Graham ready for (at least) one more date with Dallas
PHILADELPHIA >> For inspiration, Brandon Graham watches the strip-sack he made of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII.
You would, too, if you made the biggest defensive play in the biggest game of your career.
Teammate Derrick Barnett recovered deep in New England Patriots territory to set up the field goal that gave the Eagles a 41-33 victory, after a small army of Birds batted down Brady’s hail Mary intended for Rob Gronkowski. Graham nearly sacked Brady on that final throw, too.
It’s been a couple of weeks — and not coincidentally, a couple of Eagles victories — since Graham last cued up the video on his smartphone. But he’ll probably take another look in the coming days, because this could be his last Cowboys week with the Eagles.
The only certainty right now for Graham, whose contract expires after the season, is that if he stays healthy, he’ll have at least four more games with the Eagles. Deep in his heart, he wants you to take the over.
“I’ve thought about it,” Graham said Wednesday. “And I was like, man, what’s a better way — if this is going to be my last year — than to go out winning (the Super Bowl) back-to-back? I feel like us right now, all we’ve got to do is get into (the playoffs). The sky’s the limit on where we can go. We’re getting healthy at the right time and yes, I have thought about it, and just trying to make it special.”
The Eagles are in the throes of their first winning streak of the season, a modest two-game skein. They’re getting healthier every week. And it’s never over in the NFC East, at least not this season.
With a 6-6 record, the Eagles will successfully defend their division pennant if they win out, starting Sunday at Dallas (7-5), which leads the circuit. In that scenario, if the Cowboys were to win their remaining games, they’d be tied with the Eagles at 10-6. But the Eagles would own the tiebreaker based on a better division record.
A 30-year-old Eagles veteran like Graham really can’t ask for much more. He’s played some of his finest football against the Cowboys.
The Eagles are 75-65 in nine seasons, including 3-2 in the postseason, since taking Graham off the board with the 13th pick in the 2010 draft. They’re 6-4 against the Cowboys in games Graham has played, the veteran collecting 7 sacks.
“I’ve been in this situation plenty of times where everything is on the line towards the end of the season,” Graham said. “It’s a fight. And we’ve got to go out there swinging. What’s better than to get a win at Jerry’s World?”
The Cowboys are 4-point favorites and coming off a mini-bye, their last game a week ago Thursday when they upset the New Orleans Saints, 13-10. The Saints dropped a 48-7 loss on the Eagles.
The Cowboys rallied to beat the Eagles, 27-20, three weeks ago at Lincoln Financial Field. Zeke Elliott gashed the Birds for 151 yards and one touchdown, leaping over defender Tre Sullivan on one jaunt. Elliott also caught a TD pass.
“Zeke is patient,” Graham said. “He stays square at the line and he waits until he gets a hole and then he’s downhill. He’s got a burst. You’ve just got to make sure that you stay in your gap and that you tackle him.
“We missed a couple tackles in the last game. Just make sure you get him on the ground.”
Graham thinks he’s as healthy as he’s going to be after offseason ankle surgery resulted in missing almost all of the preseason. He was still in a walking boot in June.
“I never came into the season with a lingering injury before,” Graham said. “I was coming off surgery, and it was new for me. I feel great right now. They told me around 8 to 9 to 10 games into the season you’re going to feel a lot better, Hopefully, that’s what it is.”
Graham is fourth on the Eagles with four sacks, including one of Dak Prescott in the loss to Dallas. In Graham’s career against the Cowboys he’s sacked Prescott and Tony Romo 2.5 times each, and Matt Cassel twice.
Nine years, four head coaches, starting with Andy Reid, and finally, a Super Bowl title with the Eagles is enough for Graham to author a book.
“I’ve been here nine years, and I’m going to be ready for whatever happens,” Graham said. “And hopefully it’s back here or somewhere else. But I know I will always be here in Philly. So, let’s do it the right way.”
For Graham, the best ending would mean adding another priceless video to his Super Bowl collection.