First halves don’t matter in Philadelphia. Neither do third quarters. And on a rain-soaked Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, where Jake Elliott drilled a 59-yard field goal into a 6 mph gust to force an eventual 37-34 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills, neither did the fourth quarter.
Seriously. The only reason anyone in the Eagles fan base should pay attention to the first few hours of their football team’s games is because they could not otherwise comprehend just how utterly astounding it is that this team keeps coming back. This is the Eagles’ fifth comeback win after trailing at halftime this season — their fourth in four straight games. Sunday was their most ridiculous rally, after falling behind 24-14, and their largest deficit entering the fourth quarter yet.
Even coin tosses don’t matter. Ask Brandon Graham. Ask the Eagles defensive end how he stood at the 50 in a steady downpour, watched Bills wideout Gabe Davis joyously gesture to the referee Buffalo’s decision to receive, stepped forward with a shake of his head and said, “It don’t matter.”
“They were so quick to say, ‘Receive! Receive!'” Graham told The Athletic. “I said, ‘It don’t matter.’ Because, you know, if we got it first or not, we were going to go down and score. That’s just our mindset.”
How can someone so confidently expect to prevail over what ought to be insurmountable? Where does that belief come from when it’s so often that team’s self-inflicted mistakes that help dig the hole that for many teams would become their grave? Maybe that’s why Jalen Hurts appeared to be so conflicted while speaking with reporters moments after supplying the walk-off, 12-yard touchdown run that may become the Eagles quarterback’s MVP moment.
