Jason Kelce Takes MetLife Stadium Field as Storm Rages

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The warning flashed on the four giant screens above the MetLife Stadium: Severe weather is imminent.

Within minutes, severe weather had arrived.

It didn’t creep in. It came with a fury, rain hammering the empty seats and turf field in buckets. Thunder and lightning weren’t far behind.

Neither was Jason Kelce.

The Eagles center wandered onto the field. Almost strolling, like it was a sunny day, and he was across the river in Central Park without a care in the world.

Kelce wasn’t expected to play when the Eagles met the New York Jets in the preseason finale, so maybe he was simply in search of some reps against the windswept rain.

None of his teammates joined him. And he was wearing socks.

Kelce eventually made it to midfield and stopped. He appeared to look around, oblivious to the thunder cracking around him, the lightning dancing above him.

Then he began to jog back to one of the end zones, near the tunnel where he first appeared. Once he got to the end line of the end zone, he dove onto his stomach in a headfirst slide.

He didn’t get very far in his slide, though he created a decent enough wake.

Kelce got to his feet and began walking toward the tunnel, when, suddenly, the two end-zone pylons fell over. Like the whole thing had been choreographed.

Or maybe it was the wind that knocked the pylons over.

Wait for it... pic.twitter.com/YnFihJ5wKf
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 27, 2021

The field was not covered, and puddles got deeper.

Kelce then reappeared. He walked to the Eagles’ sideline. Again, showing no fear of the storm that raged around him.

The field, however, took it on the chin.

Several yard lines were left crooked. Perhaps seams had popped once the water got beneath the playing surface.

The rain died down somewhat, allowing Jets GM Joe Douglas to take the field in one of the end zones with what appeared to be stadium officials.

Kelce, however, never made it out for a third visit into the storm.

He was also one of several starters to not play in what turned into a 31-31 tie as the Egles ended their preseason at 0-2-1.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.