JUST ANOTHER BOWL GAME
At least that’s what former Bear Jeffery wants us to believe
PHILADELPHIA — It seemed like a perfect ending to a near- perfect first half for Alshon Jeffery and the Eagles.
After Jeffery concluded a dominant half with an eight- yard touchdown catch on a pass from Carson Wentz with five seconds left in the second quarter to give the Eagles a 24- 0 lead against the Bears, the Eagles’ offense celebrated with a novel bowling routine — with 10 players standing as pins and falling in unison after Jeffery, holding the ball in his left hand, mimed rolling the ball at them with his right.
“I thought the bowling was executed fine, except Alshon didn’t roll the ball,” wide receiver Torrey Smith said. “It could have been perfect. It looked really perfect — the fall, it was perfect. But Alshon messed it up. ‘‘ I think he wanted the ball.” For his part, Jeffery was as chagrined as Alshon Jeffery can be.
“I wish I would have rolled the ball,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been saving for a couple of weeks. It is what it is. It worked out.” Did he just want to keep the ball? “I wasn’t rolling that one,” Jeffery said.
That Jeffery might have wanted to keep the ball after scoring against his former team was about the only sign that beating the Bears meant anything more to him than beating the Cowboys or Broncos or any other team. He had five receptions for 52 yards and the touchdown.
“It was another workday; that’s all it was,” Jeffery said. “It was against my former team. But it was a normal football game.”
No emotion at all playing against former teammates?
“These are my brothers now,” Jeffery said. “I’mtrying to tear their butt up on the other side.”
Jeffery, though, was typically coy this week, so you never really know just how much it meant to him. He just happened to be wearing a Michael Jordan Bulls jersey and 1985era Air Jordans after the game. And he insisted it was just a coincidence that it came after playing the Bears.
“Michael Jordan’s my favorite player,” he said. “I thought today I’d just wear the jersey.”
Jeffery caught a five- yard pass from Wentz on the Eagles’ first offensive play from scrimmage. His biggest catch besides the touchdown was a 16- yard gain against cornerback Prince Amukamara on a thirdandfive from the Eagles’ 49 on the first play of the second quarter. It led toWentz’s 15- yard touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor that gave the Eagles a 14- 0 lead. And the rout was on.
Wentz threw three touchdown passes to three receivers — tight end Zach Ertz, Agholor and Jeffery. That’s one reason why the Eagles are going to be a tough out in the playoffs — they are extremely balanced on offense and defense.
For Jeffery, that means fewer big days and more victories than when hewaswith the Bears. He had 13 100yardgamesasaBear— including249 yards with two touchdowns against the Vikings and 218 yards against the Saints in 2013. But the Bears lost those games. With the Eagles, he’s averaging 56.3 yards per game— with a high of 92. But his team is 10- 1.
The Bears, meanwhile, are spinning their wheels like always. But that’s not Jeffery’s problem anymore.
“I’ve got nothing,” Jeffery said when asked if he feels bad for his former teammates. “I’m worrying about the Eagles and focused on that. I can’t control nothing else that’s going on anywhere else.”