Philadelphia Eagles Paid Homage to LeBron James-Dwyane Wade Moment With TD Celebration
When Philadelphia Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith celebrated the former's third-quarter touchdown reception in Sunday's win over the Dallas Cowboys, they weren't just doing any old alley-oop to show their excitement.
If you look closely enough at the celebration, you'll see that Smith was playing the role of Dwyane Wade tossing the ball to Brown, who impersonated LeBron James. Wade and James completed the iconic play on Dec. 6, 2010, while teammates on the Miami Heat.
The celebration would have really been great if Brown had dunked the ball over the crossbar. However, dunking over the crossbar -- which tight ends Tony Gonzalez and Jimmy Graham made famous -- was banned prior to the 2014 season. Graham actually bent the goal posts at the old Georgia Dome during a Thursday Night Football game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons in the 2013 season, causing a delay in the contest. The next season, the celebration was banned.
Philadelphia Eagles receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown celebrate a touchdown.
Bill Streicher/USA Today
Nonetheless, the celebration by Brown and Smith was a fun one, all part of a 28-23 win that allowed the Eagles to take a commanding lead in the NFC East. While Brown's NFL record streak of six consecutive games with 125 yards or more receiving yards came to an end, he still became the second receiver this season to top 1,000 yards receiving, joining Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins. Smith added three catches for 51 yards himself, including a 29-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jalen Hurts in the third quarter.
Brown, Smith and the 8-1 Eagles will now have their bye week, giving them time to come up with new celebrations as they prepare for a gauntlet of upcoming games that includes matchups with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.
