Patriots and Eagles finish joint practice with defensive highlights and red-zone struggles

The Patriots and Eagles held their second and final joint practice on Thursday at Gillette Stadium, running about two hours under sunny, high-80-degree conditions. Full pads were worn and the session focused on red-zone scenarios before concluding with an end-of-game drive.

New England’s defense stepped up, limiting running back Saquon Barkley and forcing multiple turnovers, including two interceptions by Marcus Jones, one of which was a potential pick-six. The Patriots’ blitz packages remained a key source of pressure, and Elijah Ponder recorded a notable win against All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata.

Philadelphia’s offense managed a late scoring drive, with Jalen Hurts completing a pass to Dontayvion Wicks before finding Hollywood Brown for a touchdown. The Eagles also rotated cornerbacks, inserting Kindle Vildor in place of Charles Woods.

The Patriots continued to struggle in the red zone. Quarterback Drake Maye threw touchdowns to Mack Hollins and A.J. Brown but also delivered a pick-six to Riq Woolen and an interception by Jalyx Hunt. Maye later said, "> Felt like we could have done more in the red zone. That’s something for us to learn. It’s one of our focuses this year… so we got some work to do."

A.J. Brown and Maye connected early, with Brown making several contested catches and drawing a defensive pass interference penalty. Maye noted the need to keep targeting Brown, stating, "> He continues to make plays and we got to find ways to get him the football."

Other notable plays included Kayshon Boutte’s end-zone fade, a 40-yard touchdown pass from Tommy DeVito to Kyle Williams, and Hassan Haskins scoring on the ground. The practice featured no field goals or punts.

The Patriots will hold a closed walkthrough on Friday before opening their second preseason game against the Eagles on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. ET.