The New England Patriots started the season off on the wrong foot this past weekend, losing to the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles 25-20. In a season that has the possibility of featuring a grab bag of results in a stacked AFC, the Patriots can never be ruled out as long as Bill Belichick is calling the shots. Despite this weekend’s loss, there were plenty of positives that can be taken away from the contest. First, Mac Jones seemed to get off on the right foot after an early interception to start his third professional season. Nature was a key factor early on, but ultimately subsided in the game’s progression. After falling into an early 16-point hole, the Patriots battled back to make it a two-point game at the half, with a pair of touchdowns through the air to Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne.

Leading into halftime, the Patriots celebrated the “Golden Boy,” the seven-time champion, six of which with the Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady. Later in the game, the Patriots continued to battle with the Eagles, with the last handful of drives being some of the most entertaining football of the entire weekend. The Patriots marched down the field later in the game, making it a closable deficit of five points. When the Eagles re-gained possession, Philadelphia star quarterback Jalen Hurts, a former collegiate teammate at Alabama with Mac Jones, fumbled the ball, giving the Patriots possession after a Marcus Jones recovery. With the ball back, they drove down the field once again, this time with no success, as rookie wide reciever Kayshon Boutte was unable to get his second foot in bounds. Brady’s homecoming after three seasons away was bittersweet, as the Patriots could not cap it off with a win; But with Brady saying at the halftime ceremony that he was a “Patriot for Life,” at least Patriot fans have his reappearance in the coming months to look forward to before he enters Canton in five years time. 

As for the current-day Patriots, the next chance at victory is a pretime clash with AFC East contender and longtime rival Miami Dolphins, who bring plenty of speed and talent on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 36 points in their week one win over the Chargers on the road, the most of any team so far in this still-young season. Despite not having the star power of yesteryear teams in the Belichick era, the Patriots will continue to be a difficult team to play, and will not be an automatic win for some of the better teams in the league, which they proved against Philadelphia. Coming into the new season with the most difficult schedule in the league ranked off of previous seasons win percentage, the Patriots will continue to battle to win football games, just like they have in the past.