26 road loss to Minnesota Vikings: Patriots got screwed by officials but also made boneheaded mistakes on special teams.
— 22-18 home loss to Cincinnati Bengals: Patriots erased a 22-point deficit but Rhamondre Stevenson fumbled in the closing moments.
— 35-23 road loss to Buffalo Bills: Patriots bounced back from a disastrous start and held a third-quarter lead but gave up two kickoff TDs and Jones threw three picks.

And then Sunday night. Patriots fans didn’t have to wait long for their first “Moral Victory Monday” — and a Brady-themed one at that.

All told, that’s 12 losses in winnable games by a combined deficit of 75 points (6.25 average), which is skewed by three wider margins. If just half of those went the other way, the Patriots would look much better than 25-27 post-Brady.

But those games didn’t go the other way. Really, they all kind of went the same way. Just different shades of the same color.

And, until further notice, that’s the reality of Belichick’s Patriots without the greatest quarterback of all time under center. They basically are the Los Angeles Chargers with more pedigree, a better coach and a worse quarterback.

The good news is the Patriots can flip this narrative on its head Sunday night when they host the Miami Dolphins in a primetime matchup. If Jones can hand Tua Tagovailoa his first loss against Belichick, we’ll be able to say the loss to Philly was a sign of things to come.

But recent history suggests it’ll just be the same story with a slightly different script.