Getty Boomer Esiason.
Flash back to 2018 for the New England Patriots. After a strong run with big wins, the Patriots fell hard at Tennessee in their final game before the bye week.
With a week to regroup ahead of resuming play for the stretch run, the Patriots came out of the bye and picked up a big win over the New York Jets to regain some momentum. That was a Jets team that struggled defensively and allowed New England to torch their secondary over the middle.
Now, the Patriots face the exact same scenario in 2019, falling decisively on the road at Baltimore before the bye and now heading to Philadelphia against an Eagles team that has not done well to limit the pass.
It’s an eerily similar scenario and one NFL analyst Boomer Esiason thinks will play into New England’s favor. Speaking on The Greg Hill Show on Boston radio station WEEI on Monday morning, Esiason said he thinks that Tom Brady and the Patriots will rebound from their sloppy performance at Baltimore last weekend in a big way against the Eagles.
“I will say (Tom Brady’s) performance hasn’t been missing a beat,” Esiason said Monday on The Greg Hill Show. “He had a tough game down in Baltimore, but I think the entire team did. It was a bit of a wakeup call probably for them. I also think when Coach Belichick has a loss to coach from, the team usually responds to that. Because they are playing Philadelphia this weekend, I think it is going to be a huge bounceback game for them.”
The Patriots have traditionally done well in a game following the loss since 2001, going 56-14 on such occasions. Of course, the Patriots lost consecutive games twice in both 2018 and 2015, uncharacteristic of New England.
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Patriots Recent Dominance at Philadelphia
In a very small sample size — just two games in Brady and Belichick’s tenure with New England — the Patriots have put together strong performances on the road against the Eagles.
New England has outscored the Eagles 69-30 in two games during the 2003 and 2011 seasons, both years in which New England made Super Bowl runs. The first of those games came following a 31-0 drubbing at Buffalo in the 2003 season opener — the biggest loss for the Patriots under Belichick.
The key to both games? A trio of Brady touchdown passes each time.
That’s All Possible Again
The Eagles are one of the best teams to defend against the rush but have been largely inconsistent when it comes to defending the pass. Brady and the Patriots have been a largely pass-heavy offense throughout the 2019 season and if a bounce-back game is on their mind it may involve big-time performances from receivers Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu.
It could also be the NFL debut for first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry, who has yet to play for the Patriots following a stint on injured reserve. With no book on how to cover Harry, he could cause problems for the Eagles’ secondary.
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