Quick Reactions From Patriots vs Eagles: Larison Continues Making His Case

The Patriots got into the win column for the first time this preseason on Saturday night, coming up with some key plays during a 24-21 victory over the Eagles at Gillette Stadium.

Here are some quick reactions from the game:

Larison Was Terrific: Lan Larison put together a strong performance, carrying 9 times for 33 yards and a touchdown. The drive he scored on was impressive, as Larison exploded for a 10-yard gain on a 3rd-and-9 to move the chains, helping set up his 2-yard scoring run. He also caught 3 passes for 41 yards, including a nice catch-and-run for 28 yards on a screen that helped get them out of a 2nd-and-20.

He continues to look strong and one thing that stands out is how smooth and explosive he is with the football in his hands. He’s definitely making a strong case for himself as the team’s #3 running back, and was outstanding against Philadelphia.

Run Defense Struggled: Philadelphia challenged the Patriots on their second defensive series, with the Eagles overpowering New England’s defensive line after repeatedly pounding the football up the middle during one of their best drives of the night. On that possession, Philadelphia just kept running at will up the middle behind Will Shipley, with the defense seemingly unable to do much about it.

The Eagles went 77yds on 13 plays (6:49 time of possession) on that drive. It was brutal because that drive included one play where linebacker Chad Muma getting stiff-armed to the ground, along with the interior players getting blown back as they definitely had a difficult time inside against much larger Eagles offensive personnel on that series.

Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Gabe Jacas (50) tackles Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Andy Dalton (14) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images — **(PHOTO: Edward Finan-Imagn Images)**

Gabe Jacas Got a Long Look: The rookie saw a lot of playing time on Saturday night, with Jacas playing on the left edge during the first half, and then he played well into the second on the right side.

Overall, he had an up-and-down night. He did a good job a couple of times setting the edge and making the tackle, while on others he had a tough time shedding his blocker and was pushed out of the play. On another, he was called for roughing the passer after hitting Andy Dalton late.

However, he made up for it on the next play getting a hit on Dalton to force an incompletion. He finished the game with one quarterback hit in along with three tackles, and got quite a bit of work in during this one.

Slow start for DeVito, but a Nice Finish: Tommy DeVito got off to a slow start, but he finished strong on Saturday night. He was shaky in the early going, with part of the reason being that New England’s offensive line also had a tough time against Philadelphia’s defense.

There were miscommunications and plays where the protection broke down almost immediately, including one play where James Hudson, who was in at right guard, completely whiffed on the play and DeVito had no chance.

But he eventually managed to come up with one of his biggest plays of the night. After overthrowing Williams on a couple of deep plays, DeVito finally connected with him late in the second quarter after he dropped a perfectly thrown deep ball on what turned out to be a 69-yard touchdown.

He also did a good job with his legs, coming up with a couple of big scrambles, finishing the night as the team’s leading rusher after rushing 3 times for 44 yards.

Overall, he finished 8-of-15 for 151 yards and a touchdown, with that throw to Williams certainly being the highlight of the night for him.

Aug 22, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Andy Dalton (14) chats with New England Patriots quarterback Behren Morton (15) after the game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images — **Behren Morotn and Andy Dalton. (PHOTO: Edward Finan-Imagn Images)**

Morton Was Terrific: Meanwhile, after looking a little shaky last week, Behren Morton looked much more confident on Saturday night. He made some nice throws, including a beautifully thrown ball to Nick DeGennaro for what turned out to be a 37-yard game-winning touchdown.

Overall, he looked sharp, leading the team to two touchdown drives and he looked in control the whole night. He also surprised everyone by stepping in at punter Saturday night, along with handling the holding duties on Andy Borregales field goal and extra point attempts.

DeGennaro with a solid night: He came up with a couple of big catches, with his biggest play of the night being the 37-yard pass he caught up the right sideline for a touchdown in what turned out to be the game-winning play.

Prior to that, he made several other nice grabs, including a 9-yard pass on that same drive that set up a 3rd-and-1, which Larison picked up on the next play with a 2-yard run.

He showed good quickness and played well, which was a nice step forward for him coming off of last week. He also finished as the team’s leading receiver, hauling in 4 passes for 61 yards, including his 37-yard touchdown that ended up winning the game.

Tough Night For Tejaun Palmer: For the second straight game, Palmer struggled. He was flagged for offensive pass interference in what was a questionable call on a 2nd-and-10 play where he appeared to make a 10-yard reception that would have moved the chains. Instead, the penalty negated that effort.

He then had a shot at a deep ball late in the fourth quarter up the left sideline but he appeared to lose the football in the lights. On that play, he had gotten behind his man and it looked like he could have potentially scored had he been able to track the football and come up with the reception and keep going.

Instead, it fell incomplete, and DeGennaro ended up as the hero later in that same drive.

Time is certainly running out and on a night where he needed to try and make a case for himself, the big play he could have had is likely one he’ll be wishing he could have back.

The Patriots will now hit the road next week against Cleveland, with the game scheduled for next Thursday night at 8:00 pm ET.

About Ian Logue

Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.

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