Philadelphia Eagles v New England Patriots

FOXBORO, MA - AUGUST 15: Jordan Matthews #81 of the Philadelphia Eagles is tackled by Malcolm Butler #29 of the New England Patriots in the second half during the preseason game at Gillette Stadium on August 15, 2014 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

(Jared Wickerham)

FOXBOROUGH, Mass -- After he dropped three passes in his preseason debut against the Chicago Bears last week, Eagles rookie receiver Jordan Matthews said he was going to have to head back to the drawing board.

Against the New England Patriots on Friday night, Matthews' time studying his mistakes against the Bears paid off -- big time.

"It is important to go back and get better," Matthews said.

Matthews was all over the field against the Patriots, finishing the night with nine catches for 104 yards against the Patriots in the Eagles 42-35 loss at Gillette Stadium. The rookie did his damage throughout the night, catching passes from all three quarterbacks that saw the field.

"The Jordan that we have seen in practice if the Jordan you saw today," head coach Chip Kelly said after the game. "I'm happy with his performance today."

Although he wouldn't say it was the sole reason for his improved showing, Matthews did say having one NFL preseason game under his belt helped him better prepare for Friday night.

"Oh yeah," Matthews said of whether the game felt slower. "That is how it is going to be my rookie year. The speed is going to pick up. It was the same way my first practice. First practice, everything seemed real fast, then it started to slow down for me. First preseason game, stuff seemed kind of fast, (tonight) it slowed down. Going to be the same way in the regular season."

NFL preseason: Patriots 42, Eagles 35 29 Gallery: NFL preseason: Patriots 42, Eagles 35

What might have been most impressive about Matthews' performance was that the nine catches came on nine targets, meaning the receiver did not drop a single pass against the Patriots.

His best catch of the night, a deep pass from backup quarterback Mark Sanchez over the middle of the field, was nearly identical to the one he dropped in Chicago. Matthews held onto the ball this time, however, taking a hit as he went to the ground. Seeing the rookie correct his mistakes in such a short amount of time was an exciting development for the coaches.

"He caught the ball well, he ran with it after he caught it," offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. "You always hold judgement until you watch the tape, but watching from the coaches box I think he had a much better outing."

Shurmur also noted that Matthews was effective in run blocking, a key to making sure the rookie is able to see the field this season.

"My coaches have done a great job," Matthews said of preparing him to play. "They are patient with me, they are always encouraging me to continue to get better. I couldn't ask for a better set of quarterbacks to work with."

After leading the team in receiving yards against the Patriots, Matthews said he will now move to focusing on the team's next opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"There is still a lot of areas for me to get better," Matthews said. "I can't wait for Sunday to get back to work."

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@nj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Sports on Facebook.