SÃO PAULO — The Eagles needed someone, anyone to make a play. And Reed Blankenship came through.
In the third quarter on Friday night, when the Eagles were trailing the Packers by two, Blankenship picked off a Jordan Love pass up the seam. A few plays later, Saquon Barkley punched in another touchdown for the Eagles to take a lead they didn’t give back in a 31-29 win over the Packers in Brazil.
It was a huge play by Blankenship.
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But he was quick to spread around the credit in the post-game locker room.
“I wouldn’t say there was any pressure, but absolutely, the turnover battle was definitely uneven and we needed some sort of momentum play,” Blankenship said. “We were fortunate enough to make it. I just didn’t make it. Everybody else played a part in it too. We play as a team and we win as a team.”
The Eagles turned the ball over three times in this game and had just one takeaway. It’s hard to win like that but that’s why Blankenship’s interception was so important.
What happened on the play?
NFL
“Ceedy (C.J. Gardner-Johnson) did a great job on the back side of holding that route, made Jordan Love come off of it,” Blankenship said. “Because that’s where he wanted to go initially. And then he shot his eyes to the middle of the field and I knew that he would probably throw that ball because the tight end was kind of running up the field free up the seam. I slowed down and I broke on it as soon as he threw it. It was one of those bang-bang situations.”
The pick was the fifth of Blankenship’s career. He led the team in interceptions with three last season but the Eagles, as a team, didn’t have very many. In 2023, they had just nine total picks, which ranked 25th in the NFL.
On top of that, the Eagles were -10 in turnover differential in 2023. It’s hard to win in the NFL with a bad turnover differential. But Blankenship also knows it’s too dangerous to press.
“You can’t chase plays all the time,” Blankenship said. “It’s hard. Once you start chasing plays, you get out of position and stuff. It goes back to your technique and natural instincts. If you’re in the right position and everybody else is doing their job, then you have a chance.”
This is Blankenship’s second season as a full-time starter in the Eagles’ defense after earning his way on the team in 2022 as an undrafted free agent. This year, he’s paired up with Gardner-Johnson, whom the Eagles brought back after a year in Detroit.
While the Eagles gave up 29 points and 414 yards of total offense, their defense made plays when it needed to. And after the three Eagles’ turnovers, the defense surrendered just nine points.
That is what kept them in the game early and allowed for a tight win.
“I think we did pretty good,” Blankenship said. “Yeah, we had some sloppy series here and there but we’re a team. Especially, in the locker room, we came together. On the sideline, we came together. It doesn’t matter what happens, we’re always together. That’s the main thing. You have to play as a team, you have to play as a brotherhood. That’s what we’re really doing.”
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