Entering Thursday night’s game, Eagles safety Terrell Edmunds had played in 81 career games and had been on the field for over 4,900 defensive snaps, but he had never forced a fumble.
He found a good time to end that drought.
Late in the second quarter, as the Eagles were clinging to a three-point lead, the Vikings looked like they were about to take a lead of their own but as All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson reached for the pylon, Edmunds knocked the ball free and through the end zone. After a replay, the officials got it right and the Eagles got the ball at their own 20.
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On the ensuing drive, Jake Elliott kicked a 61-yard field goal to go up 13-7 at halftime and the Eagles were able to walk away with a 34-28 win.
“Man, it was a huge moment,” Edmunds said. “It was a long game so you never really know what could happen. That was a key part just to get our offense back on the field and stop them from scoring and take the lead. We just had to keep on playing. We made numerous plays out there. No one play is bigger than the other but sometimes the situation (is).”
Edmunds, 26, said he wasn’t sure at first that the ball went out of the end zone. But he and his teammates signaled for a touchback, hoping the call would be to their benefit.
The fumble came on the tail end of a 30-yard Jefferson catch with just 41 second remaining in the first half. It was a big moment.
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For about 30 seconds, both offenses were on the field, willing it to go their way.
Ultimately, the refs saw what the replay on the broadcast showed. Jefferson fumbled the ball through the end zone, resulting in a touchback. While that rule came under fire again on Thursday night, it is the rule.
“I’m putting this a lot on myself,” said Jefferson, who had 11 catches for 159 yards in the loss. “Just fumbling in the end zone like that when we need points and we’re driving and we haven’t had momentum. I’m putting a lot of blame on myself. Of course, being a captain of the team, I have to know the situation and take care of the ball. I was telling my teammates that was on me and it won’t happen again.”
Before Thursday, Edmunds had the most starts of any active defensive back in the league without a forced fumble in his career at 75. The next closest was William Jackson III, who has started 64 career games without forcing a fumble.
It was long overdue.
“I felt like I had a few forced fumbles but they always called them incomplete passes off of like screens and everything,” Edmunds said. “But it felt good. Just a lot to still work on. Constantly trying to improve and get better and help out the team however I can.”
That forced fumble from Edmunds was one of four on the night for the Eagles. One was a touchback and the other three were recovered by the Eagles. In addition to the Edmunds strip, Avonte Maddox popped the ball out of Alexander Mattison’s hands in the first quarter, Justin Evans knocked the ball free on a punt return and Josh Sweat had a major strip sack to start the third quarter.
This was the Eagles’ first game with four forced fumbles since Oct. 23, 2016, also against Minnesota.
Without these takeaways, the Eagles might not be 2-0 right now.
“It was just guys getting after the ball,” Fletcher Cox said. “Guys were determined to create turnovers and to try and get our offense the ball back and steal some possessions.”
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