New England Patriots: 5 observations from heavyweight bout in Philly

The New England Patriots defense bounced back in dominant fashion in a 17-10 slugfest against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Things are suddenly not so fun for the Philadelphia Eagles.  Just ask Lane Johnson.  After falling behind 10-0, the New England Patriots got their fight back to get back on the winning track with a 17-10 win in South Philly.

Yes, it turned out to be a heavyweight fight that saw Bill Belichick and his defense outslug the Eagles defense as the team was way more physical against the run following the first quarter and had Carson Wentz on his back a few times.

Although Tom Brady and the offense continued to struggle with execution, this was a game that ultimately came down to the defense and special teams, primarily the kicking game where punter Jake Bailey ended up as one of the stars of the game.

In all, a good hard-nosed victory in a tough environment.  The team made enough plays to win the game in all three phrases of the game.  Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, but the team is 9-1 and that’s what counts.

It certainly made Patriots head coach Bill Belichick happy.  Here is what he had to say following the game, via Patriots.com.

"“It really was a good team victory for us today. I am really proud of the way our guys competed. They just went out there and competed for 60 minutes. I know we didn’t get off to a great start, but we just kept battling and made plays in all three phases of the game. We played for 60 minutes and played some good situational football and made plays that we needed to make to win. Big drive offensively coming off of the goal line in the fourth quarter, put our defense in a good field position. Defense played really well in the second half. The players covered well, rushed well, and they tackled real well. They just did a good job.”"

Here are five observations from the New England Patriots 17-10 slugfest victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.