What an absolute, all-out war of a game in Week 17. The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills engaged in what ended up being a defensive struggle, with the weather and all. For the majority of the game, Philly held Buffalo scoreless, putting on a defensive clinic.
Finally, late in the fourth quarter, the Bills were able to march down and punch it in thanks to quarterback Josh Allen lunging forward into the end zone. This score brought it to 13-6 with just over five minutes left in the game. All the Bills needed was an extra point and, just like that, one more score could win the game.
But, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter blocked the extra point, so the score stood still at 13-6. After the play, FOX announcer Tom Brady took notice of the replay and just how high Carter got up into the air to block that kick. Needless to say, Brady was impressed:
"That's what great football teams do. They never take a play off. They don't take a punt return off. They don't take a field goal block off, they don't take an extra point off. They just keep putting pressure on you. That's the mark of great football teams."
For all the criticism the Eagles get, Brady nails it here.
Tom Brady called out exactly what could lead to another Eagles Super Bowl run
As much as Eagles fans have loathed much of this season, Brady is right. This is still a playoff team. This is still the defending Super Bowl champions we're talking about. Regardless of how this game ended, Philly proved that they are still up there with the elite of the elite.
And, it's because they do not take plays off. It is no coincidence that the Eagles' defense held Allen and the Bills in check for almost the entirety of the game. Vic Fangio's unit was the more physical group for a large part of the afternoon.
What's ironic about Brady's words, though, is that there are a couple of areas that Eagles fans are still worried about. They might not take plays off, necessarily, but the regular season is almost over and we're still worried about things like kicker Jake Elliott and how putrid the play calling is on third downs.
I suppose, the positive here, is that the Eagles are far from done. They will indeed continue dancing on into the postseason, and hopefully, that whole "never take a play off" thing also comes with finally addressing the sore spots.