The Philadelphia Eagles’ run to defend last year’s Super Bowl victory is done. And it passed right through Alshon Jeffery’s hands.
With the Eagles driving down the field with just under 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter and trailing the Saints 20-14, Jeffery had a Nick Foles pass slip through his fingers and into the grasp of New Orleans defensive back Marshon Lattimore for an interception that effectively closed the book on a Philly repeat.
After the game, Jeffery handled the drop with class, and took responsibility for the loss.
“I gotta make that play. That’s on me, I’ll take that loss. That’s on me. Let all my teammates down. To the city of Philadelphia, that’s on me,” Jeffery said via ESPN’s Tim McManus. “Hey, I wanted this just as bad as them guys, things like that happen. It happens to the best of us. We’ll move on. It hurts right now, but I guarantee we’ll be back next year for sure.”
(You can watch Jeffery’s post-game reaction here)
Many of Jeffery’s teammates were quick to support the wide receiver, pointing out his role in last season’s Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. Foles was seen consoling Jeffery on the sidelines.
Gotta respect Nick Foles for consoling Alshon Jeffery “he told me he loved playing with me and we wouldn’t have won a Suoer Bowl without me”. @FOX29philly pic.twitter.com/8stBnn2W1O
— Iain Page (@IainPageTV) January 14, 2019
Eagles Coach Doug Pederson does not want one play to define his star wide receiver.
Pederson about his message to Alshon Jeffery: "It’s really hard, because he’s so down. …He’s made many, many big catches for us this season and he will continue to do that. I just told him…‘don’t let one play define you.’ It’s not who he is. He’s too good of a player.”
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) January 14, 2019
Jeffery had just two drops all season while hauling in 65 catches for 843 yards and six touchdowns.
It also was revealed after the game the 28-year-old was playing through a considerable amount of pain in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Game, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
Adding context to #Eagles WR Alshon Jeffery’s day. He played today’s game with cracked ribs, which teammate Lane Johnson disclosed to reporters. An MRI earlier in the week revealed the injury, but he played through it. Jeffery also hung tough answering every question post-game
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2019
It’s safe to say Jeffery has had better Sundays. But he deserves some credit for the way he handled the media storm.
