The Eagles needed a slap in the face. Fred Johnson, of all people, was ready to do it.

Fred Johnson would eventually change the tempo Sunday, providing the steadiness the Eagles needed to pull off a wildly unlikely 33-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

First, he had to make sure his teammates believed.

“At halftime, I went to the defensive players and said, ‘This half is going to define us as who we are,’” Johnson said. “Either you lay down or you stand up tall with all intent. Whether we take an ‘L’ or we win, we do it together and we do it fighting.”

Johnson entered the game in the third quarter in place of Matt Pryor, who struggled at right tackle in the absence of the injured Lane Johnson. With Fred Johnson, the offensive line solidified and the Birds scored on three of their final four drives.

Fred Johnson, Jordan Mailata said, didn’t practice once at right tackle during the week. He had not played there in a game since the early part of last season. But he looked fine there on Sunday. And his teammates listened to what he said at halftime.

“We’re some tough [guys],” Johnson said of the team’s second-half response. “That’s what it says.”

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Johnson spent training camp with Jacksonville before returning to the Eagles — where he played the last three seasons — via trade a week before the season opener.

Fred Johnson was thought to be Lane Johnson’s backup as a swing tackle so it was surprising that Pryor got the first crack after Johnson suffered a neck injury on Sunday’s first drive. The offense sputtered without Lane Johnson as the Birds entered halftime down 12 points.

“I think we have to be real when we watch that tape Monday about who we are as an offensive line,” Mailata said. “Did we start off the game punching people in the mouth or did we get punched in the mouth? I think they came out with a great game plan and punched us in the mouth. It took us a whole half to react.”

The Eagles had just 33 net yards in the first half and four first downs. The offense, much like it was in the first two weeks of the season, was stale.

Suddenly, it came alive in the second half. The offense played up-tempo in the third quarter and Fred Johnson played a big part as the offense finally clicked. The offensive line, Mailata said, punched back.

“Look how long his arms are,” Mailata said of Johnson. “He’s not getting punched in the mouth. … I’m so proud of him. There’s a reason we bring players back and there’s a reason we brought him back. Reliable. He showed that today. It’s a shame, man. The other teams didn’t want him.”

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Lane Johnson said he suffered a stinger and expects to play Sunday against Tampa Bay. If not, the other Johnson will be ready.

“You have to deliver when your number is called,” Fred Johnson said. “No matter the circumstance, no matter the weather, no matter how you’re feeling or how you woke up that morning. When my number is called, I’m going to deliver. … When they traded for me to come back, I knew my role. Sirianni told me my role verbatim. I just have to wait for my opportunity to come and execute.”

Mailata was watching from the sidelines when the Eagles blocked L.A.’s field goal as time expired. He ran onto the field to celebrate before a coach told him to get back on the sidelines. Mailata then started running toward the other end zone as Jordan Davis rumbled down the field with the football. But Mailata saw that everyone was going that way.

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“Our whole team was down the field,” Mailata said. “So I said ‘I’m going to find Fred.’ I’m so proud of him.”

He found Johnson — the guy who spoke belief to his teammates and then changed the game — and yelled.

“You said some stuff in an Australian accent,” Johnson said.

It was all a blur. The blocked kick, the recovery, the touchdown, the crazy win, and the celebration. Johnson was right. The second half defined the day for the Birds. It was the craziest win of his career, Mailata said.

“You said, ‘I should head butt you’,” Johnson said.

“He’s not getting punched in the mouth. … I’m so proud of him. There’s a reason we bring players back and there’s a reason we brought him back. Reliable. He showed that today."

So Mailata rammed his head into Johnson’s shoulder pads as the stadium roared and an afternoon was defined.

“I told them, ‘The past is the past,’” Johnson said. “This is right now and it’s going to lead to our future. You saw how we picked it up. You saw how we executed. You saw how we fought. We clawed our way back.”