Patriots vs. Eagles score: Jake Elliott’s three field goals help Philadelphia hold off New England comeback

FOXBOROUGH — Jake Elliott was the hero for the Philadelphia Eagles on a rainy day at Gillette Stadium, converting all three of his field goals in the second half to preserve a 25-20 win over the New England Patriots in the season opener. Elliott hit a 56-yard field goal — the longest  in Week 1 for the franchise since 1960 — along with 51 and 48-yard kicks to keep the Patriots’ comeback attempt out of reach. 

The Eagles tried their best to blow a lead that was once 16, as Julius Peppers forced a Jalen Hurts fumble with 3:15 left to get the Patriots the ball at the Eagles’ 41 down 25-20. Philadelphia’s defense did stand tall after the fumble, as Jordan Davis notched his first career sack to pin the Patriots into a third-and-12. The defense forced an incompletion followed by a fourth-down stop on a Hunter Henry completion with 2:24 left to preserve the win. 

After the Eagles failed on a fourth-and-2 that would have sealed the win, the Patriots drove down the field to the Eagles’ 20 in the final minute. Jalen Carter had a third-down sack that forced a fourth-and-11. Kayshon Boutte’s catch on fourth down was incomplete and Philadelphia held on to preserve the win. 

Kendrick Bourne finished with two touchdowns for the Patriots, as Mac Jones had three touchdown passes in a game for the fourth time in his career. The deficit was just too big for a Patriots offense to overcome, even if the unit did outgain the Eagles 382-251 

The Eagles defense was the catalyst for the early 16-point lead, with consecutive turnovers in the first quarter that built that huge advantage. Darius Slay had a 70-yard interception return for a score on a drop by Bourne on third down that landed into his hands. Slay was off to the races after that, putting Philadelphia up 10-0. On the Patriots’ next offensive play, Davis forced a fumble on an Ezekiel Elliott reception that led to the Eagles offense having a short field. 

Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a 5-yard touchdown to cap a 4-play drive that gave Philadelphia a 16-0 lead. The Patriots did claw their way back with touchdowns on consecutive possessions at the end of the first half to make it 16-14, but the Eagles held firm with the lead thanks to Elliott’s efficiency on field goals. 

Takeaways are soon to follow, but a recap of the game can be found in our live blog below — including all the updates and analysis from Gillette Stadium!