Ezekiel Elliott gets trolled by fans after Patriots RB fumbles the ball on debut vs. Eagles - “The Cowboys energy still within him”
After being cut by the Dallas Cowboys early in the offseason, Ezekiel Elliott lay low for around five months before settling on the New England Patriots.
A week after he signed his contract, he said he felt he had made the right choice.
"When you look at my playing style and the culture of this team, I think it's a great match. I think it's a good fit."
Elliott's first game with the Patriots could not have gone any worse, however.
On Sunday afternoon, the former Dallas Cowboys running back made his New England debut at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. In one of the game's biggest highlights, Elliott was stripped of the football by defensive tackle Jordan Davis, with linebacker Zach Cunningham then picking up the fumble.
That led to mockery across X:
Analyzing Patriots' loss to Eagles in Ezekiel Elliott's debut
Ezekiel Elliott's fumble was not the only reason for the New England Patriots to falter against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The game was the first of New England's new ground tandem of "Zeke" and Rhamondre Stevenson, but neither had a great performance.
Elliott had just 29 yards on seven touches, while Stevenson was worse, with only 25 yards on 12 attempts. This forced Bill Belichick to pass more, even when that aspect of the offense had already been severely compromised by this Darius Slay pick-six on Mac Jones:
The Patriots did eventually fight their way back, limiting the Eagles to three field goals after the first quarter, and then scoring a touchdown with just over three and a half minutes remaining. But Mike Gesicki's two-point conversion attempt failed as they fell to a 25-20 loss.
But many felt the team's comeback attempt stalled with a failed fourth-down conversion at the 9:39 mark of the fourth quarter. Hunter Henry had converted a fourth down for eight yards earlier, so Belichick decided to try it again at the 17, but failed. Had they settled for a field goal, they would have been down two instead of five at the time of their last touchdown.
Overall, it was not the best way to open the season for the Patriots, especially with former franchise quarterback Tom Brady, who was announced to be entering the team's Hall of Fame next summer, in attendance.