FOXBOROUGH, Lump. — Tom Brady was once at Gillette Stadium in Pace 1, and but his absence felt omnipresent for the Unused England Patriots offense, which couldn’t whole a comeback in a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Patriots offense had alternative upcoming alternative in opposition to the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. For individuals who became off the TV upcoming the primary quarter when the Eagles constructed a snappy 16-point manage, you’d be stunned to listen to the Patriots may just’ve received it.

Perhaps they must’ve received it.

The Eagles have been obviously the extra gifted crew, however the Patriots stored themselves related — specifically with Unused England’s protection producing a stunning compelled fumble with 3:35 left within the tournament and nearest a surrender on downs with 1:57 left within the tournament.

That put the entire drive at the offense to get the ball in spite of everything zone. And but Unused England generated 0 issues off the ones two last-minute takeaways.

“They gave me the ball twice to win the game, and I couldn’t do it,” quarterback Mac Jones mentioned. “I’ve just gotta be better. … Just felt like I let the defense down and I’ve got to deal with that.”

He added: “I felt like in the most critical times, I played my worst. … When it’s the hardest, that’s when you need to play your best. I definitely can do it. I know I can do it. I’ve done it before.”

There’s the impaired cliché that no person is more difficult on [insert name] than [insert name]. However that cliché is actual relating to Jones. In a town the place Boston sports activities radio may just and would bitch about brightness days, Tremendous Bowls and pups, Jones rest his personal worst critic. That’s a just right factor, despite the fact that it’s tricky to look at him rip himself up at the podium.

It’s now not a emergency of self belief within the reserve room, on the other hand.

“I think as a quarterback, that’s how he has to come up here and talk to y’all,” edge Matthew Judon mentioned postgame. “But we don’t care about that. … We can’t put it on Mac. He played his butt off.”

Jones finished 35 of 54 passes for 316 yards, 3 touchdowns and one interception with two sacks. However the ones two sacks price the Patriots dearly. The primary sack dropped the crew from second-and-5 to third-and-12. The general sack driven the crew from second-and-10 to third-and-13. This offense is based vastly on staying on agenda. When they have got greater than 10 yards to journey, it’s a bleak outlook for them.

The Patriots went 1-of-4 on fourth ailing and so they had all 3 in their handovers on downs within the ultimate 10 mins of the sport.

“It’s cool that we’re going for it on fourth down,” receiver Kendrick Bourne mentioned. “It shows our confidence. I like that. I think it puts pressure on other teams. These guys are confident that we’ll get it. I think we’ll do better in the next situations.”

Once more, Unused England is hanging a favorable pitch a few tricky status. The Patriots have been with out two in their inauguration offensive linemen (Michael Onwenu, Cole Ordinary) and a inauguration receiver (DeVante Parker). And, once more, the Eagles are an excellent crew — they’re Tremendous Bowl favorites.

However in opposition to Philly, the Patriots confirmed the similar disease that they’ve had since Brady departed. From 2020 to 2022, the Patriots have been 3-13 in opposition to groups that going to the playoffs, as famous by means of NBC Sports activities’ Tom Curran. The Patriots beat the Dolphins in 2022, however that they had Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson at QB. Unused England beat the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Expenses in 2021. However Buffalo was once that disturbed chilly and breezy tournament that felt somewhat fluky.

I dislike to drag a Mike Tirico however even the Patriots’ fresh wins in opposition to playoff groups really feel like they have got asterisks. 

They only don’t appear to have The Man who will get their crew over the threshold in opposition to elite groups within the fourth quarter.

It old to be Brady. However The Man doesn’t should be a quarterback. When the Patriots drafted Jones at fifteenth total in 2021, they needed to know that he was once a QB supported by means of his pass-catchers in school. Jones will let you know he’s some degree cover who performs quarterback. That’s the best way he performed on Sunday afternoon in opposition to the Eagles. And he did a valuable task at it, admittedly lacking a couple of main passes, like his pick-six to Bourne and his fourth-down, off-target throw to Kayshon Boutte at the crew’s ultimate offensive snap. Bourne were given his fingers at the ball, however couldn’t somewhat get his frame in the suitable place to catch the just-off-target throw. Boutte couldn’t somewhat retain his ft in-bounds, on a in a similar way just-off-target throw.

If Jones is only a man, perhaps The Man presentations up at some other place.

Perhaps it’s a receiver. Perhaps it’s probably the most tight ends. The Man generally is a operating again, however the league has indicated financially — by means of stiffing operating backs with shrinking words — that the location doesn’t have enough quantity sway over successful video games. 

However who can the Patriots glance to at the ones positions? 

Bourne is an possibility. “That’s my go-to guy,” Jones mentioned. However in the ones ultimate 3 drives that ended in handovers on downs, Bourne had only one catch for 9 yards. I repeat: At the 3 maximum main drives.

Tight finish Hunter Henry may well be That Man. He had an excellent one-handed catch on fourth ailing early within the tournament — the lone conversion.

However Henry additionally had a loose on probably the most fourth downs the place they didn’t convert. 

Unused England even regarded to Boutte, a sixth-round rookie, for the all-important and ultimate fourth-down conversion with 27 seconds left. It will had been extra to invite of the teenager in his debut when, frankly, he won a shockingly massive collection of snaps. 

Future Boutte ran the direction that may have — however didn’t — win the sport, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster watched from the sideline. And he’s the fellow the Patriots signed for 3 years and $25 million this offseason in isolated company. He can’t be The Man if he’s now not at the farmland. He’s an invaluable piece on their offense, a check-down possibility for Jones. However that’s on a crew chock filled with check-down choices.

There’s deny alpha.

There’s deny participant who will put together the play games that wins them the sport.

Now not thus far, a minimum of.

It’s a lovely thought to have such a lot of gamers cast enough quantity that the warring parties can’t secure all of them. (The Patriots centered 9 other pass-catchers.) However whilst you significance the entire crew, you find yourself asking your sixth-round rookie to put together a game-winning catch. And you find yourself dropping on account of it. That may well be OK in a season when Brady would backup flip the crew round. That may well be OK in an AFC East with groups that stumbled via their seasons like they have been dressed in clown sneakers.

However identical to the Patriots can’t let themselves face third- or fourth-and-long, they may be able to’t get themselves in a hollow at the season.

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The Patriots don’t have Brady. The AFC East is respectable. Tua Tagovailoa reminded everybody how just right the Dolphins may also be together with his take hold of win over the Chargers on Sunday. The Buffalo Expenses and Unused York Jets sq. off on Monday evening in what is bound to be an remarkable show from each groups. And the ones are simply 3 of the massively gifted groups the Patriots will face this while on their hugely sturdy agenda.

There received’t be any ethical victories in 2023. The Patriots don’t have a bundle of moment to determine their offense, their scheme, their growing quarterback and their growing guns. In the event that they wish to keep within the playoff hunt, they want to win now. They had to win Sunday. In opposition to the Eagles, who gave the Patriots enough possibilities to scouse borrow an disenchanted.

And it wasn’t for dearth of protection. It was once for dearth of offense. At some time quickly, the Patriots want an alpha to emerge from their ranks. Or else they’re taking to spend some other season under .500. 

Previous to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities because the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years protecting the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Crew and Boston Globe Media. Observe him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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