Lost in the euphoria of the Eagles’ first home wildcard win since 2006, this one a 22-10 triumph over the Green Bay Packers, was the sight of Nakobe Dean on crutches afterward.
It doesn’t look good for the Eagles linebacker, who not only was on crutches but had a large brace on his left leg. And just like that, it appears that the player who so many teammates believe is the heart and soul of the NFL’s top-ranked defense is probably lost for what remains of the playoffs.
“It hurt my heart,” said Nolan Smith, who was Dean’s roommate at the University of Georgia.
Just hours earlier, Smith said he and Dean were talking about how they were together again, back in the playoffs. Next thing Smith knew, he was kneeling over his fallen teammate – hos brother, he called Dean – asking if he could help him after Dean went down with just over five minutes to play in the second quarter.
“I immediately closed my eyes and prayed right there,” said Smith, who then saw Dean in the locker room on crutches and teared up. “He works so hard, and his determination...he’s one of those guys I just feel like I can lean on and ask for anything, and he’ll give me the clothes off his back, the food off his plate.”
There is no question there is a brotherhood among the many Eagles who played together at Georgia, and that is something Jalen Hurts talked about when asked about the loss of Dean.
“I think one thing that I learned was just the bond that those Georgia guys have, and how they play,” said the quarterback. “I think that that’s had a great influence on our defense, because there’s always a confidence, there’s always an intensity there and swagger about themselves.
“I think that feeds through the whole defense, and I think it’s very similar to all the guys that come from Alabama and the SEC and that have seen each other and played alongside one another, or watch guys play in that conference or in college. But I think he’s a pivotal piece to our defense and he’ll be missed. I’m praying for a speedy recovery.”
Dean made six tackles, all in a quarter-and-a-half, with two tackles for loss. He was second on the team in tackles with 128 this season, only a year after he played just five games before going out for the season with a Lisfranc injury.
“It's a tremendous loss,” said right tackle Lane Johnson. “He's a guy that came in and battled. Last year was a learning year for him and he took full advantage of it. He became a key leader of the defense. He and Zack (Baun) are best friends on and off the field. They fuel each other. As a teammate, he's one of the best teammates we have.”
Oren Burks stepped in for Dean when he went out and will likely be the player to fill in for Dean for the foreseeable future.
“We talked,” said Burks, who made 17 tackles last week in the regular-season finale against the Giants. “I’m definitely praying for him out there. You don’t know exactly what his situation is, but he’s been our leader for the whole year, just commanding accountability from the top down. We’re gonna miss him, don’t know what the situation is, but again, next man up.”
