Philadelphia Eagles hang on to beat Dallas 28-23 in thriller
Sydney Brown had no idea what the call was. The safety sprinted from the sideline to the middle of the field, into the middle of the madness, stretching his arms outward and swiveling his helmet until his eyes found fellow rookie Eli Ricks.
“What’s going on?” Brown yelled.
“Get! Back!” Ricks shouted, each word its own dagger. “Get! Back!”
“What the f— are we playing?” Brown hollered.
Ricks waved Brown to the right hash. Dollar defense. Seven defensive backs. All of them spread across the goal line. All of them protecting a 28-23 lead with five seconds left. All of them with a growing sense in their grit-tested guts that this is just how games for the Philadelphia Eagles go. That they can be up two scores in the third quarter, then in a sequence of mistakes and missed opportunities, the Dallas Cowboys are on their 27-yard line and Dak Prescott is hurling another heat-seeking missile toward CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb absorbed the catch at the Eagles’ 4. Four defensive backs closed. Brown delivered the final blow, bashing the ball loose as time expired. Reed Blankenship raised the fumbled football as the Eagles’ bench swarmed Lincoln Financial Field following the 28-23 victory. It was the only turnover in a game defined by the timing of stops by a fickle Philadelphia defense. It was the heart-stopping finish of yet another game that didn’t need to antagonize the anxious. But the Eagles (8-1) secured a 2 1/2-game lead in the NFC East over the Cowboys (5-3) in a fashion that’s becoming far too familiar.
“It’s stressful, man,” said wide receiver A.J. Brown, allowing himself a sigh and a smile. “Yeah, it’s got my nerves all bad.”
Stressful, indeed.
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