22 Eagles list their favorite play from the regular season ahead of Super Bowl LVII
Although the job is certainly not finished, the Philadelphia Eagles are coming off their most successful regular season of all time.
The Eagles finished with a record of 14-3 during the regular season. Four players on the defense recorded over 10 sacks and the defense as a whole, recorded the most sacks in a regular season in NFL history.
AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jalen Hurts, and Miles Sanders all broke personal and Eagles franchise records. When you have a team like that, the road to the Super Bowl becomes a little easier.
Bo Wulf of The Athletic sat down with 22 players in the Eagles’ locker room and asked them what their favorite play from the regular season was. It didn’t have to be a play that they made, which was the answer for a lot of players. Here’s what the guys said.
22 Eagles List Their Favorite Play of the Regular Season
DeVonta Smith
“Favorite play that I made this season? I don’t know, for real. I would probably say the catch against Washington when I fell on my back or the sideline catch against Dallas.”
Britain Covey
“I would say the punt returns following my muff at Washington because that was still my third game in the NFL, and I remember getting booed by everyone when I went out after that. It was one of those things where it was like, you had your first real screw-up in the NFL, and now you have to decide how to respond.”
Darius Slay
“Sweaty pick six. He read the boot, and he picked that thing. And he stiff-armed Dak. Dak went to Mississippi State with me; he gave Dak the stiffy, I kind of like that.”
Kyzir White
“I think the first game, a pass deflection (James Bradberry) pick six.… A little bit of instinct, a little bit of tape study.”
TJ Edwards
“Just kind of in general, I felt like in the passing game, I was able to get in some windows and kind of knock out some plays on third down to get us off the field. So I would honestly say, kind of coverage in general. Missing that big play so far. I think the best one is still yet to come.
I would say one that gets forgotten about, K-Y tips that pick-six to James. That one gets forgotten about. Big-time play. It was just really cool. Something we talked about all week, and it happened.”
Zech McPhearson
“I would say, probably the play against the Steelers when I downed a punt inside the 1. I don’t know; I just take pride in it because it helps the team, getting the defense a backed-up offense. Or my other play against Houston was when I made a tackle on a punt against Desmond King. I don’t know; I just like that. It was just electric.
Well, actually, I’m tripping! I like my sack. That was my best play because I contributed to the record.”
Brandon Graham
“Getting my double-digit sack. And then, the Colts game, that was my best play, to win the game with a sack after Hurts’ touchdown. That was a good one. Man, let me see. Oh, no, Cowboys pick, that was my best play. The one where CGJ got the pick at the end? That was my best play. It was big in the game. That was a big play because, boy, everyone talking smack about the Cowboys. They ain’t have Dak, but I don’t care; people always gonna say that, but it doesn’t matter.”
Javon Hargrave
“Pittsburgh. Sack-fumble. Kenny Pickett. That was my favorite one. I just won my rep, went for the football, got the sack, got the forced fumble with it.”
Zach Pascal
“I was on the kickoff when we played New Orleans. I got double-teamed but still went down there and made the tackle inside the 25. I remember that. I had to attack one, I split ’em, pushed one off, stacked ’em, and then somehow, someway, the returner was in front of me, and I made the play. … I did (talk smack). Other than that, it was the touchdown against the Steelers.”
Zach Pascal’s first TOUCHDOWN as a member of the Eagles!! #FlyEaglesFly https://t.co/VSOuIwAOPC
Miles Sanders
“Ooooooo. I ain’t gonna lie; my favorite play is when I hit No. 51 in the mouth. And I went viral for that. That’s my favorite play, I ain’t gonna lie. I got a lot of touchdowns, but that was fun. That game alone was fun as hell. … I told everybody I was gonna do it! “I’m going viral this week!”
A.J Brown
“Best play? I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Yeah (the touchdown against the Steelers in double coverage), but that’s, like, routine. Over the shoulder is routine.”
James Bradberry
“The recent one against the Giants. Interception. Best play of the season. … Know what? Honestly, didn’t even know C.J. was blitzing. But they got five out; typically, five out means the ball will come out quickly. So that was just kind of a football-awareness type of play.
Favorite play from someone else? Hmmm. Really that play at the (Commanders) and Smitty caught that seven route. Really watching him, you can grab any one of his. That one against the Cowboys, too, he got it on the sideline. That was nasty.”
Quez Watkins
“Honestly, I can’t even answer that, man.… probably Smitty’s bomb against Washington.”
Fletcher Cox
“Man, I’ve had a lot of ’em. Shit, I don’t even remember. Probably sacking Aaron Rodgers. I was in a slump, I had a lot of games without getting one, so that felt good.”
Milton Williams
“I don’t know, man. I got a couple. It either has to be a TFL (tackle for loss) or a sack. I wanna say, hold on, I’m really over here trying to think. I’d probably say the TFL I got on Quenton Nelson. Best guard in the league; I had a pretty good game against him. We had a call on where it was a read for me, I could go inside or outside, so I gave him a quick swim, TFL.
Favorite play from somebody else? Had to be Sweat pick six. Gotta be. ‘Cuz I was on the sideline, I’m looking, like, “How the f— is Sweat? He got the ball?’ He was just gone. Sweat got some wheels, though.”
Boston Scott
“I think it was actually a chip block on Cam Jordan against the Saints when we threw the (touchdown to Brown). I think that was probably one of my best plays. Punt return against Chicago. I would say (better than the one against the Giants) because reversing fields on kickoff return is pretty tough. The Giants was more same side. I would say those are two of my favorite plays.
Somebody else making a play? Dallas (Goedert against the Giants in the playoffs) made some plays, the physicality. … There were a bunch of plays from the O-line that was just nuts against the Giants. What else? Obviously, A.J. against the Titans, that was crazy. Against the Steelers. Smitty, I gotta say, Smitty against the Colts. There was this one drive where he kept saying, “I want the ball. I want the ball against this dude.” The first time he broke him off, and the second time he made the dude fall. It was pretty crazy. And you got Miles; Kenny (Gainwell) had his touchdown (against the Giants). The third-down run was probably the most impressive that I’ve seen. And Miles doing what Miles does. He’s had a career year.”
Jordan Davis
“I don’t really have a best play because I’m always trying to make the next one. I have a favorite play of the season. My favorite play of the season was when, I don’t know, that’s hard! I like all of them. That’s like choosing between kids. It’s somebody else’s play, but it’s ‘Grave’s, his sack strip. Honestly, all of Grave’s plays. Grave’s my guy. Anything he does, I’m proud of him. Because we are from the same state, we are damn near from the same city. It’s just like, man; he’s like my bigger brother. My favorite play is the plays that the D-line makes.”
Dallas Goedert
“Man, I gotta go with the touchdown against the Giants two weeks ago, or whatever it was. It was a nice one-hander, got in the end zone, first touchdown of the playoffs for the Eagles. That one brings back probably the most memorable, but it’s also the most recent. It’s a touchdown in the playoffs, so it’s tough to beat.
I would say the next one (for someone else) would be Smitty’s fourth-down catch. It was obviously nut-cutting time; fourth down, he goes up and secures it with one hand. And whether you think it’s a catch or not, in the stats, it’s a catch, and that’s all I care about. It was incredible that he was able to make that.”
Jordan Mailata
“I don’t know, man. Whatever PFF (Pro Football Focus) says. I don’t really know; I’m on to the next game. I don’t really have favorite plays; I just wanna play as hard as I can — and if I do my assignment right, I get paid,”
Kenneth Gainwell
“Probably had to be the one against the Cowboys when I snuck out the backside, and Gardner threw the ball to me. That would probably be No. 1.”
Jack Stoll
“That’s a tough one. To be honest with you, I don’t really have one that stands out. The season, like we always said, kind of blurs a little bit. … From someone else, there’s a lot. Some of the ones is just seeing Reed Blankenship go out there and make the most of his opportunity, picking one against Aaron Rodgers. Seeing another undrafted guy go out there and ball out like that, I’m always rooting for those guys. That’s one that pops out.”
Jalen Hurts
“The season’s not over”
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