Corey Graham Has No Problem Taking Blame for OT Mistake

After letting up perhaps the biggest fourth-down play of the season, Corey Graham doesn’t shy away from taking the blame.

The Philadelphia Eagles were up by a field goal. They couldn’t punch it in for six during their first offensive drive in overtime. So they had to settle for three and put faith in their defense to close it out. They were almost there. It was 4th-and-15, and the Eagles needed just one stop in order to come back to Philly with a win.

Tennesee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota dropped back and threw it to a wide open Taywan Taylor who was well beyond the sticks. Somehow, Eagles safety Corey Graham did not see him on what ended up being the biggest mistake of the game. While Graham wasn’t exactly lights out before that, his massive mistake just might cost him his position in the long run.

Without Rodney McLeod on the field, the Eagles are visibly a lot weaker in the secondary. They needed a big game from the veteran, and he didn’t deliver. No excuses have been made though. Graham understood the circumstances and had no issue admitting his mistakes after the game, as Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane has reported.

Graham Speaks

Clearly, Graham cannot avoid taking fault for his mistake. He left Taylor wide open, and the Titans drove down the field and finished out the game by scoring and getting the win. For the game-winning touchdown to be over the rookie Avonte Maddox, we have to be understanding. But for the biggest play to keep the drive alive to be over a seasoned veteran, that’s just unacceptable.

Now, the Eagles have some thinking to do regarding the safety position. There aren’t many options out there, but they need to consider finding a reliable replacement if Graham does happen to struggle later on down the road. Hopefully, that’s not the case. But the Eagles have to start looking for a solution to a massive problem.