The score: 38-33. The time left in the game: 2:16. The setting: Super Bowl LII.
When Brandon Graham strip-sacked future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter in Minnesota that fateful evening, the former first-round talent completed one of the greatest turnarounds in Philadelphia Eagles history.
From perceived first-round draft bust, to solid starter to Super Bowl hero...to Eagles legend.
That strip-sack changed everything about Graham's career. And it's something that now, a few days after announcing his retirement as the longest-tenured Eagle in franchise history, made clear.
"That's No. 1," Graham said. "That's the No. 1 play because that changed my career. That whole season I had 9.5 (sacks) in the regular season. I had two big ones with the main big one being Brady. I'm so thankful just for that moment because it really changed by career. I felt like I got better and better as the years went with that confidence."
Picked with the 13th overall selection in 2010, Graham was the first draft pick of the Howie Roseman era. Through his first six seasons, though, the Michigan product failed to produce much at all as the Eagles continued to recycle through defensive coordinators.
Graham recorded 23.5 sacks in his first six seasons with the team. Things began to slightly improve once Jim Schwartz entered the fray in 2016.
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The following year, Graham showed exactly the type of player they Eagles were hoping for.
From then on, the edge rusher proved he was one of the best run and pass defenders in the league at his position. He finished third all-time in Eagles history with 76.5 sacks and was one of the great leaders in team history.
Would things have been different had he not gotten to Brady in Super Bowl LII? Perhaps.
But the play DID happen. And because of it, Graham's legacy in Philadelphia will always be that of a hero.
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This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 6:45 AM.