Patriots’ Defense Garners Plenty Of Praise After Opener Vs. Eagles

The New England Patriots showed plenty of positive signs in their Week 1 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. But arguably the most impressive was how New England shut down the star-studded Philadelphia offense.

After the Eagles took a 16-0 advantage following a pick-six and a four-play, 26-yard touchdown drive -- the short field being the result of an Ezekiel Elliott fumble -- the Patriots' defense limited Jalen Hurts and company for the final three quarters.

It prompted plenty of praise from Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and Philadelphia's offensive stars.

"That's a really good defense," Sirianni told reporters after Philadelphia's 25-20 victory, per the team. "They are really well-coached. There's a couple that I saw, (DeVonta Smith), little throws on the sideline where I saw Smitty get out of those and spin out of those and they made really good tackles. That team, shoot, Bill Belichick-coached team, it's going to be well-coached, and I thought that's exactly what it was.

"A ton of respect. There's a lot of good players on that Patriot defense, also, starting with (Matthew) Judon. They all play really solid football. I've got a lot of respect for that team."

The Patriots sacked Hurts twice as the Eagles were 4-for-13 on third down. New England also held the best running game in the league last season to less than 100 yards on the ground, despite the visitors relying on the running game in the rainy weather. New England's defense recorded three-and-outs on four consecutive second-quarter drives, which helped the offense cut the deficit to 16-14 at the half.

"They do a great job disguising the coverage and things like that," Smith told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. "They make it very tough for me to know what they're in. They hold their coverage and disguise it until the last second. They are very athletic, a very fast defense and a very physical defense."

Hurts added: "I think they are a really good defense. That's what the NFL is. The NFL is a huge league of disguises."

The Patriots' defense will face another difficult challenge in Week 2 with the explosive Miami Dolphins coming to Gillette Stadium for a game on "Sunday Night Football." Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and the Dolphins are a 2-point road favorite.