Elliott not only new name to step up Sunday
PHILADELPHIA » Joe Walker wouldn’t have been on the field to leap over the pile and make a spectacular fourth-and-goal stop at the end of the first half Sunday if not for an ankle injury to Eagles teammate Jordan Hicks.
Walker probably almost certainly wouldn’t have been there had head coach Doug Pederson punted rather than turn the ball over on downs to the Giants, having failed to convert a fourth-andeight at the 43-yard line of the visitors.
Corey Clement, who ran for a 15-yard touchdown, was filling in for Eagles veteran Darren Sproles, forced out with a wrist issue.
Chris Maragos got his first start in a couple of years because the Eagles’ starting-caliber safeties were scratched due to strained hamstrings. He played every snap on defense and special teams on a day the temperature soared into the 90’s.
And then there was kicker Jake Elliott, whose parents rushed to Lincoln Financial Field to wish him good luck and wound up sharing his minor miracle.
Elliott booted a walk-off, clubrecord 61-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Eagles to a stunning 27-24 triumph over the down-on-their-luck Giants, who had taken their first two leads of the season in the fourth quarter.
Two weeks ago Elliott was on the practice squad of the Cincinnati Bengals. Six weeks from now, it’s going to be tough to keep him and veteran kicker Caleb Sturgis, assuming Elliott keeps this up.
“I just got an apartment back in Cincinnati and got it all furnished and I get a phone call about two weeks later and then I’m moving to a new city and getting to know a new group of guys. The adjustment has been super smooth. The guys here are great.
“It’s kind of all a blur to me. All I know is that the ball was in the air for a really long time and it was real close to that right upright.”
The Eagles led 14-0, trailed 2114 and 24-21, and rallied to win in the last minute. They did all of that with a lineup diminished by injuries and some seat-of-thepants coaching.
Several oEagles stepped up as well to defeat Eli Manning and the Giants for the sixth time in their last seven meetings.
Steve Wisniewski quietly looked like a major upgrade at left guard, where he replaced starter Chance Warmack, who after replacing Isaac Seumalo, allowed a sack of Carson Wentz.
Look at the Eagles’ touchdowns and big play highlights and you’ll see center Jason Kelce in the middle of most of them. On Clement’s scoring run, Wisniewski took a penetrator out of the play while Kelce boxed out not one but two Giants defenders while sealing the edge.
You can rip the Giants for being 0-3. Heck, it’s not hard to criticize Pederson for play-calling that looked early preseason and that fourth down mistake in that first half that enabled Manning to march the Giants to the 1 of the Birds with 24 ticks left.
What you cannot deny is that despite it all, the Eagles found a way to win. Like the unsung Walker hurdling over the pile to stop 220-pound running back Orleans Darkwa on fourth-and-goal for a score.
“It felt awesome, man,” Walker said. “Just being in the stadium around these fans, it’s electrifying when you make a play. There’s not a better feeling in the world than running out there in front of these people and making a play.”
Kelce said the Eagles practiced with an edge this past week because they weren’t happy with the way they ran the ball in their first two games. The Giants ‘run defense is solid. But there’s only so much you can take before the weariness sets in, as it did on the Birds’ 18-play, 90-yard scoring drive capped by LeGarrette Blount’s one-yard run for a 7-0 lead.
“You run hard and physically on them, and it just wears on them,” Kelce said. “We had that 18-play drive early and everybody was so fatigued and tired but they were tired, as well. You could see it wearing on them. Those are fun games to play. Especially as an offensive lineman.”
The Eagles put themselves in a position to win with a 14-0 lead. The Giants scored three TDs in six minutes to lead 21-14.
“Good teams find a way to win close games,” Kelce said. “The margin of victory is so close in this league. Unfortunately we allowed them to come back into that game and I’m sure there’s probably going to be some discussion. We probably shouldn’t have let that happen. But that’s what happens in this league. Adversity is going to strike and the teams that end up playing in January and February find a way to overcome it.”
The Eagles battled back to knot the score at 24 with 51 seconds left on a 46-yard field goal by Elliott. It was a hold your breath kick as the rookie out of Memphis had earlier missed a 52-yarder wide right.
Thanks to a 28-yard punt by Brad Wing, who never felt comfortable during his audition here years ago, the Eagles got the ball back with 13 ticks left. Wentz threw a 19-yard sideline pass to Alshon Jeffery, who got out of bounds with one tick left.
Pederson conversed with special teams coach Dave Fipp, and a few moments later Elliott was sent out for the field goal attempt. Beneath the goal posts was Odell Beckham Jr., who had two TD grabs in the second half. Come up short and you’d have a bunch of linemen chasing a thoroughbred.
“Jake, he’s got such a strong leg and we’ve seen it practice,” Maragos said. “He’s been bombing 50-some yarders in practice with plenty of distance. You look at how cool and calm he is. It’s funny watching him. Most kickers are like, ‘I want the ball here, tilt it 45 degrees.’ He’s like, ‘hey, snap it, put it down, I’ll kick it.’ He’s just cool, calm, collected, laid back.”
The kick had plenty of length but almost hit the right upright, which, back in the day, David Akers did on a long, long potential game-winner against the Giants at the Linc.
When the scrum dissolved, Elliott was carried off the field by Eagles linebackers Kamu GrugierHill and Mychal Kendricks.
“He’s only been here for what, two weeks?” Kelce said. “A 61-yarder to end the game, that’s pretty impressive.”
The same can be said for the Eagles, who shrugged off adversity and found a way to win Sunday.