Veteran wide receiver Julian Edelman was instrumental in the New England Patriots 17-10 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Center. Edelman’s touchdown pass on a trick play put the Patriots ahead for good early in the third period after struggling to find the end zone in the first half. Edelman, a quarterback during his college days at Kent, notched a perfect quarterback rating of 158.3 and caught five passes for 53 yards for the Patriots. After the game, head coach Bill Belichick was asked about Edelman’s touchdown pass, his first scoring strike since their 2014 AFC Divisional Round win over the Baltimore Ravens.

“Good read on the play. Checked the cross and it was open. He made a good decision and puts his quarterback rating up there pretty high,” said Belichick, joking that Edelman will have to ice his shoulder this week.

Belichick lauds Edelman, Dorsett

According to Belichick, there were a couple of options on the play, which came with the Patriots at 3rd and 11 at the Eagles’ 15. “A lot of ball handling involved on the play there but he got his eyes downfield, made a good decision, made a good throw,” said Belichick, who also lauded Phillip Dorsett for his big catch that completed the Patriots’ comeback from a 10-0 deficit. When asked about his game-winning pass, Edelman said he was simply doing what the coaches ordered him to do.

“I guess it’s cool to do. They trust me to go throw the ball and its fun to throw the ball sometimes,” said Edelman.

Brady, who struggled in the red zone all game, also praised Edelman for his great throw, saying the Patriots needed it. The 42-year-old quarterback said he would try to improve his red-zone passing through passing and execution.

Brady also praised the defense for keeping the Patriots in the game while declaring that the offense could do better. Brady completed just 26 of 47 passes for 216 yards for a rating of 67.3. Sony Michel carried the ball 10 times for 33 yards while tight end Ben Watson had three receptions for 52 yards. In his NFL regular-season debut, rookie N’Keal Harry caught three passes for 18 yards.

Patriots close in on Cowboys' record

Following their win over the Eagles, the Patriots notched their 19th consecutive winning season with a 9-1 mark, per Nick Goss of NBC Sports. Since the Patriots drafted Brady as the 199th overall pick in 2000, the Patriots haven’t lost eight or more games. Since Brady assumed the starting role in 2001, he has led the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles. The Patriots need to post a winning season next year to match the all-time record of 20 consecutive winning seasons posted by the Dallas Cowboys from 1966 through 1985. The Patriots will host the Cowboys next Sunday at Gillette Stadium in the second of their tough four-game stretch. They will also face the Houston Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs in Weeks 13 and 14, respectively.