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Brandon Boykin shines in 'biggest moment' of his career

Brandon Boykin took a moment to ponder whether the play he made minutes earlier was the biggest play of his life.

"Maybe not the biggest play, but definitely the biggest moment," Boykin said with a smile.

Boykin had a football tucked away in his backpack commemorating his performance. He changed into a sweatsuit and was ready to head to the team bus for the plane back to Philadelphia after a 24-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys that earned a playoff bid for the Eagles, but was still willing to talk about the play that made it possible.

Boykin's interception late in the fourth quarter sealed the memorable victory. Boykin stepped in front of a Kyle Orton pass intended for Miles Austin on the first play of a potential game-winning drive for Dallas. It was Boykin's sixth interception of the season and the second game-clinching one.

"I saw his feet, I saw him kind of hesitate, and I knew it was going to be an in route," Boykin said. "They could either go in or out with that much time. They had to get out of bounds or get a quick play. I was able to undercut it."

The ball was behind Austin, and Boykin acted quickly. Jason Garrett noted the pressure that the Eagles disguised. But even if the throw was behind Austin, it was not an easy play for Boykin to make.

Boykin played only 42 percent of the snaps on Sunday. He has played around half of the snaps this season. This is because the team values him so much in the nickel that they need him to play in the slot role, even if it comes at expense of fewer snaps on the field. But Boykin has made his snaps count, and he proved Sunday why he is one of the top playmakers on the roster.

"I demand that out of myself," Boykin said. "I demand that greatness out of myself every time I'm on the field, to be a difference maker. No matter how much I'm out there, if I'm doing something to affect the game, I'll be a factor."

zberman@phillynews.com

@ZBerm

“It looked like the ball was behind Miles (Austin). Probably Kyle saw a little color in front and had some guys up in the line of
scrimmage. They brought those guys in a pressure look and then they dropped those guys out. He probably just saw some color up in front and didn’t really cut it 
loose and throw it in front of Miles. It looked like from my vantage point that Miles ran the route and the ball was just behind.”