PRO FOOTBALL : Eason Leads Patriots Past the Packers

New England’s Tony Eason threw for 241 yards and a touchdown and the Patriots sacked his Green Bay counterpart, Lynn Dickey, seven times as they built a 26-6 lead and held on to beat the Packers, 26-20, Sunday.

Eason, who completed 21 of 28 passes and had one intercepted, said: “The backs made some very fine reads to get in open spaces, but we’re making too many mistakes that I’m unhappy with.”

Those errors paled in comparison with the ones Green Bay Coach Forrest Gregg agonized over.

Asked if New England’s defense was so good that the Patriots could outgain the Packers 410 yards to 205, Gregg said: “Our offense is that lousy.

“We had great field position. We can’t move the ball at all, on the ground or in the air. I can’t think of anything we did positively in the first half.”

Dickey completed 14 of 29 passes for 205 yards and threw an interception. But he was only 7 of 16 for 106 yards while New England was building its 20-point lead.

“We didn’t play well,” Dickey said. “We made a lot of errors. I was as guilty as anyone.”

Eason, the league’s third-rated quarterback last season, threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Jones eight seconds before halftime to make the score 19-6.

It ended a second quarter in which the Packers gave up a fumble, a safety and an interception in a span of five plays that led to a 12-0 New England advantage.

Green Bay managed just eight first downs and 90 yards through the first three quarters.