Nick Sirianni thought the team was sick of hearing his voice every week. Maybe the players in the locker room were starting to tune him out. That’s why the Philadelphia Eagles head coach benched himself in Week 16.
Sirianni, who was cleared from COVID-19 protocols 24 hours prior to kickoff, decided to hand the pre-game pep talk over to one of his players – Jason Kelce, the beloved Super Bowl champion with a penchant for delivering legendary speeches. The All-Pro center addressed the Eagles on Saturday night and fired them up. Kelce’s message centered on “pressing on” amid extreme adversity.
“Bad things happen, press on. Press on, press on, press on,” Sirianni said of Kelce. “He was awesome talking to the team last night. He’s just such a great leader.”
Nick Sirianni says Jason Kelce addressed the team last night. His message? “Press on.” #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Sirianni hinted that he may let other great leaders on the roster get on the soap box. It’s an idea he stole from Frank Reich in Indianapolis where his former boss would mix up the voices toward the end of the season.
“Let your captains talk at the end of the year and get the guys ready to go on Saturday night,” Sirianni said. “I’ve always had a good experience with that.”
Instead of addressing the team last night, Nick Sirianni had Jason Kelce do it. He said it was a very inspiring speech. His message? Press on. #FlyEaglesFly
Kelce’s offensive linemate, Jordan Mailata, shared his biggest takeaway from the speech.
“Press on,” Mailata said. “Effort to the whistle. Effort to the end of the play, just press on.”
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Rodney McLeod Loves ‘Passionate’ Fans
The Philly faithful rained hearty boos down on the Eagles as they headed into the halftime locker room. It marked two consecutive weeks that the offense started slow and drew the fans’ ire. And rightfully so considering the quality of the opponent and what was at stake. After the game, Rodney McLeod laughed all those jeers off.
“I’ve been here for awhile, I know how it goes here,” McLeod said. “Philly, man, a passionate city but they love us dearly and you gotta love it.”
“Philly, man, is a passionate city, but they love us dearly and you gotta love it.” – @Rodney_McLeod4
McLeod’s interception turned the tide for Philadelphia. It happened 39 seconds into the third quarter and gave the Eagles’ offense the ball at the New York 21-yard line. Five plays later, Boston Scott walked in a three-yard touchdown.
“It was huge. Coming out in the second half, to be able to put our team in a position that I was able to, I think it created a lot of momentum,” McLeod said. “That is what we talked about at halftime; coming out and showing who wanted it more.”
Credit Genard Avery for getting a hand in Jake Fromm’s face, although it looked like Avery got away with face-masking on the instant replay. The Eagles should have scored four plays earlier when Dallas Goedert took a 21-yarder into the end zone. That one was called back due to holding on Quez Watkins, a questionable penalty that really didn’t affect the outcome of the play. It didn’t matter. Sirianni’s squad took a 10-3 anyway after Scott’s touchdown.
“I mean, that was everything, right? You end up going up seven, defense feels like they are not going to get any more points,” Sirianni said. “Like, we’re up seven? We aren’t fricking losing this game because the way our defense is playing.”
Eagles defense gets pressure on Jake Fromm and Rodney McLeod with the interception!
Eagles Can Clinch Playoff Spot in Week 17
It’s crazy to think of the 2021 Philadelphia Eagles as a playoff team. They were supposed to be embarking on a rebuild as questions marks surrounded the quarterback position. They started 2-5. Now Jalen Hurts is a Pro Bowl alternate and the Eagles are one or two wins away from punching a ticket to the postseason party.
The #Eagles can actually clinch a playoff spot next week.
1. Win over Washington
2. 49ers beat Texans
3. Vikings loss to Packers
4. Saints loss to Dolphins this week or Panthers next week.
Crazy after a 2-5 start.
That’s right. If the Eagles beat Washington next week, they can earn a playoff spot with losses by both Minnesota and New Orleans. Or they can get in by winning their final two games: on the road vs. Washington, at home vs. Dallas. Either way, they control their own destiny. According to FiveThirtyEight, they have a 60% chance of making the playoffs.
“This team has handled adversity all year through different things. That’s just what you have to do in the NFL,” Sirianni said. “You have to handle adversity, because it rarely is going to go the way you think it’s going to go, just perfectly smooth the whole time.”
Philly would likely earn the seventh seed in the NFC, although there is a path to the sixth seed if San Francisco loses out. Dallas clinched the NFC East crown after beating Washington 56-14 on Sunday night.
If the season ended today…
@Eagles and @dallascowboys would meet in the playoffs. 👀
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Jason Kelce Delivers Powerful Speech, Eagles Near Playoff Clinch