Jalen Carter couldn’t help but poke fun at the Washington Commanders as the Philadelphia Eagles sent the NFC East side packing from the playoffs. The Eagles were an unstoppable force on Sunday when they secured a 55-23 victory over the Commanders at the Lincoln Financial Field – cementing their spot at Super Bowl LIX, where they will face the Kansas City Chiefs next month.
It’s no secret that 23-year-old defensive tackle Carter has been imperative to the Eagles’ successes this season, but he looked a shell of himself during the clash with the Commanders – making just two tackle assists. But a quiet game didn’t stop him from mocking his rival side in the wake of victory as he was caught on camera in the tunnel saying: “Sent y’all to Cancun.”
While his choice of words may divide the opinions of American Football fans, coach Nick Sirianni praised the star for his selflessness following Sunday’s clash. The 43-year-old showered his star with praise for focusing on what is best for the team rather than his individual statistics.
Via the Mirror US, Sirianni said: “[He doesn’t care about stats] or what anybody else says. Yeah, that he’s a winner. He’s selfless. I showed a couple clips last night of the team, and one picture I showed that showed love was Nolan Smith coming out with Nakobe Dean’s jersey last game.
“That shows love. Then I showed a clip of Nolan and Jalen that kind of showed them performing a stunt and Jalen saying, ‘Hey, thank you for trusting me,’ and Nolan saying, ‘You don’t need to thank me’. That showed trust.
“[I] showed a clip of Jalen talking about how we don’t care how we win, regardless of what anyone says about him or me or whatever it is. That shows selflessness. That’s team stuff. Again, it’s not the best groups of individuals that win.
“You have to come together as a football team. Those clips through the playoffs that I got to show last night… I kind of get emotional about things. I’m not going to get emotional right now, but it just showed the team. It’s about the team.”
So far this season, Carter has made 51 tackles in total, completing 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles – but the numbers simply don’t do him justice in the grand scheme of things. The former Georgia standout is an expert at disrupting in the pocket while creating pass-rushing opportunities for those around him.
Eagles fans worldwide will hope that the youngster brings his A-game to the Super Bowl come February 9, where he will be pitted with the tough task of pressuring star Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City stamped their own ticket to the Super Bowl courtesy of a closely contested 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday – a game in which Harrison Butker made the difference with three minutes left to play thanks to a 35-yard field goal.
