Bentley speaks, defense listens
Linebacker set the tone with lashing — Friday
FOXBOROUGH — The roots for the Patriots’ strong defensive performance against the Eagles Sunday — a game in which they limited the highest-scoring offense in the league last season to one offensive touchdown — came via a scathing speech Friday afternoon from veteran linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley.
Several players said Friday the blunt Bentley offered his assessment of a sluggish practice performance, ripping into his teammates. Consequently, his words provided a spark heading into the contest against the defending NFC champions.
“He kept it real with us,” said safety Kyle Dugger.
Asked after Sunday’s game to characterize the tone of his statement, Bentley was typically blunt.
“A few bleeps. A few cuss words here and there,” he said. “All in all, it was all about:
‘Just don’t listen to the outside noise. We know what we’ve got here. That’s all that matters.’ That was pretty much the gist of it.”
“He told us exactly what we needed to hear. I think everybody felt it,” Dugger said.
“It definitely gave us a spark.”
“That’s one of our captains. One of our leaders. We [loved] that,” said defensive lineman Christian Barmore. “We had an attitude today. We were on a mission.”
The Patriots were able to make MVP candidate Jalen Hurts uncomfortable, limiting him to 170 yards passing and a touchdown. They sacked him three times, and held Philadelphia to 4 for 13 on third down. Although the Eagles scored 25 points, just 7 came via their offense, and that came via a New England turnover that left Hurts with a short field — 26 yards — after a first-quarter fumble by Ezekiel Elliott.
“That’s a good defense. That’s a really good defense. They are really well coached,” said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. “A ton of respect. There’s a lot of good players on that Patriot defense, also, starting with [Matthew] Judon. They all play really solid football. I’ve got a lot of respect for that team.”
Afterward, there were several in the Patriots’ locker room who traced Sunday’s performance back to Bentley’s speech.
“Ja’Whaun is a hell of a leader, man,” said veteran safety Jabrill Peppers, who forced a key takeaway late in the game. “He always knows just what to say and how to say it, to pick us up. If we’re having a bad practice, he’ll tell us. Even if we’re having a good practice, he’ll tell us we can do better.
“On Friday, he basically talked about trusting yourself. We put in too much work to go out there and not trust ourselves. As a man, I trust everybody out there, and he trusts everybody out there. How dare you not trust yourself ? Go out there, play within yourself, make plays, trust that the man next to you will do your job. And good things are going to happen.”
“He’s a great leader and does a good job of motivating us, pushing us,” wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said. “Testing us when we’re out there scheming. He does a good job of leading us and getting us ready. Don’t be timid, Go out there and let loose. It’s game time and it’s supposed to be fun. You’re ready, you prepare all week. Just let it show.”
Of course, it also helped the Patriots got standout performances from almost every member of their defensive rookie class. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez went almost wire to wire, and finished with seven tackles (trailing only Bentley), as well as one sack and a pass breakup. Linebacker Marte Mapu had three tackles, and defensive end Keion White was part of a group that had a nice push up front.
“It’s more of a calming effect,” said safety Adrian Phillips when asked about the impact that the rookies had. “We know that this guy is out there, we know he’s going to make that play. [Gonzalez] almost had a great pick today. He had a couple of great tackles. Keion did what he did up front. [Mapu], he’s ‘seeball, get-ball.’ He’s going to get to the ball.
“Just knowing that they’re out there. We’ve seen it in practice and we already trusted them. When you get into the game, it’s a calming effect,” he added. “Those guys are ballers, so I’m not surprised it happened that way.”
Belichick, Patricia reconnect
Bill Belichick and Matt Patricia were spotted reconnecting under the stands after the game. Patricia, who serves as a senior defensive assistant for the Eagles, kept a relatively low profile all afternoon . . . Calvin Anderson continued his impressive comeback. After spending all summer on the non-football injury list, the veteran made his debut in a New England uniform with a start at right tackle and ended up playing all four quarters . . .
Mac Jones set career highs with 35 completions on 54 attempts. His previous completion high was 31 vs. Tampa Bay Oct. 3, 2021, and his previous best in attempts was 51 vs. New Orleans Sept. 26, 2021. In addition, Jones threw three touchdowns in a game for the fourth time in his career, and 300-plus yards for the fifth time in his career . . . The Patriots inactives: G Cole Strange, WR DeVante Parker, G Michael Onwenu, OLB Anfernee Jennings, DT Sam Roberts, and CB Shaun Wade.