“Oh, man, defense, hats off to these guys,” Doug Pederson said of his defense following the win. “Listen, they took this game I think personal from the standpoint of what happened to us the first time. Having all our guys out there, they had a great week of preparation obviously, and we knew coming in here that Dallas, they were coming off a great win last week against the Rams. 250 something yards rushing, and they knew that was coming.”
10-year veteran pass rusher Brandon Graham echoed his head coach’s sentiment that the Philly defense was well-prepared for the Dallas rushing attack.
“We had to stop the run. We had to stop [Elliott]. We knew that we had to stop [Elliott]. You know that was number one.”
Known for his tireless motor and fierce competitiveness, Graham also expressed the pride Pederson alluded to that the defense felt coming into this game.
“I feel good. I feel like we hit him. I feel like we didn’t let him get going. We didn’t let him do his little signature eat move, whatever he does.
We said we wouldn’t let him do that on this field today. That was our main goal – stopping the run.”
In the all-important regular-season finale against the Saquon Barkley-led Giants, it was more of the same stingy Philly defense. Save for a 68-yard touchdown sprint by the generational halfback, the defense was able to smother Barkley and the Giants ground game. Against the gritty Philly defense, Barkley could only muster 24 yards across his 16 rushes sans the scoring play- averaging a lowly 1.5 per tote.
The stingy efforts by the defense was a welcome sight to see and played a large role in carrying Philly to a division-title-clinching victory. Unfortunately, like most Eagles games so far this season, the team could hardly finish celebrating before more injury news made its way down the pipeline.
This time, it was perennial Pro Bowl guard and Comeback Player of the Year candidate Brandon Brooks stricken by injury. Carted off halfway through the ballgame, the talented offensive linemen suffered a separated shoulder and will be unavailable in the playoffs, according to HC Doug Pederson.
As devastating as the news is- and losing a player of Brooks’ caliber is devastating, truly- plugging in the next man up is run of the mill for Philly and they will be forced to wage war in the postseason without him.
“Whatever happens in a game, happens in a game,” Brandon Graham stated following the win when discussing the team’s bout with injury this season. “But we don’t ever flinch. We just keep going.” The resiliency and toughness this Eagles group possesses honestly can’t be overstated. Routinely faced with some of the more severe, harsh circumstances seen around the league, the Eagles continue to dig deep and push through it all- a feat that would otherwise be impossible without the play and leadership of the team veterans.
Down a few more soldiers than they would like heading into the postseason, the Eagles will continue to rely on their seasoned group of vets when they host the Seahawks at home next Sunday. Hosting their first playoff game at the Linc since the NFC Championship beatdown of the Vikings, the Eagles- on the backs of their veterans- look to once again overcome a slew of injuries and advance in the postseason.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
