Eagles’ Driscoll steps in at last minute for injured Johnson at right tackle
PHILADELPHIA — It was almost time for Sunday brunch when Jack Driscoll got the word ... his chance to block out the memories of a lost October Sunday was at hand.
In the unenviable position of filling in for local lineman legend Lane Johnson, Driscoll the fourth-year backup had been eagerly awaiting another chance to put a game against the Jets behind him. That 20-14 loss to a team that on most days wouldn’t be able to compete with this Eagles juggernaut probably wouldn’t have happened if Johnson hadn’t gone out of the game in the first half with an injury.
It was Driscoll’s job to fill in that day, and although he didn’t have much help on that off-day for the Eagles line, he did allow two sacks of Jalen Hurts and a team-high eight Jets pressures against him. That played somewhat into Hurts throwing three interceptions in the loss.
On this Sunday against a much more competent offensive unit from Buffalo, Driscoll at least had some five hours of advance notice that he would be in the spotlight again.
“It was 11:30 or 12,” Driscoll said about literally getting a call to start in place of the hobbled Johnson (groin soreness). “It’s my job to be ready at any time.”
Very true, but ready or not, here came the Bills with their first defensive play from scrimmage of the day – a bull rush right over and/or through Driscoll’s spot. Not that it brought back any bad New York memories or anything.
“I went out there and I didn’t play my best football,” Driscoll said of that Oct. 15 loss to the Jets. “You guys know that, and I know that. It was frustrating, but my thing was, get better every day and the next time my number gets called – if it gets called – I’m going to be ready to go.
“I didn’t play up to my standard then, but I was ready to go at any time (afterward). And Nick (Sirianni) told me today, this was an opportunity to go out there and show what I can do; show them how I can play.”
So maybe on Play 1 of this vindication game, things didn’t go quite OK, either. But even though the Eagles would slog through yet another sub-par first half, which is something they’re starting to specialize in, it would turn out to be a solid makeup day for the 26-year-old guy filling in at right tackle. And he did so while Hurts was working his typical comeback magic in the second half, en route to a 37-34 win over the Bills.
“Credit to them, they did their job on defense, bringing pressure and whatnot,” Driscoll said. “But look, we came into halftime (down 17-7), and we knew it wasn’t good enough. We knew we had to be better, and we took it upon ourselves to win a game.”
After starting the third quarter with another three-and-out which included one of the Bills’ two sacks of Hurts on the day, the Eagles’ quarterback got up and battled with Buffalo’s Josh Allen for the rest of the way. In the end, Hurts essentially took over the game. He tossed a three-yard TD pass to A.J. Brown to bring the Eagles to within 17-14 in the third, hit Devonta Smith with a 15-yard high strike to bring them back to within 24-21 early in the fourth.
“I guess,” Smith said of the difference in the Eagles after halftime, “we just decided to go play.”
Along the way, Driscoll and company were starting to protect Hurts on every play. And then Allen was picked off by James Bradberry, and Hurts almost immediately responded, hitting Olamide Zaccheaus from 29 yards out for a 28-24 Eagles lead.
Allen did drive the Bills down to take a late lead, and Hurts and the Birds were momentarily stymied on their last drive of regulation. But leave it to Jake Elliott to ho-hum a 59-yard (and thensome) low line drive through a driving rain in the waning seconds to send the game to overtime.
After Allen and the Bills settled for a field goal there, Hurts completed one of the Eagles’ best comebacks in a season full of them, darting in from 12 yards out to ring in the win. He would have five touchdowns on the day, two on the ground and three through the air.
Through it all, Driscoll had a front-row seat. This time he wasn’t standing around just watching his quarterback’s brilliance.
“He has will to win,” Driscoll said of Hurts. “He has will to win like no other. The thing is, we were down. But we were down against the Chiefs last week, and no one panicked. We all stood in there, and said we’ve been here before, and let’s go out and win again.”
