January 13, 2025   5 MIN READ

Clamped Down

Birds D Put Lock On Love, Packers In Wild Card

by

PHILADELPHIA – Block destruction is a commonly used term among Eagles defensive players whenever they discuss points of emphasis, details, and mentality.

Whether said by defensive linemen, or – most often – linebackers, the term has become a fundamental hallmark behind a fast, furious Eagles defense presided over by veteran coordinator Vic Fangio.

For linebacker Oren Burks, it’s become synonymous with his play.

On the opening kickoff Sunday against the Packers in an NFC Wild Card game, Burks violently shed a block in a way that likely made his position coach Bobby King beam from afar.

After destructing the block, Burks delivered a well-placed hit on Packers returner Keisean Nixon, dislodging the football, which was pounced on by fellow linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

“Huge momentum shift,” Burks said. “And it set the tone for the rest of the game.”

The sequence gave the Eagles possession at the Green Bay 28-yard line and would essentially spot the Eagles an early touchdown.

The tone had been set, but really, it was merely an extension of the team’s identity. And it personified one of head coach Nick Sirianni’s most resounding messages: Tough, detailed, together.

The together part, even in the heat of the moment, wasn’t lost on Burks, who has formed a habit of slapping hands with his defensive linemen as a token of his appreciation.

“For me, it starts up front,” he said. “So, even after the game, I always thank them, just because they’re getting off blocks and making my job a lot easier. So, just showing that appreciation and that gratitude for them, doing their job helps me do my job.

“And it goes top down, like the safeties in the back end. People in the trenches, they don’t get a lot of praise sometimes, so I try to let them know that I really appreciate them.”

Darius Slay Quinyon Mitchell playoffs getty

GETTY IMAGES: Eagles CBs Darius Slay (2), Quinyon Mitchell each had interceptions vs. the Packers.

Burks would ultimately take on double-duty, in light of a devastating knee injury sustained by linebacker and unit leader Nakobe Dean, who is out for the rest of the playoffs with a torn patellar tendon.

And it was Fangio’s unit, programmed to flow to the football with controlled chaos and urgency, that set the temperature, imposing its will on the Packers, pummeling Green Bay physically and on the scoreboard and foiling coach Matt LaFleur’s game plan.

The result, in a game that saw the offense unable to hold up its end of the bargain, was a dominant defensive showcase, one that forced Love into three interceptions while holding him to 212 passing yards.

It was an effort that blanked the Packers until late in the third, affording a lackluster offense enough time to wake up and counterpunch.

The pressure that accompanies playoff football can sometimes yield uncharacteristic miscues and imperfections.

Rather than read like an EKG, however, the Eagles’ defense was the same swarming unit that ranked No. 1 in the regular season.

And even with the stakes raised and opportunities magnified, it was business as usual.

“I wouldn’t say it was different at all,” rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell said. “Try to keep everything the same thing, try to play mistake-free, and just go out and do my job.”

Mitchell, of course, was a seismic component to the stifling of Love and a toothless Packers offense. He brought in his elusive first career interception late to seal the victory, a pick that had long been coming.

“I was so happy, I cried almost, but I couldn’t shed a tear on the field because I don’t want people taking pictures,” cornerback Darius Slay said. “It was great to see that. My boy, he’d been trying to. He finally got one in the bread basket.

“I know it don’t count on his record, but this is way bigger, to get a playoff pick in a big-time moment to end the game … I’m happy to be his big brother, to mentor him. But he showed his ability to play at a high level.”

Slay, for his part, was at the forefront of the defensive showcase, eliminating one side of the field for Love and accounting for one of the unit’s three turnovers – including also his first interception this season.

Despite their obvious talent, Sunday marked the first time all season an Eagles cornerback recorded an interception.

Making it all the more special is that Slay and Mitchell landed in the turnover column together.

As he typically does, Slay illustrated his interception in a way only he could.

“My pick was smooth, man,” he began. “That was my first career playoff pick, too. That thing was nice. I was like ‘Oh, shit, Slay, that [ball] was right in front of you, and then I just caught that motherf—.er

“When I caught it, I was ready. I went goose egg during the season, but I ain’t goose egg no more. I’m counting this.”

Circling back to Burks, the veteran linebacker now steps out from the shadow cast by one of the Eagles’ top leaders and impactful playmakers for the rest of the postseason.

Opponents will plot to attack Burks for as long as the Eagles remain in the hunt. But not every team is armed with the benefit of having a third linebacker like Burks, who’s as seasoned as they come. He was brought in for moments like these.

“I have a ton of playoff experience,” Burks said. “I’ve been six out of my seven years. So, just knowing the level of detail, the level of passion that you have for the game, it goes up a little bit more in the playoffs.

“I feel like when you realize the repercussions of not doing the little things, you realize there are no little things.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.

About The Author

1 Comment