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Last season, when the Eagles were coming off a shaky win over the New England Patriots in their regular season opener, head coach Nick Sirianni said he would “rethink some of the preparation stuff,” particularly whether he would use his regular players during preseason games.

But Jalen Hurts and most of the offensive linemen sat on the bench for the second straight game when the Eagles played the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

The reasons for Week 2 are clear. First, it rained in the hours before the game in Foxborough. Second, the Eagles practiced against the Patriots on Tuesday, which Sirianni considers better work than the game at this point. And with a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore and a new offensive philosophy, Sirianni wants to have a “competitive edge” heading into the regular season.

Therefore, it is likely that Hurts will make his first appearance on September 6 in Brazil in the Eagles' season opener against Green Bay.

Both Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith had difficult rookie seasons, but the former Georgia stars showed two strong plays in the third quarter.

On second and 10 from the halfway line, New England's Drake Maye threw a short ball to rookie wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk. Dean immediately met him and tackled him without getting anything out of it. On the next play, Smith sacked Maye, causing him to lose eight yards and forcing a Patriots punt.

Kenny Pickett started at quarterback and was accurate when he had time to throw, which wasn't often since the Eagles were down 10-3 at halftime. On the other hand, Pickett had backups on the offensive line and at wide receiver. He didn't have Saquon Barkley to hand off to, or AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith to throw to.

And then right guard Tyler Steen injured his ankle again. Pickett was sacked four times in the Eagles' first two drives without Steen.

Pickett completed 11 of 13 passes for 67 yards in the first half. As a team, the Eagles only managed 65 yards in the first half. But Pickett was not a good player and often held the ball too long.

It could have been worse, as Avonte Maddox stopped a Patriots attack with an interception in the end zone and a 47-yard return that led to the Eagles' only points, a 42-yard field goal by Jake Elliott with 3:04 left in the first quarter.

But the Pats equalized and then took a 10-3 lead when rookie quarterback Drake Maye scored from 4 yards out with 1:57 left in the second quarter.

Tanner McKee took over in the third quarter. He completed his first four passes for 29 yards, but his first drive stalled when Pickett was stopped on a tush push on the fourth attempt.

Still, McKee completed two passes of 10+ yards on the first drive – 13 yards to EJ Jenkins and 11 yards to Will Shipley – two more than Pickett completed in the entire first half. McKee started his second drive 23 yards to Joseph Ngata.

McKee only played the two series. He completed 8 of 9 passes for 68 yards. Will Grier took over late in the third quarter.

John Ross, one of the receivers vying for the third WR spot, left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Johnny Wilson was placed in concussion protocol after Tuesday's practice.

The competition for right guard seemed to be over before Tyler Steen left the field in a cart at the end of the first quarter. Steen suffered an ankle injury, the same injury that had previously sidelined him for 10 days in training camp, allowing Mekhi Becton to take over.

Becton was one of the starters who sat out Thursday while Steen was playing. Then Steen got injured. Nick Gates took over for Steen.

Becton started the first series against Baltimore last week. Now he's in bubble wrap with the other starters. Sirianni didn't verbally declare the contest over, but his actions may have done so.

The Eagles' two starting safeties, Reed Blankenship and CJ Gardner-Johnson (shoulder), sat out, so the converted cornerbacks, veterans Avonte Maddox and James Bradberry, started.

Maddox made an immediate impact. On New England's second possession, he lined up in front of Austin Hooper in the end zone, intercepted Jacoby Brissett's pass and returned it 47 yards to the Eagles' 45-yard line. The Eagles scored a field goal with 3:04 left in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead.

Many of the regular defensive players were in action, including edge rusher Bryce Huff, who had tackles on the Patriots' first two plays.

Johnny Wilson, the Eagles' sixth-round pick who had a good preseason, did not play Thursday because he was placed in concussion protocol after Tuesday's practice.

Wilson had a seven-yard catch last week against Baltimore. The 6-foot-6 receiver is in the running for the third wide receiver spot.

Eagles 53-man roster: Who leads the battle for the 3rd WR?

It is becoming increasingly likely that the Eagles' third wide receiver is not yet on the roster.

None of the receivers behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith took advantage of their opportunities in the Eagles' 16-13 win over Baltimore last week. And that could potentially lead to outside reinforcements arriving before the season even starts. Coincidentally, the experienced Juju Smith-Schuster was released by the New England Patriots last week.

A clear frontrunner in the Eagles' competition for the right guard

If the competition for the right guard position could be decided by vomiting during practice, Mekhi Becton would be the winner.

He probably won the competition for the right guard position anyway, beating out Tyler Steen. Even if the coaches don't admit it, it's clear from the statements of teammates like left guard Landon Dickerson.

The 6-foot-4, 365-pound Becton moves to the guard position after playing tackle since being drafted by the Jets in the first round in 2020.

  • TV channels: ABC-10
  • Announcer: Scott Graham (match report), Ross Tucker (analysis) and Dave Spadaro (sideline)
  • Radio: 94 WIP, Merrill Reese (match report), Mike Quick (analysis) and Howard Eskin (sideline)
  • Spanish Radio: Tico Sports, Rickie Ricardo (match report), Oscar Budejen (analysis) and Bill Kulik (commentator)
  • Betting offer: Eagle +2.5
  • Over-Under: 35.5
  • Money line: Eagles plus 120 (bet $100 to win $120) and Patriots minus 140 (bet $140 to win $100).

Preseason

  • August 9, Eagles 16, Ravens 13
  • August 15, at the Patriots, 7 p.m., NBC
  • August 24, vs. Vikings, 1 p.m., NBC

Regular season

  • September 6, against Packers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 8:15 p.m., Peacock
  • September 16, vs. Falcons, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
  • September 22, at Saints, 1 p.m., FOX
  • Sept. 29, at the Buccaneers, 1 p.m., FOX
  • October 6, bye
  • Oct. 13, vs. Browns, 1 p.m., FOX
  • Oct. 20, NY Giants, 1 p.m., FOX
  • Oct. 27, at Bengals, 4:25 p.m., CBS
  • Nov. 3, vs. Jaguars, 8:20 p.m., NBC
  • November 10, Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., CBS
  • November 14, vs. Commanders, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
  • November 24, at Rams, 8:20 p.m.,
  • Dec. 1, at Ravens, 4:25 p.m., CBS
  • Dec. 8, vs. Panthers, 1 p.m., FOX
  • Dec. 15, vs. Steelers, 4:25 p.m., FOX
  • December 22, on Commanders, 1pm, FOX
  • Dec. 29, vs. Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX
  • January 5th or 6th, against NY Giants, to be announced, to be announced

Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl.

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