The City of Brotherly Love delivered a (returned) missionary moment on Saturday in an NFL preseason game.
During the second quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots, backup quarterback Tanner McKee completed a screen pass to wide receiver/return specialist Britain Covey, then Covey broke into the open and evaded defenders on his way to a 14-yard touchdown.
The score gave Philadelphia a 14-10 lead and came courtesy of two players who are both members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The moment was also rare in that both players served two-year missions for the Church of Jesus Christ — Covey served in Chile, while McKee went to Brazil.
The pair have been Eagles teammates since 2023 (outside of an offseason stint last year where Covey was with the Los Angeles Rams) and Covey and McKee have attended the same Latter-day Saint ward in Philadelphia.
“Tanner and I love to tell stories from the mission and talk about what it’s like. A lot of it is in a joking manner but a lot of people respect it and love to ask questions about the church,” Covey told the Deseret News in 2024.
It’s the first time that McKee, who played at Stanford, and Covey, a former Timpview High and University of Utah star, connected for a touchdown.
McKee completed two passes for 20 yards to Covey in the Eagles’ Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders last season.
