Rodney McLeod and Brandon Graham were comparing notes earlier this weekend at practice.
McLeod had no interceptions.
Graham had no sacks.
They were due.
We both talked about it yesterday during walkthrough, we both need to get on the board this week, and we both did," McLeod said. "B.G., he's an impactful player for us in the run game or the pass game. He always has high energy, so it was good to see all the work he puts in pay off today having a huge game for us. He led the way.
Graham, now in his 10th year with the Eagles, had a career game in the Eagles 31-6 win over the Jets at the Linc with three of the Eagles' 10 sacks.
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He's the first Eagle with three sacks in a game since Fletcher Cox last year and the first defensive end since Trent Cole back in 2013 against the Bears.
Graham had just four sacks in his previous 20 games.
We kept seeing Graham get close and not finish. He's always relentless but he has a tendency to let quarterbacks get away sometimes.
Sunday he finished.
You know, when you beat a man clean sometimes and you get your eyes all big and you get all extra hype, you know, sometimes you can overplay it," he said. "Sometimes in that moment you're so hyped to get that sack you can just be wild a little bit, and I had to calm down today and they just kind of popped right on me. … As a defensive lineman, that's the dream, to hit him and sack him as many times as you can. I'm just happy I got him on the ground. I came close so many times I'm just happy it worked out.
The Eagles were facing a hapless offensive line and an inexperienced rookie sixth-round pick quarterback, so you'd expect a bunch of sacks. And the Eagles delivered.
At one point late in the game, they had four sacks in a five-play stretch.
In addition to Graham's three, cornerback Orlando Scandrick - out of work a week earlier - had two sacks, along with two forced fumbles and a touchdown return, and Josh Sweat, Daeshon Hall, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry and Hassan Ridgeway had one a piece.
The 10 sacks are the second-most in franchise history behind the 11 against Troy Aikman and the Cowboys back in 1991.
This is a team that had an NFL-low three sacks the first four games of the season.
I'm just happy we all went out there and had one of those games we've been dreaming about as a defensive line," Graham said. "We're coming together at the right time, especially after all of the emotional games we have played. We need one like this.
The Eagles sacked Luke Falk seven times in the second half and four times in the fourth quarter.
Toward the end you kind of felt they were ready to go," Graham said.
Graham joins Reggie White (9 times), Clyde Simmons (4), Jason Babin (3), Greg Brown (2), Cole (2), Dennis Harrison (2), Mike Mamula (2) and Hugh Douglas, William Fuller, Ndukwe Kalu and Jevon Kearse as the 12th Eagles defensive end with three sacks in a game.
He now has 45 ½ career sacks in an Eagles uniform, sixth-most in franchise history.
He moved past Cox Sunday and into sixth place behind White (124), Cole (85.5), Simmons (76), Douglas (54 ½) and Brown (50 ½).
It's a big deal," Graham said. "Honestly, every time I get a sack for this organization. I just want to keep being good for them. I want to stay here as long as I can and have fun as long as I can and today was fun. Today we talked about having a party and we went out there and had a party.
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