Had this not been the preseason, New England and Philadelphia fans would be concerned that their teams were 0-1. Patriots fans would be particularly upset at Tom Brady not playing in Week 1. But the NFL preseason is about limited reps, third-stringers and testing new schemes, all of which hold particular intrigue for the New England Patriots offense. If you don’t have NFL Network, you can watch New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles online live preseason Week 2 in various ways.
Tom Brady doesn’t sit out often, though when he does the Patriots need to know their No. 2 QB can keep the pressure on. In their 6-23 loss last week to the Redskins, the Patriots struggled with the QB position. Ryan Mallett was expected to be the defacto backup QB for Brady, but he had a brutal week against Washington while fellow QB Jimmy Garoppolo shined.
According to the Boston Globe, Brady will likely play for most of the first quarter in tonight’s Eagles game. Mallet will presumably take most of the remaining reps, though if he struggles again or Garoppolo gets extended play time, it could be a sign that the hammer will be put down on the Patriots’ current No. 2.
All eyes will be on the quarterback position for the Philadelphia Eagles, too. Nick Foles last season came in for a then-injured Michael Vick and generated some insane numbers and a 119.2 passer rating. Stats aside, he finished the season above Vick on the depth chart and the hands-down favorite to lead Head Coach Chip Kelly’s offense as it enters its second full season.
Perhaps trying to get into his head before tonight’s Patriots game, Pats Head Coach Bill Belichick gushed to reporters this week about Foles.
“His overall handling of a team was great,” Belichick said. “I don’t know that at that point [when] we were there at training camp, I would have necessarily said that I saw that coming, but you see a good football player. He had a great year.”
Although Foles didn’t seem phased, he must realize that Belichick’s praise comes with an unspoken promise: the New England Patriots defense is coming after you hard as long as you’re in tonight’s game, kid. Not that he should be too worried; the Pats finished last season with the 28th-ranked defense in the league.
With that said, the Eagles had the NFL’s worst-rated defense, so Tom Brady and whichever backup plays during the last three quarters shouldn’t have much to worry about either. Tonight’s Eagles vs Patriots game really will be about offense, which should make Eagles coach Kelly smile. The Eagles and Patriots preseason week 2 kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 EST in Gillette Stadium.
The TV broadcast will be on NFL Network, though if you’d like to see unfold online, you can watch tonight’s Patriots vs. Eagles preseason game live streaming via the NFL’s Preseason Live service. That preseason-only package lets fans watch all out-of-market preseason NFL games for $19.99. Another option if you’re an NFL Network subscriber via your normal satellite or cable TV package is to watch the game online free via the NFL Online website. Just sign-in using your login info for your broadcast provider.
