It was not pretty by any stretch, but the New England Patriots were able to pull off the victory in the Super Bowl rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles 17-10.
The offense sputtered quite a bit while the Patriots run defense was up and down. Here are your winners and losers.
Loser: Run Defense
Poor scheming, poor tackling. Take your pick. Even when they knew it was coming, the defense could not stop whomever was on the field in the early going.
One play that stuck out was when Miles Sanders ran it to the weak side and it took five Patriots to tackle the rookie.
It got better as the game went on but a bad first half is a blemish that cannot be covered up.
Winner: Julian Edelman
The Kent State quarterback went back to his routes today and threw a pinpoint accurate touchdown pass to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.
This touchdown pass was his first in a regular season game and it effectively turned the tide of the game.
Edelman also had a few pivotal catches including off of a deflection with less than seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Loser: Matt LaCosse
LaCosse has been borderline invisible whenever he was on the field.
One of those tight ends brought in to replace the production of Rob Gronkowski, he has done a hint of that.
Disappointing is one word that can sum up LaCosse and his time in Foxboro.
Winners: Dont’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy
Hightower was a powerhouse today recording a sack and making Carson Wentz’s life a living hell.
The Alabama alum also helmed the leadership of a linebacking corp that found themselves in the backfield often in the second half.
Kyle Van Noy was also stellar with his play making key tackles in short yardage situations.
The linebackers lived up to their “Boogeymen” name.
Winner: Terrence Brooks
Terrence Brooks made the play of the game on third down and two in the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Brooks was entrusted with covering Zach Ertz and did an amazing job playing center field.
He has become one of the most underrated parts of a very deep secondary. Great pickup in the offseason.
Winner: Adam Butler
The Vanderbilt product was bringing a consistent amount of pressure the entire game along with Danny Shelton.
Butler brought his sack total up to 5.5 and continues to be one of the best parts of the defensive line.
On the Eagles’ final drive, Butler had a pass deflection to bring up a third down and 10.
The defensive line has not gotten the recognition because of the great play of the linebackers. But they have been pivotal in the great play of the defense this year.
