The Philadelphia Eagles lost a central piece of their defense on Sunday night against the Rams when edge rusher Brandon Graham tore his triceps. The injury ends what had been another stellar season for the 15-year veteran.

Speaking with Philadelphia radio station 94WIP on Tuesday morning, Graham shed a few tears over how his year came to a close.

“I’m trying to keep it in,” Graham said, battling through his emotions. “I just love what we’ve been building.

“I just needed this. I needed to get this out. It’s been a while since I cried, man. I’m hurting a little bit. For the 15 years I’ve been here, people doubt me, this was a big one for me, and I think I accomplished a lot this year. I know it’s God’s plan, and I’m trusting that.”

The Eagles have won seven straight games, with the defense holding its opposition to an average of just 14.7 points per game over that span under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in his first year with the team.

While the end of Graham’s season was a heartbreaker, Eagles fans quickly rallied around him. In the team’s last run to the Super Bowl, veteran offensive lineman Jason Peters went down with an injury before the big game. He was the one to leave the locker room holding the Lombardi Trophy when the game was won—thanks to Graham’s game-sealing sack of Tom Brady.

Can another player on the Eagles return the favor to Graham this postseason? We’ll have to wait to find out.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eagles’ Brandon Graham Broke Down in Emotional Interview After Devastating Injury.

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