| Advertisement |
Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman threw a touchdown pass to Phillip Dorsett on a third-quarter trick play for the go-ahead score, helping New England hold off the upset-minded Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots (9-1) trailed 10-9 with 10:51 remaining in the quarter before Edelman rifled in the game-winning score Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Eagles (5-5) did not score in the second half of the 17-10 setback.
Advertisement
New England lined up for a 3rd-and-11 play from the Philadelphia 15-yard line during the scoring sequence. Quarterback Tom Brady took the snap and faked a handoff before looking to his right and throwing a short pass to Edelman, who was behind the line of scrimmage. Edelman made the catch and took a few steps back before splitting two defenders and hitting Dorsett in the end zone.
"I just do what the coaches ask of me," Edelman told reporters. "It isn't like I am going to the coaches and saying, 'Yo, let me throw a ball.' I guess it's cool to do. They trust me to go throw the ball and it's fun to throw the ball sometimes."
The Eagles used a 42-yard field goal from Jake Elliott and a Carson Wentz touchdown toss to Dallas Goedert to take a 10-0 lead on the Patriots in the second quarter. Patriots kicker Nick Folk made three second quarter field goals to make the score 10-9 at halftime.
Brady orchestrated a 10-play, 84-yard scoring drive on the Patriots' opening possession of the second half, capped off with Edelman's touchdown toss.
The Eagles and Patriots then combined for 10 consecutive drives ending with punts.
Brady completed 26 of 47 passes for 216 yards in the win. Edelman had five catches for 53 yards, in addition to his 15-yard touchdown pass. Wentz completed 20 of 40 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles. Eagles tight end Zach Ertz had nine catches for 94 yards in the loss.
"The guys are disappointed," Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said. "They are frustrated. They understand we are a better football team than what we played [Sunday]. As coaches, we have to coach better. We understand that. We have to play better.
"We didn't make enough plays. I thought the defense really kept us in this football game for the most part. Then, offensively, we failed to execute. That's something that the guys really pride themselves on, we all do. Just not enough plays there."
The Patriots defense sacked Wentz five times, with Danny Shelton, Kyle Van Noy, Dont'a Hightower, Elandon Roberts and Adam Butler each collecting quarterback takedowns.
"Yeah, it's good to win," Brady said. "It's good to win. Go on the road and win is always tough. They all count the same. Anytime you go on the road and beat a good team is a good feeling."
The Patriots next host the Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 p.m. EST Sunday and the Eagles host the Seattle Seahawks at 1 p.m. Sunday.
