The Philadelphia Eagles have made a remarkable turnaround from last season. While Saquon Barkley gave the offense an almighty boost, it was the defense that truly turned the table for Nick Sirianni and his crew. A big part of that defense was a lethal defensive line hellbent on pressuring opposing quarterbacks.
However, even without one of their best defenders, Nakobe Dean, in the game against the Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia won a war of attrition in the snow, including a critical turnover on downs with less than a minute left. But why did Dean miss the game, and is he out for the Conference Championship Game as well?
What Is Nakobe Dean’s Injury?
The Wild Card Round was far less competitive for Philadelphia than when they locked horns with the Rams. At halftime, a 10-0 lead told the story of a comfortable victory waiting to happen. However, it also brought some devastating news.
As he was trying to break up a pass attempt from Jordan Love to TE Tucker Kraft, Dean fell to the ground and was slow to get up. He had to be helped to the sideline by trainers before being carted off the field for further evaluation.
He was ruled out of the game at halftime before devastating news hit during the week. The injury to his knee was far worse than anticipated, ruling him out for the playoffs.
“Nakobe’s had a great year. As you guys saw the reports, he’s going to be out and we sure will miss him. He’s made big plays all year long. The one that comes to everyone’s mind is going to be the interception against Jacksonville to seal the game, but he had a couple plays in yesterday’s game that are just outstanding that set the tone of how physical we were going to play,” Head Coach Nick Sirianni said.
“The fourth play of the game, the way he comes down, I think the fourth play of the game really shows you who Nakobe Dean is. He identifies the play lightning fast and that’s because of how much time he spends working on his game.
“He lights up the puller with that physical toughness play. You saw everything of what Nakobe is on that play. Bam, good football IQ. Boom, physical toughness. And, yeah, we’ll miss him, that’s for sure. We have a lot of faith in the guys in that room, but we’ll surely miss him.”
The second-and-ten play that led to the accident had Dean under a block. But he slid around it to make the tackle and force a loss of three yards.
How Will Dean’s Absence Impact the Eagles?
On the field, Dean was invaluable for Philadelphia and its second-best defense in the league, according to PFN’s Defense+ metric. He was second on the team in total tackles with a career-high 128, including nine for loss and three sacks.
During his brief time in the Wild Card Round, he was tied for most tackles with six. But his impact on the team goes far behind the stat sheet. Nolan Smith, who was the first to reach Dean after his injury, was heartbroken by the entire incident.
“It hurt my heart,” said Smith, who was roommates with Dean at the University of Georgia. “I just immediately closed my eyes and prayed right then because, to a lot of people, it’s a game. ‘This is just football.’ This is our livelihood. Me and him leave it out there on the field.
“He works so hard and his determination, I feel like he’s one of those guys I can lean on and ask for anything and he’d give me the clothes off his back, the food off his plate.”
He supported his longtime friend and teammate in the best possible way during the game against the Rams. Walking out of the tunnel, Smith held Dean’s jersey high above his head, celebrating his success and giving him a fitting tribute.
This one's for Nakobe 💚@SmithNoland2 🤝 @NakobeDean pic.twitter.com/a7Vv12lCwZ
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2025
During that game with Los Angeles, however, Dean’s impact was somehow softened by the extraordinary play of Oren Burks. Taking over the starting role, he played 96% of the team’s defensive snaps, tallying eight tackles, including two for loss, alongside a QB hit.
“I don’t take anything for granted, even though I’ve been in the playoffs a bunch of times,” said Burks. “There’s so much to say about how everybody goes through their journeys, specifically, to get to this point.
“Collectively there will never be a team like this next year, so I really just embrace it and take this mindset of consistency, doing my job, and finding ways to add value. It’s fun. This is what I signed up for when working in the offseason, sweating and grinding and everything, this is when it counts.”
Against the Washington Commanders, whose quarterback Jayden Daniels is infinitely more mobile than Matthew Stafford, the challenge for the defensive line is going to be far higher. Without Dean, there is sure to be some regression, but it’s going to fall on Burks once again to shoulder the responsibility.
“The level of details in the playoffs goes up,” said Burks. “For me, it’s just like diving into the details of what’s going to allow us to step up in those big moments when we need to win.”
So far this season, there’s been no answer to slow down Daniels. Let’s see if this wounded, but still elite, Eagles defense can figure out the solution.