As they peeled off their Kelly Green jerseys and transitioned to the post-game fits, the Eagles' offensive line reflected on a job well done that afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in a commanding 38-20 win over the New York Giants.
Center Brett Toth and tackle Fred Johnson, key reserves who have stepped up as needed, repeated Johnson's anthem of "you gotta fight for your right," a mentality that seems just about perfect for every offensive lineman, particularly those who are in the position of being summoned for duty at a moment's notice.
Jordan Mailata, in the same corner of the locker room, spoke about the "clean game" the Eagles played that resulted in an NFL-season-best 276 rushing yards, an overall offensive output of 427 yards, and four touchdown passes from quarterback Jalen Hurts in the victory.
Left guard Landon Dickerson, one of the absolute toughest of the tough guys in the sport who has played through pain all season after two offseason surgeries, talked about the offense getting off to a great start on the second play of the first possession when running back Saquon Barkley took a handoff and followed Dickerson and Mailata and Toth to a running lane on the sideline and took it to the house for a 65-yard touchdown that juiced up the crowd and catapulted the Eagles to their best wall-to-wall offensive game of the season.
"We talked about it coming into this game, that we have to break one, just do something to get it going, so to do that on the second play of the game," Dickerson said, "that really gets things rolling."
It has been a challenging 2025 for the offensive line and for Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Jeff Stoutland and his Assistant Offensive Line Coach Greg Austin. Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens spent much of the offseason recovering from post-2024 surgeries and then Dickerson suffered a knee injury late in Training Camp that took him off the practice field. Right tackle Lane Johnson missed game time in the regular season with a neck/shoulder injury and has battled back admirably from that.
In short, only Mailata and right guard Tyler Steen have been on the field throughout for eight games, a bit of turbulence that Stoutland has encountered many times in his coaching career.
"It's something you've got to battle through, something that's part of the game," Dickerson said. "I think we're getting there. We know where we want to be."
The Eagles are accustomed to having the very best offensive line in the NFL, one that develops continuity with a consistent level of excellence up front. The 2024 Eagles stayed healthy and helped power Barkley to a 2,005-yard rushing season and then turned things up to an even higher level in a Super Bowl-winning postseason performance.
Even with the ups and tough moments through eight games this season, the Eagles are 6-2 and feeling good about what is ahead.
"What is important is that we all stay together and keep working hard and doing our jobs," Mailata said. "We have a tremendous football team. We know this is a long season. We know what we have to do and it's not going to be great every single time.
"But we are continuing to develop our craft and pushing each other. The name of the game is winning the damn game. That is our focus and nothing else. To see the way we played together against a defensive front that is so good, and the Giants are very good – I said all week that it was going to be good on good in this game – is a great step forward for us."
It happened with Toth replacing the injured Jurgens at center and with, at times, Fred Johnson coming in as the sixth offensive lineman when the Eagles wanted to go to a "heavy" package. The Eagles have depth and they have versatility, and Toth's ability to step up is a huge lift.
"A full week of practice and knowing that I was playing one position helped," said Toth, who has played both guard and center. "Working with such great players around me helps me. I'm coached as well as anybody in the league. It felt great to stay on task out there, help the team get a win, and that's what it's all about.
"I'm here for a reason. The coaches trust me. I hope that days like today help continue and build that trust and for me, playing with confidence and knowing what I can do out there, it was a great experience."
Having a full week off is the focus now. Time to heal. Time to breathe deeply and try to get some feeling back in bodies that have taken eight games of beatings. This is the Bye Week reward and the Eagles need it as they look ahead to a tough nine games remaining in the regular season.
"Take it one day at a time and stay focused on improving yourself and doing your job," Mailata said. "That's all we can do. I'm going to enjoy the time off and then get back to work just like we always do. Nothing changes. It doesn't matter who is out there, who is playing. We are all here to do our best to win football games for the Philadelphia Eagles."
