The Eagles are the toughest mudders around. That will serve them well as another long playoff run looms.

There were a lot of lasting images from this one. But Jordan Davis was the one that lasted longest. He was the one who spoke the loudest. About who the Eagles are. About where they have been. About where they are going after a wild 37-34 overtime win over the Bills.

There were 26 yards between the Eagles and defeat when Davis looked to his right and saw Josh Allen preparing to chop a big chunk off of that total with 6½ minutes left in overtime. The Bills quarterback had spent most of his night breaking off plays like the one that was now unfolding.

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Second-and-10.

Six-and-a-half minutes to go.

Receivers covered.

Edge unguarded.

As Davis watched Allen stomp down on the accelerator, the Eagles defensive tackle knew it was go time.

So, he went.

“We had to figure out a way to win,” Davis said. “I saw him running, and it was now or never.”

Four yards later, Allen stepped out of bounds as 335 cramp-ravaged pounds crashed to the ground at his feet. Lying on his back in the sideline mud, a gaggle of concerned teammates crouching above him, Davis felt the searing clench of his overextended muscles. He also felt the first-down marker, still 6 yards away.

“I just had to get him down,” Davis said. “By any means necessary.”

By any means necessary.

Those four words have become something of a mantra for this Eagles team. Not only are they 10-1, but they are the best kind of 10-1, a hard 10-1, a 10-1 that leaves you wondering how they aren’t something worse.

You saw it all Sunday night, for a second straight week. Another double-digit deficit. Another offensive showing that looked stuck in the mud. Another MVP-caliber opponent doing MVP-caliber things.

And then: another win, another step closer, another round of sly smiles and playful shrugs.

“It feels good when you pull one out of the mud,” Davis said.

In theory, there is a limit to how poorly the Eagles can play and still count on an opponent to beat itself. They’ve been searching for it all season. On Sunday, there were plenty of moments when they seemed destined to find it. Yet, here they were. Same as always. Jalen Hurts scampered into the end zone with 2 minutes, 37 seconds left in overtime. The stadium exploded. The Bills swamp-walked to the locker room with the same realization as nine of the 10 teams who’d preceded them.

Give these Eagles enough opportunities, and they are going to make you pay.

It took all 60 minutes and then some. The Bills spent half of that time doing everything in their power to lose, and the other half watching their quarterback do everything in his power to save them from themselves. It wasn’t enough. It rarely is.

That’s how it goes with this Eagles team. There might be a moment this offseason when you look back and wonder if they would have been better off losing one of these games. Somewhere in the slop of this afternoon-turned-evening was a lesson the Eagles sometimes feel as if they are destined to learn.

Except, maybe the lesson is theirs to impart. Maybe the onus is on everyone else to accept that winning the way these Eagles have won is a skill unto itself. Sure, the Bills were penalized 11 times for 80 yards. Sure, they missed two field goals. Sure, they dropped the balls that everyone seems to drop against this Eagles team. But maybe there’s an explanation besides luck. Maybe we notice these things because the Eagles do not do them.

This was another game when the opponent was better in every facet of the game except the ones that usually matter the most. Penalties. Missed kicks. Drops. Big plays at big moments. Doesn’t matter how smart your game plan is. Doesn’t matter how consistently excellent your quarterback plays. What matters is what happens in the moments that determine the outcome of games.

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On the field after the game, an interviewer asked Eagles safety Kevin Byard to put into words how the Eagles managed to pull this one out.

“I don’t know,” Byard responded.

They just did. Which is what good teams do. Which is what the Eagles are. A great one. Maybe the best this league has seen in a long time.

They have beaten Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott and now Allen when all three were at the top of their games. They are 2-0 in overtime and 2-0 in the rain. They have beaten three of the eight teams who entered Sunday with three or fewer losses. They have won without the best right tackle in the game. They have won with their quarterback playing on an injured knee. They have won for three months now. That, by itself, is an almost impossible thing to do.

“We might mess up some stuff, but we are going to clean up based on our effort,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “I’m just proud of this team. We ain’t done yet. We’re just getting started. I can’t wait until we put together some complete games. But I’ll take the win, no matter what.”

Nights like these are exponential. With each one they survive, they become a better team.