FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Another preseason game, another win at the wire. The Eagles are closing in this 2024 preseason and on Thursday night they put together a terrific fourth quarter to come from behind and beat New England, 14-13.

A 7-play, 70-yard drive that consumed 3 minutes, 20 seconds and ended with a Kendall Milton 1-yard touchdown run brought the Eagles to within 13-12, and then quarterback Tanner McKee found wide receiver Ainias Smith in the right flat, just inside the pylon, for the 2-point conversion and the Eagles had the lead.

The defense then stepped up as linebacker Brandon Smith dived on a poor snap that shot past quarterback Bailey Zappe with 1:47 to go and the Eagles ran out the clock for their second straight preseason win and a wonderful way to cap a week in New England.

A lot happened during the week and in this game, so let's get to some observations:

1. Edge player Bryce Huff is coming. He made nice plays on the first two snaps from scrimmage, stopping a running play after a 4-yard gain and then reading a screen pass – he was rushing the quarterback and then re-directed and chased down dangerous receiver DeMario Douglas after a 1-yard gain. Very nice stuff from Huff there.

2. Big cheers for Avonte Maddox, playing at safety and doing a very good job there. He snuffed out a route in the end zone and picked off a Jacoby Brissett throw intended for tight end Austin Hooper and then returned it 47 yards before stepping out of bounds.

3. It's under the radar, but keep an eye on Kenneth Gainwell this season. He has been very good since the spring and had another hard-running game on Thursday night – 3 carries, 8 yards is nothing special on the surface – but it was the Eagles' No. 2 offense going against New England's starters and the sledding was tough.

4. Nakobe Dean is playing his best football. The third-year linebacker led the defense with five total tackles, including a hustle play when he blitzed and then chased down the pass catcher Ja'Lynn Polk and it was illustrative of how Dean never quits on a play. The coaches will point that out, no doubt.

5. Who is the team's third tight end? E.J. Jenkins had himself a ballgame at Gillette Stadium, catching 5 passes for 47 yards, including a leaping grab on a wheel route. This is going to be interesting.

6. McKee was just outstanding and he is a solid No. 3 quarterback as he continues to progress. McKee went 15-of-19 for 140 yards and compiled a passer rating of 97.4. Kenny Pickett, under a lot of pressure while he was in there, was 11-of-13 for 67 yards. Will Grier had a series (the Eagles did not want Grier's first snaps to be an end-of-game drill, so that's why McKee went back in the game) and went 3-of-5 for 35 yards. In total, the Eagles' quarterbacks completed 29 of 37 passes for 242 yards.

7. New England played its starters and the Eagles went with second- and third-team players. It's important to know that.

8. Philadelphia's defense had a second strong outing, limiting the Patriots to 69 rushing yards and 113 passing yards – a total of 182 yards. The Eagles had 2 takeaways and 3 quarterback sacks. New England had 5 three-and-out offensive series.

9. One of the great position battles down the stretch is for the depth spots along the interior of the defensive line. The Eagles are excited about the trio at the top with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams. But one under-the-radar player who stood out on Thursday night was Thomas Booker IV. A former fifth-round pick of the Houston Texans, Booker started along with Moro Ojomo and Marlon Tuipulotu, and finished with three tackles and a sack. He was fast off the ball, displayed good inside moves, and closed well.

10. When asked after the game who has improved their stock in Training Camp, Head Coach Nick Sirianni singled out offensive tackle Fred Johnson. After an outstanding Training Camp and preseason last year, Johnson earned a contract extension and has continued to build upon that. "I think Fred Johnson is continuing to develop as a really solid football player. He works his butt off. He's a huge man, right? You see that and it's hard to get around him and he just continues to put the work in that he needs to put in to develop at that position. I'm really pleased with how Fred has worked and his toughness and just his ability to improve each day and you can see that.

11. The Eagles controlled the football for 34 minutes and 36 seconds and that included being stopped on two fourth downs (the Brotherly Shove just isn't the same without Jalen Hurts). Can't wait to see what this offense looks like when the regular season rolls around!