FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The game gets slower and slower for quarterback Nate Sudfeld and that enables him to play faster and faster. Add it all up and you understand why the Eagles are so high on Sudfeld, who threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' 37-20 loss Thursday night at New England.
One of the goals of the preseason is to find out about Sudfeld and how he can fit into the team's plans in the present and the future. Well, the Eagles are finding out quite a bit. Sudfeld tossed two touchdown passes in the first week of the preseason against Pittsburgh and then came back with three more against New England. He also worked out some of the kinks from two interceptions thrown against Pittsburgh and was pleased with his performance against the Patriots, even with a fluke interception thrown when his pass in the left flat to running back Matt Jones bounced off of Jones' helmet into the hands of New England's Christian Sam for the turnover.
Touchdown passes to Shelton Gibson, Richard Rodgers, and Rashard Davis more than made up for that giveaway, though. Sudfeld was in command against New England.
"I feel very comfortable. I feel like the game has slowed down. The two times I've played this season, the game I played last season (against Dallas in the regular-season finale) I felt like I knew what I was looking at with the exception of a few plays here and there," Sudfeld said. "I didn't feel there was a down tonight where I was confused by the coverage. I felt I had decent eye discipline, just kind of keying my safeties and leverages and stuff so for the most part I'm pretty happy with that."
Sudfeld called the first interception he threw against Pittsburgh, a play on which he was fooled by the coverage, "egregious," and he did not make any of those mistakes against New England. Sudfeld stepped in for Nick Foles early in the second quarter and immediately got the offense going. He spread the ball around, going mainly to wide receivers Shelton Gibson (five receptions, 90 yards, TD), DeAndre Carter (three catches, 48 yards), and tight end Dallas Goedert (three receptions, 57 yards).
As the Eagles continue to work with Sudfeld, they are learning that he has mobility, is resourceful, and has a big arm.
And the confidence is growing.
"I'm still a work in progress but that's the way this works," he said. "I'd like to have some throws back, but you're going to have that. I'm just feeling like I'm taking the steps I need to take. That's encouraging."
Take a look at all the photos from the Eagles' second preseason game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
QB Nick Foles
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
DE Michael Bennett
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Carson Wentz
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Jordan Hicks
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
CB Rasul Douglas
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Carson Wentz and Patriots QB Tom Brady
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Sixers center Joel Embiid meets Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
TE Zach Ertz
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Jordan Hicks
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Nick Foles
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Nigel Bradham and DT Fletcher Cox
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Christian Hackenberg
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
S Malcolm Jenkins, LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, and C Jason Kelce
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
WR Shelton Gibson
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Nick Foles, T Halapoulivaati Vaitai, and TE Zach Ertz
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
P Cameron Johnston
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Nick Foles
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Jordan Hicks
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
S Corey Graham
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Nick Foles
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
DT Fletcher Cox
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
WR Shelton Gibson
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
DE Chris Long
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Nigel Bradham
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Head Coach Doug Pederson
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
T Jordan Mailata
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Defensive Backs Coach Cory Undlin
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz
C Jason Kelce
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Offensive Coordinator Mike Groh
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Jordan Hicks
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
CB Ronald Darby
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Nate Sudfeld
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Head Coach Doug Pederson
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
DT Haloti Ngata
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
LB Jordan Hicks
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Nate Sudfeld
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
WR Shelton Gibson
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
RB Jay Ajayi
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
WR Mike Wallace
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
DE Derek Barnett
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
TE Zach Ertz
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
WR Shelton Gibson and QB Nate Sudfeld
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Tight Ends Coach Justin Peele
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
RB Wendell Smallwood
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
RB Matt Jones
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
DE Steven Means
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
WR Shelton Gibson
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
QB Nate Sudfeld
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
WR Rashard Davis
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
TE Dallas Goedert
Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on August 16, 2018
