‘Heartbeat of team’ Graham lost for season
PHILADELPHIA » The longest tenured active Eagle, defensive end Brandon Graham, is all but officially done for the season after suffering a suspected torn left Achilles’ tendon in the second quarter of a 17-11 loss to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Graham hurt himself spinning away from his pass rush of Jimmy Garoppolo and into pursuit, his left leg buckling with a couple minutes left in the second quarter. He was helped off the field, the leg dangling.
Graham tweeted the news on his verified Twitter account after the game: “We still about to shock the world! I will just be leading from the sidelines this year working to be great for 2022. Appreciate all the love and now it is time for guys to step it up. U have to find the treasure in every situation!”
That pretty much confirmed what head coach Nick Sirianni and teammates implied about the 33-year-old Graham, now in his 12th NFL season. It’s the end of Graham’s streak of 50 straight regular season starts, second among active players.
“It’s terrible,” guard Lane Johnson said. “He’s really the heartbeat of this team the way he conducts himself, the way he leads, and the way he plays. It’s heartbreaking.”
Right guard Brandon Brooks also was injured, the big guy exiting in the first half with a chest injury that sources say is a pectoral issue.
The Eagles (1-1) quite frankly weren’t the same team without the veteran duo. The lines were more porous without them, the 49ers winning the war up front even though they looked less than formidable.
“He’s a great football player and a great leader,” Sirianni said of Graham. “Obviously one of our captains, so we are fearful, but I don’t want to just say what it is yet because I don’t know for sure.” Sirianni added he was “still getting more information” on Brooks’ injury.
The loss of Graham
meant more playing time for Josh Sweat, who signed a three-year contract extension yet has been more impactful in a rotation. It will mean an expanded role for rookie Milton Williams, who sets the edge better than Sweat.
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox isn’t thrilled about moving on from Graham, whose locker stall is next to his.
“It’s always tough and it was a pretty emotional moment
for me to see BG limp off the field because I know me and Brandon have played so much ball together,” Cox said. “And to see him walk off the field was pretty rough for me. But we know Brandon, he’s in a good spot right now and we’ll talk once he figures out what’s going on. At the same time, we got his back and we’ll go from there and get ready for the next game.”
Johnson commiserated the loss of Brooks, as well.
When healthy, Brooks has been among the league’s premier linemen.
“You can’t replace those type of players,” Johnson said. “The younger guys have got to step up and we’ve got to press on. I mean, it’s terrible. Brooks is one of my best friends. The best guard in the league for a long time. He was doing well so far this season. Having him not be out there is a tremendous loss for us. Having him out there might have been the difference between us winning and losing.”
Rookie second round draft pick Landon Dickerson got his first action of the season replacing Brooks. It was a struggle.
“I think he adjusted well during the second half,” Johnson said. “He’s a massive human being. When he starts figuring it out, he’s so strong and big I think he can hold his own. I think we could have done a lot better there in the first half, especially in the goal line. We had opportunities to punch it in for touchdowns and we didn’t. When you play a good team like that it’s the difference between winning and losing.”
Also on the injury front, linebacker Davion Taylor reinjured a calf.
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Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 190 yards and rushed for 82 yards, the second-highest total of his career.
Hurts completed a 75yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter with a oneyard TD. His 91-yard pass to Quez Watkins in the second quarter is the longest since Michael Vick found DeSean Jackson for a 91yard gain during the 2010 season against Dallas.
Take away that 91-yarder and Hurts was 11 of 22 for 99 yards.
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NOTES » Pro Football Hall of Famers Brian Dawkins and Harold Carmichael stepped onto the field in the second quarter to lead the crowd through the Eagles cheer. … The Eagles rushed for 151 yards, the second straight game they’ve had of 150 or more yards. The last time they did that was during the Super Bowl championship season.