None of the offensive starters saw the field for the second game in a row. In his address to reporters at Gillette Stadium following the Eagles' 14-13 win over the Patriots on Thursday night, Sirianni pointed to the joint practice on Tuesday as part of the reasoning for the first team not playing.

"I just thought it was a really physical practice because I think New England's a really physical team. That's not enough rest, in my opinion, to put those guys back out there, and they got enough work in that area. We'll do some things next week to simulate that again, even though we're not practicing against anybody, and we'll see how that goes with whether we play them or not next week," Sirianni said.

"As far as the defensive guys that played, you know, Bryce (Huff), the linebackers, Devin (White) and Zach (Baun), we just felt like they needed reps with it. They needed additional reps, and we weren't planning on playing them long."

Sirianni feels good about where the team is at coming out of New England, and he is pleased with how it all went from the joint practice to the game.

"I thought it was really good. Again, you know, Coach (Jerod) Mayo and his staff, unbelievable hosts. We got good work in, good clean work in where you really, you didn't have to blow the whistle all the time with different fights or anything like that. You were able to just really get in. It was a physical practice. And so, I was really pleased. And I'd love to do this again. I said that to Coach Mayo after the game, you know, let's do this again next year," Sirianni said.

"I'm big believer in the in the joint practices because you can really get good work against different teams, different schemes, different players, and so you're not going against the same person all the time, and it's good. Eighty-nine plays is a good chunk there of work." – Liam Wichser

Tanner McKee rallies offense in fourth quarter

From his first throw, Tanner McKee was on point.

Entering the game in the second half, McKee's first pass attempt came on a third-and-3 where he threw out of a muddy pocket to tight end E.J. Jenkins on an out route for a gain of 13 yards and a first down.

"We were getting into a groove," Jenkins said. "I love Tanner's energy. I love what he brings to the table. We just keep building chemistry, every day, and that's with me and all the quarterbacks and that's for everybody on this team and in this locker room. We love being together. We love being one family and it just shows on the field, that's for sure. We celebrate together and we have a good time."

McKee opened his second drive with a back-shoulder throw to wide receiver Joseph Ngata for a 23-yard gain.

Despite moving the chains, the Eagles couldn't come up with points and entered the final quarter down 10-3. Trailing 13-6 with just 7:43 left, McKee sparked the offense, going 5-of-6 for 69 yards as Kendall Milton punched the ball in from 1 yard out. Going for two to avoid the tie, McKee showed some athleticism rolling to his right and hitting rookie Ainias Smith for the go-ahead conversion.

The defense sealed the deal with linebacker Brandon Smith's fumble recovery and the Eagles flew back home with a win and momentum after a positive week in New England.

"I think Tanner made some really nice throws down the field today with some good anticipation," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said.

McKee, for his part, finished 15-of-19 for 140 yards with a 97.4 QB rating, but was quick to credit his teammates for the performance.

"I was just trying to take what the defense gave us," McKee said. "I thought our guys did a great job of creating separation."

In his second season, McKee spent his entire rookie season as the emergency third quarterback. With Kenny Pickett acquired to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts, McKee is trying to maximize each opportunity. He explained how he was able to continue to develop last season even with minimal reps in practice.

"I feel like mentally I can see the defense a lot cleaner," McKee said. "I think that one of the biggest things going from college to the NFL is post-snap movement. I feel like they are always going to lie to your eyes pre-snap and so I feel like I am very comfortable seeing post-snap movement and being able to adjust off of that. I think that was a big growth point for me last year and I'm going to continue to grow on that." – Chris McPherson

E.J. Jenkins reflects on standout performance

With Dallas Goedert watching from the sideline and Grant Calcaterra nursing a shoulder injury, E.J. Jenkins started along with C.J. Uzomah at tight end and showcased his pass-catching ability in Thursday night's win with five catches (on five targets) for 47 yards.

"It feels great to get back in it and get back in the groove of things and once you start making those first couple of catches, you feel unstoppable, so you just want to keep the dice rolling and just keep making plays," Jenkins said. "You want to get back out on the field. You want to keep helping the team, contribute, and just keep being selfless."

Jenkins was a security blanket for the quarterbacks on Thursday night. His 19-yard catch from Will Grier on the first play of the fourth quarter aided in a scoring drive that resulted in a 38-yard Jake Elliott field goal to cut New England's lead to 10-6. Jenkins leaped into the air, twisting around as he hauled in the reception.

The 6-foot-6 Jenkins was a wide receiver at Georgia Tech before transitioning to tight end in the NFL. He was signed by the Jets after not being drafted in 2023, but spent time with the Eagles' and Raiders' practice squads. The Eagles were intrigued enough by his potential that they brought him back on a futures deal this offseason.

Thursday night was an example of the flashes that Jenkins emits. Will it be enough to land a spot on the 53?

"I can control what I control and one thing that I can do is just come in the building and give everything I have on a daily basis day in and day out, just give 110 percent, so I'm gonna do what I have to do, control what I can, which is show up every day and give everything I have and hopefully it works out at the end," Jenkins said. – Chris McPherson

Nakobe Dean on competition: 'You got to put your head down and work'

In a moment of self-reflection on Thursday night in the locker room at Gillette Stadium, Nakobe Dean admitted that he isn't in the position that most expected him to be in right now.

Dean has often worked with the first-team unit in this year's Training Camp, but most of those snaps have gone to Devin White and Zack Baun, both offseason additions. Coming off a season-ending foot injury, Dean didn't expect the starting job to be handed to him. He was still rehabbing in the spring and finally is all the way back. He feels even more comfortable with one game on turf in Baltimore and Thursday night's game on natural grass.

"You got to put your head down and work," Dean said. "I've been playing ball since I was 4 years old. Nothing's been given to me. Coming from Horn Lake, Mississippi, I didn't get too many looks. We had nobody go D1 to play ball. I was able to beat the odds, go to Georgia being a 5-11 middle linebacker. I had to beat the odds at Georgia and win the natty, get drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles, so, I just continue to work daily and take advantage of every opportunity I got."

Dean took advantage against the Patriots. The Eagles utilized Dean's quick trigger as a blitzer, which forced the Patriots into an offsides penalty in the second quarter. Later in the quarter, Dean blitzed and then hustled to stop speedy wide receiver Ja'Lynn Polk for a 6-yard gain. All in all, Dean led the team with five tackles.

"I feel like I've been in a groove," Dean said. "I feel like I've had a good camp. I've been stacking days. I probably had one real bad practice. Other than that, every day, I feel like I've been getting better and working towards getting better."

In his third season playing for his third defensive coordinator, Dean said communication is the biggest key no matter who he is on the field with. Dean's experience in different systems has forced him to expand his knowledge and understand the linebacker's role in the overall scheme.

Whether he's starting or not, Dean is going to play a role in this defense. He likes how the team overall has jelled during Training Camp.

"Everything is coming together exactly like how you think it should come," Dean said. "I feel like we're a real connected team." – Chris McPherson

A sign of things to come on kickoff returns?

As teams figure out how they will handle the new kickoff return rule, it should be noted that on Thursday night, John Ross had two returns of 30-plus yards (32 and 36 yards) before leaving the game in the concussion protocol.

The Eagles' longest kick return in all of 2023 was 38 yards. It should also be noted, as Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay tests out his options, that punter Braden Mann handled kickoff duties instead of Jake Elliott. – Chris McPherson