Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis swatted away a field goal attempt last Sunday, scooped up the football and rumbled toward the opposite goal line at Lincoln Financial Field.
He sprinted 61 yards, the turf shaking beneath his feet, until he reached the end zone. He leaned against the back wall while teammates clapped him on his broad back and thousands of fans exchanged hugs and high fives in the stands.
The play put a cap on an incredible comeback that ended with the Eagles earning a 33-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
“He was running so fast,” said Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Davis’ former college teammate at the University of Georgia and good friend. “Once he started going, nobody was catching him. He was gone.”
Indeed.
According to NextGen Stats, Davis reached a top speed of 18.59 miles per hour during the return, the fastest speed attained by a player over 330 pounds since at least 2017. He also became the heaviest player in NFL history to return a blocked field goal at least 50 yards for a touchdown.
“I didn’t know I was going to go that fast,” Davis said. “I didn’t know that I was going to make it all the way to the end zone. I just kept running and my legs carried me from there.”
They carried him into the Eagles’ history books. He became the first Eagle to return a blocked field goal for a touchdown in 20 years.
On Oct. 23, 2005, Quentin Mikell blocked a kick by the San Diego Chargers that Matt Ware returned 65 yards for a TD.
A year ago, he probably wouldn’t have made the end zone. The 2023 first-round draft pick spent the previous two seasons struggling with conditioning as his weight reached 350 pounds.
During the recent offseason, he made a commitment to get in better shape. He shed over 20 pounds through diet and conditioning and came into this season much better prepared to handle the rigors of an NFL training camp and season.
“I probably wouldn’t have been able to catch my breath at this point last year,” he said.
Carter also swatted away a field goal attempt earlier in the second half, making it the first time the Eagles had multiple blocked field goals in a game since Bill Bergey blocked two against the New York Giants on September 21, 1975, exactly 50 years ago to the day.
Carter’s and Davis’ exploits were part of an amazing Eagles comeback that saw them erase a 26-7 deficit.
The last time they won after trailing by at least 19 points was Dec. 9, 2010, when DeSean Jackson returned a punt for a touchdown to seal a win over the New York Giants for “Miracle at the Meadowlands II.”
According to Carter and Davis, the blocks were not flukes. While fans tensely waited to see of Kartey’s kicks would go wide left, right or between the uprights. they had another strategy.
“A lot of people look at a field goal as just another play,” Davis said. “They look at it as just another down, put your hands up, get off the field and check another box. But the way we talked about it on the sideline, we knew, especially off his last kick, we knew (Kartay’s) angle, we knew his launch point when he was somewhere around the 30-yard line.
“We just hit the gap, put our hands up at the right time, then I saw the ball on the ground, picked it up and started running toward the end zone.”
As the ball hit the turf, Eagles cornerback Jakorian Bennett fell on top of Rams holder Ethan Evans, clearing the way for Davis to grab it.
Along the way, teammates Sydney Brown and Kelee Ringo escorted him downfield while the fans erupted at the stadium and in bars and living rooms from Bucks County to Cape May.
The roaring fans at the Linc included my 9-year-old grandson, Hampton, who was attending his first Eagles game with his dad. They were sitting in the end zone seats where Kartay was aiming his kick and screamed as Davis stormed to the opposite end.
Prior to Sunday, Hampton was not the biggest Eagles fan. Although he’s an avid Phillies supporter – his wardrobe included a variety of Phils jersey and t-shirts – his favorite NFL teams were the Chiefs and Buccaneers, mainly because of Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady.
Maybe it runs in the family. During the 1960s and early ’70s, his Poppy was – please forgive me – a Dallas Cowboys fan. In my defense, you have to remember the Eagles weren’t nearly as popular or successful back in those days. Between 1962 and 1977 they had 16 straight non-winning seasons and were rarely on television. Thankfully, I came to my senses as I got older.
The same went for my son, Kyle, who for some reason was a Washington Redskins fan as a kid. His allegiance switched in 1997, when he attended his first Eagles game at Veterans Stadium on Nov. 30, 1997 and saw Eagles quarterback Bobby Hoying outduel Bengals legend Boomer Esiason in a 44-42 Eagles win.
It wasn’t long after that that Kyle started wearing Eagles gear.
I won’t be surprised if Hampton asks Santa for a Jordan Davis jersey for Christmas.
A.C. Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony set for Saturday
The annual Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend will be held Friday-Sunday at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The induction ceremony is Saturday, starting at 5 p.m. Tickets range from $60 to $110 and are available at the door or through ACBHOF.com.
Former Atlantic City boxing executive Bernie Dillon, late Atlantic City trainer Cash White and former Somers Point middleweight Patrick Majewski are among the 20 inductees.
