As the cameras surrounded quarterback Jalen Hurts and strained to hear what center Jason Kelce had to say and wanted just a minute of time from wide receiver DeVonta Smith, most of the roster bounded off the natural grass at Lincoln Financial Field and headed into the locker room following Sunday's thrilling overtime win over Buffalo relatively unnoticed.
That didn't last long.
Head Coach Nick Sirianni made sure to note that in his postgame speech to his team after the Eagles pushed their record to 10-1. He has been stressing the "team" concept from Day 1 of his coaching tenure and the locker room constantly talks about "playing for each other" and "having trust in everyone in this locker room" and now you see the results.
Ten-and-1 doesn't happen without the entire roster chipping in – and then some. In the 37-34 overtime win on Sunday, the Eagles gained from the contributions of many who weren't coveted by the bright lights of the media. Those in the locker room and on the team understand, though.
Christian Elliss, LB
Stepping in for an injured Zach Cunningham, Elliss played 27 defensive snaps and chipped in with 6 total tackles, including 4 unassisted, and had a tackle for loss. Elliss also played a lot on special teams, so he had every right to be exhausted at the end of this one. But Elliss is one of those guys who eats it up, who can't get enough of football, so he seemed to get stronger and stronger late in the game. Very active game for Elliss buzzing around the football on defense.
Jack Driscoll, OT
This was not an easy assignment for Jack Driscoll at right tackle. He didn't take many reps during the practice week and became the starter only when Lane Johnson's groin injury landed him on the inactive list for the game 90 minutes before kickoff. Driscoll then had to play against a rotating group of very good defensive ends – Leonard Floyd and Von Miller, specifically – and Driscoll gained confidence and got into a groove playing all 66 snaps without a lot of help. Johnson's absence is not something the Eagles ever want to become accustomed to, but Driscoll really played a solid game in an extremely difficult situation.
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR
Third-and-15 from the Buffalo 29-yard line and the Eagles needed something good to happen, trailing 24-21. Hurts took the snap and circled back to his left, turned his shoulders up the field, and strong-armed a throw into the back of the end zone for Zaccheaus, who had done what receivers are taught to do in a Scramble Drill situation – keep moving and find space. Zaccheaus went up high and made the catch and the Eagles had a lead on the spectacular touchdown catch. There aren't a lot of targets for Zaccheaus in this star-studded passing offense, but he's great doing the dirty work at receiver and when he has a chance to make a play, he's there: Zaccheaus has 7 receptions for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season.
Braden Mann, P
On a rainy, windy, and all-around unpleasant day, Braden Mann had himself a ballgame. He averaged 53.8 gross yards and 46.4 yards net on five punts with one inside the 20-yard line and those kinds of numbers are fantastic. Mann is also the holder for Jake Elliott and those two have great chemistry. Mann, a little bit up and down to start his Eagles career, has very strong numbers – averaging 49.1 yards gross punting and 42.4 yards net punting.
Nicholas Morrow, LB
The defense was on the field for 95 plays and Nicholas Morrow saw action for 87 of them. He kept the defense in the right position with so many moving pieces and had 12 tackles, including 10 solos, one tackle for loss, and one pass defensed. The Eagles signed him to a one-year contract in free agency and it has proven to be an excellent fit for what Philadelphia does on defense.
Jordan Davis, DT
Quarterback Josh Allen took off on a second-and-10 play in overtime and had room on the visiting sideline, but Jordan Davis kept chugging, working hard, and helped force Allen out of bounds after a 4-yard gain, setting up a third-and-6 play. Davis came up limping and exhausted, but his hard work and hustle helped keep the Bills in a third-and-long situation, which they did not convert. Thus, Buffalo had to settle for a field goal and the Eagles came back with the game-winning touchdown.
Davis played 62 snaps along the injury-impacted defensive line (no Milton Williams; Fletcher Cox sent to the sidelines during the game with a groin injury) and the second-year tackle helped win the interior of the line of scrimmage. He had 5 total tackles and teamed with rookie Jalen Carter to make an impact inside.
Sydney Brown, special teams
One of the reasons for Mann's strong net punting day was the performance of rookie Sydney Brown, who flew down the field and made two great tackles on punts, part of the winning day for the Eagles on special teams. Brown played 12 snaps in the defense and 30 more on special teams and continues to grow and grow.
