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This time, the defense saved the day.

And yet, for most of Sunday night’s Eagles-Patriots game – a 31-28 Pats victory – the New England defense didn’t have an answer for Philadelphia’s offense.

Ironically, the Patriots managed to win despite being outscored on offense. Asante Samuel’s interception return for a touchdown on the game’s third play from scrimmage turned out to be the deciding score.

“If we're not making the plays, the offense is going to make the plays. If they're not making them, we're going to make them. That's just the way it is,” Samuel told reporters gathered around his locker afterwards.

Make no mistake about it: this Eagles team not only took the Pats best punches, they also punched back. Here’s how Philly did it, and how New England finally scored the knockout.

That sinking Feeley-ing

The last time New England faced A.J. Feeley, he engineered an improbable come-from-behind victory over the Pats as the Miami Dolphins QB in a memorable Monday night affair in December 2004.

Sunday night in Foxborough, he nearly did it again.

After giving up that early INT to Samuel, Feeley settled down and began throwing at will up and down the field for the rest of the night. New England’s front seven hardly ever pressured Feeley, something they’ve been able to do against opposing quarterbacks most of the year.

Pats defenders always seemed to be just a step too late in getting to Feeley, and just a step behind his intended receivers, who were able to find creases in New England’s normally stout secondary.

He ended up throwing for 345 yards and three touchdowns in place of the injured Donovan McNabb, but Feeley’s three interceptions cost his team the game. Samuel’s second pick came on a throw that Feeley wishes he could have had back.

With Philly already at the Pats’ 29-yard line, Feeley pump-faked on a stop-and-go route by WR Kevin Curtis, but Samuel didn’t bite. He was in perfect position when Feeley’s overthrown ball landed in the end zone.
 
“I felt a little pressure so I was just trying to get rid of it,” he admitted later. “Actually, I was trying to put it in the back of the end zone thinking [Curtis] was going to make a play on it and [Asante Samuel] ended up being so deep that he ended up making a play on it.” 

The Pats essentially ran out the clock from there, with S James Sanders sealing the win when he intercepted Feeley with18 seconds left to play.
 
“You just always believe in each other,” LB Adalius Thomas proclaimed in New England’s post-game locker room. “You always believe that someone is going to make a play.”

On defense, they made just enough at just the right times.

Offense humbled

The Pats’ normally sublime offense looked pedestrian at times Sunday.

But WRs Wes Welker (13 catches for 149 yards) and Jabar Gaffney (6 for 87) came up with some drive-saving grabs when the team needed them most, particularly no third-and-long plays.

“I think you’ve got to be ready for it every time you step onto the field, and when your number’s called, just go out there and try to make plays,” Welker said of his impressive performance.

“He did a great job of getting open in man-to-man coverage and they really got up and challenged our receivers,” Brady said of Welker in his post-game press conference.

The Pats were in several long-yardage situations because the Eagles were able to do what only the Colts had been successful at against New England: pressuring Tom Brady. He was brought down behind the line of scrimmage three times – the most in any game this season. Brady was too often off-target (20 incompletions) as a result.

“They had some good pressure packages and I knew we were going to get pressure and they did a good job of disguising things,” Brady continued. “[They have] a really athletic defense, smart defense with some playmakers and they made some nice plays. They made some really good plays. We've got to learn from it and try to do better next week.”

It also didn’t help that the Pats running game, despite scoring two touchdowns, was a relative non-factor. They had only 16 carries for 48 yards on the ground … and Brady picked up one-third of those on his three scrambles.

Eagles beaten, Pats beaten up

Brady was the only Patriot listed on the injury report Friday, with his customary shoulder condition. That will probably change this week. Several Patriots limped off the field at various points during the game. Most returned after a few plays rest, LB Rosevelt Colvin (foot) and CB Randall Gay (back) did not return to action.

In this storybook season, the Pats have been fortunate to remain healthy. This was by far the most banged-up they been all year. They’ll have one extra day to recover before their next game, a week from Monday in Baltimore. But this could be a cause for concern in the days ahead.

Maybe they needed this

“Those blowouts … it's not always going to be like that,” Samuel observed.

“You have to win like this sometimes, too,” said Gaffney. “You're not going to blow everyone out.”

And that’s perhaps the most important lesson learned from Sunday night’s game. It had been too easy for the Patriots up to this point (except for the Colts game), and this helped remind them that they can be resilient by coming from behind late in the game.
 
“It’s a win,” a relieved Thomas noted.

One of 11, and counting.