Nick Foles made the play that nearly cost the Eagles the game. After throwing what looked to be a game-changing interception, Foles was leveled to the ground with a blind hit from Chris Baker.
A brawl ensued on the sidelines that was led by the actions of Jason Peters, who stepped in to Foles aid and took on Baker. Baker and Peters were ejected as a result.
Peters has been a leader on the Eagles offensive line for several seasons. He’s the durable lineman who has been among the best in the league.
But as a leader among teammates, Peters stood out.
“I really wasn’t thinking,” Peters said. “I saw him hit Nick and I just reacted.”
Peters even apologized for the actions, saying he hurt his team by getting ejected. He said he shouldn’t have done it. Reality is, he should have.
Peters actions were warranted and a telling sign of the comradery this group has. It was the quick response, the lack of thinking and simple reaction, that really made Peters stand out.
The Eagles responded following the brawl. Foles stayed in the game. Jeremy Maclin scored the go-ahead touchdown. And without Peters, the Eagles held off the Redskins in the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter to improve to 3-0.
“I love those guys. I’m going to fight every time for them and they’re going to fight for me,” Foles said. “Knowing that they had my back in that situation when a guy does a dirty play, all of those guys just kept fighting. Our team was fighting throughout the whole day and I’m really, really proud of my teammates today.”
Peters will be back on the Eagles line this Sunday and expected to be a leader again as the Eagles brace themselves for a week without three starting members of the offensive line.
It is that kind of leadership that has the Eagles sitting at 3-0 through three weeks of football that hasn’t been its best. It also sets a tone for this season that the Eagles are already a band of brothers on the gridiron, ready to take each step of success together. Peters proved it with his actions on Sunday and stepped into Eagles fans hearts forever.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
