The New England Patriots ended their first joint practice with the Philadelphia Eagles on a high note. Not only did their offense score a field goal during a two-minute segment late in the session, their defense also prevented the opponent from putting any points on the board.
But while the players involved can feel good about the success they had working against one of the better teams in the NFL, they also know that sustaining it is the big challenge. Just because Wednesday was a good day doesn’t
mean Thursday is automatically going to be one as well.
“I wish that mattered, but none of it matters. It’s the next day,” said wide receiver Mack Hollins. “Whether it was a good day, bad day, we’re going to watch the tape, see how it is.”
Hollins was part of a passing offense that found considerable success against the Eagles. Led by the potent pairing of quarterback Drake Maye and wide receiver A.J. Brown, who connected seven times during team work including four times in 11-on-11s, the Patriots moved the ball well through the air.
Serving in his usual capacity as a rotational option, Hollins also saw his share of opportunities including during the two-minute period. He caught a pass on an in-breaking route and helped move the team closer to its target line. Kicker Andy Borregales eventually split the uprights on a 52-yard field goal — a positive moment but one that will not be of importance come Thursday.
“[Thursday]’s a whole new day. You can’t roll over the practice like, ‘Oh, you ended two-minute with a made field goal and I guess you won the two-minute,’” he explained. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to come out first period tomorrow and get bonus points or go starting 1st-and-8. You start 1st-and-10 and line it up the same way.”
The same is true for New England’s defense, which managed to stop both the Eagles’ first and second offenses in their two-minute attempts.
The unit in general had some encouraging moments throughout the day, even though they came mostly versus the pass (the run defense, meanwhile, had its issues against Saquon Barkley and company). And yet, whether good or bad, it’s all about stacking days as interior lineman Milton Williams explained.
“We executed, communication was great, everybody was where they needed to be, winning rushes — that’s what it’s supposed to look like,” Williams said. “Now, we can’t just come out here and do it once. We have to come out here and do it again [Thursday] and keep building off of that.”
