We’re in the home stretch of the 2022 regular season. The playoffs await, but not before the Eagles take care of home business. The injuries have piled up this week, but the confidence within this football team remains the same. I’ll take you into the locker room and around the NovaCare complex as the Eagles return home for the first time in four weeks.
Jordan Mailata left Australia for the United States five years ago when he started training for the NFL. He was drafted by the Eagles with the 233rd pick in the 2018 draft.
Never having played football before being drafted, he learned the game under offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland and behind veterans like Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce and many more.
The 2022 season is his second as a starting left tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. Last year, Mailata showed nothing but promise for the future – so much so that the Eagles signed the young tackle to a four-year contract extension.
Mailata has had a long way to go in recent success, but on Sunday it might be worth it. For the very first time, his parents, Tupai and Maria, will watch him play live at Lincoln Financial Field.
Christmas Day marked a reunion at the Philadelphia airport for the family that had been in the making for four years. Mailata said there were definitely tears as they kissed.
The kid they said goodbye to in Australia has become a household name in the NFL. I asked Mailata if her family fully understands her larger-than-life presence in the city. He said his father was in shock when they went grocery shopping this week.
“We had a handful of fans who came and stopped, say hello, my dad was shocked,” Mailata explained. “I was like, ‘This is the city, dad. They love their teams. They know who you are when you’re not in uniform.'”
Surely there will be a proud family wearing the No. 68 jerseys in the stands this weekend, watching their son live the American dream.
The Eagles defense has recorded 6+ sacks in four straight games for a league-leading 61 sacks on the year. With two games to play, the team needs 12 sacks to break the NFL record of 72 sacks set by the Chicago Bears in 1984.
The defensive unit also has four players with 9+ sacks this season. Linebacker Haason Reddick leads the way with a career-high 14 sacks, followed by Josh Sweat with 11, Javon Hargrave at 10 and Brandon Graham with 9.
Graham is one sack away from his first 10-sack season – Reddick backs his teammate, saying he wants BG to get No.10.
As for Graham himself, he’s just enjoying the ride.
“I know how hard it is in this league to make sacks – we’ve made it look easy for the past few weeks but let me tell you – even this last game I got a halftime, it was even tough,” Graham said. “I would love to beat the double digits, I think that’s in my cards this year if I do it well.”
If he gets No. 10, a record celebration is already in store for Graham. He said last season he watched defensive end Robert Quinn, with the Bears at the time, break a sack record against the Giants. He called Quinn’s celebration “chill” and knew that one day he wanted to recreate it. We could see this long-awaited celebration sooner rather than later.
The team is also one sack away from tying the franchise record of 62, set in 1989. Graham’s message to the defense: “Don’t think about it, y’all. Just be us.”
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon doesn’t consider sacks a winning stat, but he wanted to clarify the impact of sacks this year.
“I’m proud of every time we get high in certain stats, and it’s really a testament to players staying connected, doing their jobs, other guys doing their jobs that allows those guys to get sacks and doing it, with some really good individual performances too,” Gannon said.
“We already know how important every game is.” Haason Reddick says this team isn’t playing into Sunday’s implications – it’s about doing your job every game. pic.twitter.com/sbiAozSCtw
The last two NFL Drafts for the Eagles have featured big moves for wide receivers. In 2021, Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith was selected with the 10th overall pick. The following year, the Eagles traded one of their first-round picks to the Titans for A.J. Brun. These two additions have become essential parts of the Eagles offense.
Heading into Week 17 of the 2022 season, they’ve eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards — the first pair to do so in Eagles history. They also had back-to-back games over 100 yards apiece.
Brown is now 105 yards away from tying Mike Quick’s single-season team record of 1,409 yards set in 1983.
“I’d be lying if it means nothing, but I’m trying to channel my focus into other directions – me doing what I have to do, making plays for my team on critical tries. We’ll take care of it. of all records and all other types of things,” Brown said. “It’s a blessing to be even so close to his record.”
Since Week 13, both wide receivers have been in the Top 3 in receiving yards, receptions over 20 yards and receiving touchdowns.
This week, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was asked if there was anything about Smith’s late-season push that came as a surprise. Steichen said no.
“He’s an elite receiver, and those guys who work and work every week to get ready to play are going to do great things,” Steichen said. “He does, and he continues to grow as a receiver.”
This week, the Eagles presented the inaugural Inspire Changemaker Award to Dr. Ruth Abaya of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Dr. Abaya, an attending physician in the CHOP emergency department, treated a pediatric patient affected by gun violence twice in one month. It was this patient who inspired her to explore the preventability of gun violence in the city from a public health perspective, especially among our youth.
Her hard work and leadership in her role as a practice-oriented researcher at CHOP’s Center for Violence Prevention made her the obvious choice for this incredible award.
“Who else?” said Abaya’s colleague, Dr Joel Fein, “When we think of what a changemaker means, it means someone who brings innovative ideas and actually brings them to life – people have recognized that she has accomplished this relationship connection that needs to happen and will continue to happen in the city of Philadelphia.”
Dr Abaya was surprised with a presentation this week attended by her husband, children, family, friends and colleagues. The surprises didn’t end there, however, as running back Boston Scott, the Eagles Cheerleaders and SWOOP were on hand to present Dr. Abaya with two donations: $50,000 from the Eagles Social Justice Fund and an additional $10,000. of the NFL. All of the $60,000 will directly benefit CHOP’s Violence Prevention Center.
“It’s an incredible privilege, it’s such an honor,” Abaya said. “But the very first thing I honestly think about is my team and all the people I work with, all the people who have mentored and supported me, and all the people who are part of our working coalition. huge debt of gratitude to the people doing this work with me, because honestly it takes a whole village.”
Dr. Abaya was in for another surprise – two tickets to the Super Bowl. The 32 recipients of the league-wide Changemaker Award will be recognized in Arizona next month.
How do the Eagles clinch today?
The Eagles officially clinched a playoff berth on Sunday with their blowout win over the New York Giants. This may interest you : NFL World speculates on the future of Sam Darnold today.
How do the Eagles clinch the playoffs today? The Eagles get the No. 1 seed with one of the following this Sunday against the Saints: A win. A tie AND a Vikings loss or tie. Cowboys loss or tie AND Vikings loss AND 49ers loss or tie.
Have the Eagles clinched a wildcard spot? As Week 17 approaches, NFL teams are giving that final push in an attempt to secure a berth in the 2022 NFL Playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles became the first team to earn a playoff berth and several other teams have since joined them.
How can Eagles clinch NFC?
To clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, the Eagles must win one of their last regular-season games 13-2. See the article : Cleveland mother upset after her daughter was allegedly attacked…. There are two left. They host the Saints on Sunday, then wrap up the regular season with a home game against the New York Giants on January 8.
Why did the Eagles clinch a playoff berth? Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles became the NFC’s frontrunners this year, and now they’re heading to the playoffs. The Eagles clinched a playoff berth Sunday with a 48-22 win over rival New York Giants.
Have the Eagles clinched their division? In Week 14, the Eagles became the first team to earn a playoff berth.
What did the Saints give up to move up in the draft?
11. Combining the team’s pre-draft and draft-day trades, the Saints essentially gave up five picks to select Olave: two 2022 third-rounders, a 2022 fourth-rounder, a 2023 first-rounder and a second-rounder. See the article : I was an NFL player – being told I was ‘broken’ caused my eating disorder, now I help women overcome simi…. 2024. That’s an absurd amount of draft capital for a team to give up for any player.
How did the Saints get 2 1st round picks? In the 1967 NFL Draft, the Saints had two first-round picks; first and last. They traded the first overall pick to the Baltimore Colts, while with the 26th pick, they selected Leslie Kelley, a running back from Alabama.
What did the Saints give up to move to 11? Washington received picks No. 16, 98 and 120 from the Saints in the 2022 NFL Draft in exchange for the No. 11 overall pick. Commanders used their new first round on Penn State player Jahan Dotson.
What picks do the Saints have in the 2022 draft? New Orleans selected Chris Olave, Trevor Penning, Alontae Taylor, D’Marco Jackson and Jordan Jackson in the 2022 NFL Draft. It was the seventh time in franchise history that New Orleans selected two players in the first round of the NFL Draft.
