New England Patriots: 5 observations from heavyweight bout in Philly

2. The defense does their thing

If there was any concern about this New England Patriots defense, it was put to rest on Sunday.

The Philadelphia Eagles were missing some playmakers due to injury, but the Patriots defense still had to contend with the talented tight end duo of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.  They also had to deal with a shifty running back in Miles Sanders.

After giving up 10 points in the first half, including a 95-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown, the defense locked it down and had Carson Wentz on his back and looking very confused.

In all, Ertz got his catches, but the Eagles offense was basically shut down as Jamie Collins, Dant’a Hightower and Kyle Van Noy were flying all over the field.

While the secondary locked down the passing game, the defensive front made sure the Eagles didn’t get too comfortable running the ball.  Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler and Danny Shelton were outstanding in this game.

In fact, check out this strip sack by the tandem of Guy and Shelton:

For the players, it felt great to get back to their dominant ways on defense.

"“It felt great because we had this bye week to do our review and correct mistakes that we had early in the season,” Shelton said following the game, via Patriots.com.  “I feel like our guys did a great job with staying focused.  We had to step it up and use better technique, get after the ball and make more plays.  I feel like we’re on the right tract now.”"

Except for that one 95-yard drive, the New England Patriots defense proved they are a tough defense to move the ball against for any team not named the Baltimore Ravens.