How ‘wild stallion’ Josh Jobe helped seal the Eagles’ victory over the Chiefs

Naturally, the Eagles allocated extra time preparing for Kansas City Chiefs punt returner Kadarius Toney leading up to Monday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Toney, after all, recorded the longest punt return in Super Bowl history last February, when the two teams met in Super Bowl LVII. The 65-yard return to the Eagles’ 5-yard line in the fourth quarter set up the Chiefs’ final touchdown in their 38-35 victory.

“We were hyper aware of the returner he is and what he can do,” linebacker Christian Elliss said. “We knew a few of their tendencies and what they like to do. And Toney showed it.”

Toney has developed his reputation as one of the most aggressive punt returners in the NFL. Against the Eagles on Monday, he fielded six punts with zero fair catches. He started off hot with back-to-back returns late in the second quarter. His initial return of 21 yards gave the Chiefs the ball at the Eagles’ 45 to set up Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 1 minute, 45 seconds left in the second quarter. He added a 16-yard return that helped the Chiefs add a field goal before halftime.

But with less than three minutes left in the game and the Chiefs trailing by four points, Toney lined up to field Braden Mann’s final punt. When Mann booted the football 47 yards, Eagles cornerback and gunner Josh Jobe flew down the field like a heat-seeking missile, and within milliseconds of Toney handling Mann’s punt, Jobe stopped Toney for zero yards on the return.

Jobe’s critical tackle pinned the Chiefs at their 9-yard line. Nine plays later, Mahomes failed to complete a pass attempt intended for receiver Justin Watson on fourth-and-25 from Kansas City’s 34, cementing the Eagles’ 21-17 victory.

“Everybody knows Josh can make plays like that, it wasn’t anything surprising,” safety Reed Blankenship said. “For him to be able to do that, it brings me joy. It was a huge play and we needed it. It was a big momentum push for us.”

Said Elliss: “Especially with it being late in the game, we needed that. Josh made a huge play. He’s been doing a great job all year. To do it in that moment is a testament to his work ethic and how he plays. It was huge because Toney, he’s gotten us a few times.”

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After Toney recorded 36 yards on his first two returns, his final four punt returns yielded just 21 total yards.

“Josh is my guy,” Eagles punt returner Britain Covey said. “When he misses a play, no one is harder on himself than Josh. So when he makes a play, no one is more proud of him than his teammates. We were all hype on the sideline.”

By and large, the Eagles’ special teams has noticeably improved compared to last season. Mann has proved to be more consistent than his predecessor, Arryn Siposs. Kicker Jake Elliott boasts a career-high 90% success rate on his field goal attempts. And since the start of the 2022 season, Covey leads the NFL in punt-return yards (585), 15-plus-yard punt returns (16), 20-plus-yard punt returns (nine), and 25-plus-yard punt returns (six).

Against the Chiefs, Covey returned three punts for 53 yards, including his game-long 26-yard return that helped set up the Eagles’ second touchdown.

“I think special teams is a unique unit because all our phases are so different. And yet, you are still one unit,” Covey said. “I give a lot of credit to my unit for helping me out a lot. It’s about picking and choosing your times to make risks and when to get vertical.

“It’s about my unit learning my run style, us trusting coach [Michael] Clay. There’s something about punt return that it can be a momentum changer. We’re still waiting for the touchdown to come, and I hope it does, but so many things have to align for that to happen. But for now, hopefully no one is going to be upset about a 20-yard return.”

Jobe’s running nickname at the team facility, according to several of his teammates, is the “wild stallion.” He’s earned the name for his reputation to exert maximum energy on every rep, especially when he lines up as one of the Eagles’ featured gunners on special teams. Through 10 games, Jobe and Elliss are tied for most special-teams tackles with four each.

Jobe’s end-of-game effort to bring down Toney provided the defense with prime opportunity and field position to seal the victory against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

“He just plays with a reckless abandon,” Covey said of Jobe. “When you have someone like that, you have to be willing to understand there might be one or two plays that gets you in trouble. But the majority of the time, it’s going to be a benefit for us.”

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