A historic performance from Dallas Goedert when the Eagles needed it most

A.J. Brown wasn’t in uniform. DeVonta Smith had left the game. Britain Covey was done for the day.

Dallas Goedert was the last man standing, and Jalen Hurts knew exactly where to go with the football.

Over and over and over.

Goedert had one of the greatest games by a tight end in Eagles history Sunday, with 10 catches for 170 yards in the 15-12 win over the Saints. 

After recording just 31 and 38 yards the first two weeks of the season, Goedert was finally a featured part of the offense Sunday in New Orleans.

“We’ve got one of the best running backs in the league, two of the best receivers in the league, an incredible offensive line, quarterback that can do everything,” Goedert said. “So obviously it felt good getting touches this week, but I'm gonna do whatever I can to help the team win.

“I love blocking too. And so whatever I can do to help the team win, I will. And anytime my number gets called, I'm gonna try to make the biggest plays I can.”

How ridiculous was Goedert Sunday?

He had nine 30-yard catches in his first 94 career games.

He had three Sunday.

Goedert became the 23^rd tight end in NFL history with a 170-yard game, the first Eagles tight end since Pete Retzlaff gained 204 yards against Washington at Franklin Field in 1965. He’s the 10^th with 10 catches and 170 yards in a game.

“We had plays that were called for me today a little bit more than the first couple games … and it's always fun to be involved,” he said. 

“But we’ve got so many special players on this offense that when it's my time I'm gonna do what I can, when it's A.J.'s time he's gonna do it, Smitty, you know, everybody. We’ve got an incredible squad. So we’ve just got to stay patient and wait for our turns.”

Even before Smith was forced out of the game with a concussion early in the fourth quarter, Goedert was a big focus for play caller Kellen Moore. He had seven catches for 80 yards through three quarters, including a spectacular one-hander 45-yarder in the second quarter that was – at that point – the 3^rd-longest catch of his career.

But in the fourth quarter, he went off.

With the Eagles missing Brown, Smith and Covey – as well as Mekhi Becton and Lane Johnson – Goedert had a 30-yard catch and run early in the fourth quarter and then the pivotal 61-yarder down to the 4-yard-line with a minute left.

The Eagles, trailing 12-7 with just over a minute left, faced a 3rd-and-16 on their own 35-yard-line.

Things looked awfully bleak.

But three Saints collided with each other, leaving Goedert wide open in the left flat. He caught the ball just a few yards past the line of scrimmage and then motored down the left sideline until he was finally knocked out of bounds at the Saints' 4-yard-line.

“We knew it was man,” Goedert said. “Jalen alerted the play, got us to a good play. And Jahan (Dotson) did a great job picking for me legally. He made a couple defenders run into each other, did his job to the best of his ability. 

“When I caught the ball, I looked, I said, ‘Where is everybody?’ And then I just ran as fast as I could, as long as I could.”

It was the longest catch by an Eagles tight end since Brent Celek’s 73-yarder from Michael Vick against the Jets in 2011.

"Hat’s off to those guys," Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "They made the plays when it mattered the most. You can play great defense for 55 minutes, and for five minutes, it can kind of get away from you."

Goedert's 170 yards are the 2nd-most the Saints have ever allowed to a tight end. The 49ers' Vernon Davis had 180 in a game in 2012.

The 61-yarder was the Eagles’ longest play in the final two minutes of a win in 36 years, since Randall Cunningham’s 80-yard touchdown pass to Cris Carter on a 3^rd-and-9 against the Giants at the Vet in 1988.

“Great, great call, and (Dallas) just made a great play,” Hurts said. “Getting the ball to the guy that I needed to in that situation, and he did the rest. He told me if he had my speed, he would have scored, but we figured it out anyway.” 

Saquon Barkley scored from four yards out one play later, and after Reed Blankenship’s interception the Eagles had themselves a 15-12 win.

For Goedert, the 170 yards is a career high by 35 yards. He had 135 in a win over Washington in 2021. He now has six 100-yard games, and just like that he now leads all NFL tight ends with 239 total yards.

Goedert has had plenty of high points during his seven seasons with the Eagles. But 10 catches for 170 yards when the Eagles needed him the most?

This was an all-time performance.

And it helped the Eagles get to 2-1 and sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

“I'm really glad we were able to finish the job and get the win because that always, always makes it feel better,” he said. “If we didn't pull it off and I had a career high, it wouldn’t have been the same. But it feels good and I hope we can build on this as a team.”

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