James Harden waited and waited, flipped the football upside down, turned it onto his back, and waited some more.
Finally, Darius Sorey emerged from the field and made his way through the tunnel.
“I should have eaten three or four today!” cried Harden.
Sleigh agreed, and perhaps Harden was right.
But there’s no denying that Slay was dominant in the Eagles’ 24-7 win at Monday Night Football at the Rink. His CB1 for the Eagles shows why he’s still an elite cornerback, picking two passes (the first ball went to Harden), plus he made five breaks, making him one of the best in the NFL. Shut down him one of the best receivers.
This game is why the Eagles traded for Slay. The game earns him about $17 million per season. This game is why he is one of the most respected players among his peers in his position throughout the league.
Slay, 31, played like an All-Pro on Monday night.
“As you get older, they think you’re depressed, but I’m not one of those people,” Srey said. “I’m still at the elite level.”
It’s hard to argue against that.
There was a lot of trepidation among Eagles fans about how the defense would handle Justin Jefferson, but it wasn’t necessarily misplaced. I even call him the second best receiver in the league behind Davante Adams.
But Slay shut him down.
“He’s one of the best players in the world,” Srey said. “And shoot, I’m one of the best in the world too. I was looking forward to the match.”
Jefferson finished with just six catches on 12 targets for 48 yards, but did little against Slay. I was. Of the five targets that covered Slay and went Jefferson’s way, Jefferson had only one catch for 5 yards and Slay had two picks.
“It’s crazy,” said AJ Brown. “That’s a big stat. He’s had a rough day.”
“He’s certainly a competitor,” said Jefferson. “I thought I would get it from him. I mean, he’s a great cornerback. He’s a great player.”
The Eagles traded Slay prior to the 2020 season. This finally gave us an elite-level cornerback that had been missing for years. Slay performed well in his first year in Philadelphia, but that season shattered his record for three consecutive Pro Bowls.
In 2021, Slay returned to the Pro Bowl and was clearly one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL despite receiving only one All-Pro vote, laughably.
Srey feels respected among his colleagues, who see and understand what he’s wanted, but not as much respected by media members across the country. A game like he faced one of the best receivers in the country on Monday against him on the national stage could certainly help change all that.
“We all know what Sorey can do,” said safety’s Marcus Epps. “He’s the best in this game. I knew that
“He’s a competitor and always wants to fight the best. He has this mentality to win whoever he fights.
Both of Slay’s interceptions came as the Vikings entered the red zone. He picked Kirk Cousins in the 3rd quarter, then critically in the 4th he picked again on 3 and 9.
What made his second interception even more impressive was that Slay had been injured on the previous play, but second-year cornerback Zech McPherson was instructed to dive onto the field. At that time, Slay forcibly shook it off. Then he picked up Cousins’ pass to Jefferson to secure his win.
“Yes, I had to wave. [McPhearson] Off,” Srey said. “I’m a tough guy. I wouldn’t put him in that position right now. This is a clutch situation and the offense just turned the ball over. Great players get up in the moment.”
Sorey kept that second interception and said he would give it to his son, who is a huge Jefferson fan.
Slay said he was a big fan of Harden’s game, so the first interception ball went to Harden right after the pick. The feeling was decidedly mutual.
A few seconds after the tunnel encounter, Harden, 6-foot-5, appeared and his huge beard wasn’t enough to hide his grin.
“I got the ball signed,” Harden said. “I am okay.”
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