FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Philadelphia Eagles, the same team that got blown out by Tampa Bay and Detroit by a combined score of 90-31, had no business coming to Gillette Stadium and playing the 10-1 New England Patriots tough.
But with an improbable series of defensive and special-teams scores, the Eagles defeated the Patriots 35-28 on Sunday.
The Eagles scored 35 unanswered points after falling behind 14-0 early in the game. They blocked a punt and returned it for a score. They got a 99-yard interception return from Malcolm Jenkins and an 83-yard punt return from Darren Sproles.
The Patriots scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but the Eagles were able to hold on. After a miserable November, Philadelphia goes into the final four games of the season with a real chance to make a push in the dismal NFC East.
What it means. The Eagles are 5-7, within striking distance of Washington and the New York Giants in the NFC East. That’s nothing to get excited about, but falling to 4-8 would have put the Eagles in a very difficult spot. They have three consecutive home games -- against Buffalo, Arizona and Washington -- to build on what they did in Foxborough.
What were they thinking? Midway through the second quarter, the Patriots scored a touchdown to take a 14-0 lead. Coach Bill Belichick decided to try a little trickery. Instead of kicking off, he had defensive back Nate Ebner attempt an onside kick. Ebner drop-kicked the ball toward Eagles wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu.
Ajirotutu recovered the kick at the Eagles’ 41-yard line. The Patriots never quite recovered.
The Eagles drove on the ensuing possession and scored a touchdown on Sam Bradford’s 5-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz. The Eagles went on to score 35 unanswered points after that dropkick.
One reason to get excited. Last season, the Eagles got huge plays from their special teams and defense. They scored a total of 10 touchdowns on returns: interceptions, fumbles, blocked punts, kick returns.
If that seemed fluky, it probably was. The Eagles had a few big plays this year, but nothing like last year’s glut. Until Sunday. Late in the first half, the Patriots were forced to punt. Safety Chris Maragos broke through the center of the line and blocked the punt. Linebacker Najee Goode recovered and returned the ball 24 yards for a touchdown.
That tied the game. In the third quarter, the Patriots drove down to the Philadelphia 1-yard line. They tried to run a play quickly, catching the Eagles off guard. But Jenkins dropped James White for a 4-yard loss back at the 5-yard line. On third-and-goal, Brady tried to throw to Danny Amendola over the middle.
Jenkins intercepted, the first-ever pick of Brady by an Eagles player. Jenkins returned the ball 99 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead.
Three minutes later, Sproles scored on his punt return. The Eagles managed three touchdowns on 206 yards’ worth of returns.
One reason to panic. Before Jenkins’ interception, Brady threw two touchdown passes to give New England a 14-0 lead. He threw another in the fourth quarter, closing the Eagles’ lead to 35-21.
While the Eagles benefited from great plays on special teams and defense, they have now allowed 13 touchdown passes in the past three weeks. That gives them 28 touchdown passes allowed for the season. With four games left, they are likely to allow more than the 30 they yielded last season.
That total prompted Chip Kelly to dismantle his secondary. He could not have expected his secondary to be even more vulnerable a year later.
Fantasy watch. Kelly’s decision to make a lineup change at running back meant that DeMarco Murray did not get much work. He was not very effective in the playing time that he did get. Murray carried the ball eight times for 24 yards. But for a 19-yard run, Murray’s numbers would have been five yards on seven carries. Sproles and Kenjon Barner combined for 105 yards on 28 carries.
Ouch. Defensive end Fletcher Cox went down late in the first half. He was evaluated for a concussion but was able to return in the second half. The Eagles were thin on the defensive line, with defensive end Cedric Thornton inactive because of an ankle injury.