2024 NFL preseason, Week 2: What We Learned from Eagles' win over Patriots on Thursday

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1. Eagles' backup quarterback job up in the air? Making his second consecutive preseason start, Kenny Pickett might be leaving the door open for his role following yet another ordinary performance. The Eagles' backup QB looked good on paper (11 of 13 for 67 yards) but most of those completions were on well-designed short throws. It was a different when looking downfield for Pickett, who looked hesitant to throw in a collapsing pocket and was sacked four times. Pickett did go up against a Patriots defense that played mostly starters, however, Tanner McKee's performance might start the rumblings of a new argument in Philly. McKee led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter (11 total points) and was responsible for the deciding score, throwing a nice pass to Ainias Smith for a two-point conversion. The third-stringer was in control under center and moved the offense well, finishing with 140 passing yards (15 of 19) and perhaps making Pickett watch his back going forward.
2. Patriots pass rushers make their case. While Drake Maye's positive performance got all the attention, several Patriots defenders answered opportunity's knock one day following Matt Judon's exit out of New England. Josh Uche, Deatrich Wise and Keion White each notched a sack against the Eagles' second-team offense. The collection of pass rushers looked explosive off the edge and had Philadelphia backups reeling as New England allowed just 65 total yards and three points in the first half. While Wise has been a relied-upon starter the past few seasons, Uche and White will be looking to expand their roles in 2024. Raekwon McMillan might also be in that mix. The off-ball linebacker lined up off the edge plenty on Thursday night and made his presence felt with a game-high eight tackles and one tackle for loss. As life without Judon began on Thursday, Jerod Mayo's squad made it a point to show it can live on fruitfully.