Nick Sirianni was credited with the unsung tone-setter in the Eagles’ win over the Packers

Although it is Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers had to keep it for a full 60 minutes to decide which team will advance in the 2025 NFL playoffs, it sure looked like the former was in the driver’s seat quite a bit after the jump in the lopsided contest.

ok technicallymomentum was needed to fully fill Philadelphia’s sails, but they were filled, as they were at the start of the game, by backup quarterback Oren Burks dropped the hammer on Packers running back Keisean Nixonleading to a forced fumble, incredible field position and six quick points on the board from the legendary Jalen Hurts-to-Jahan Dotson connection, which, as it turns out, exists.

Asked if his team had recorded such an incredible play to open the game, Nick Sirianni credited for being Burks one of the unsung heroes of Philly’s seasonas he stepped up on special teams for Michael Clay and even on defense for Vic Fangio when Nakobe Dean left the game wearing boots.

“It was a tone-setter.” (LB) Oren (Burks) has been a really good player for us all season. He went in there and played well. When (LB) Nakobe (Dean) also went down at linebacker, he played well last week at linebacker, but he’s always been a spark for us on special teams. I remember (executive vice president/general manager) Howie (Roseman), when we signed him, he said, ‘Hey, this guy is one of the best third, fourth quarterbacks in the NFL,’ and we were so excited to get him . He’s a special teams guy, and he showed it. “I think he forced special teams into two tackles this year, but that was a big hit,” Siriani told Eagles reporters.

“A big highlight for us this week because (Packers CB Keisean) Nixon is a phenomenal football player. I have so much respect for their special teams coach and their assistant coach, who I’ve actually had the opportunity to work with. They are really good coaches. I can’t say enough about Green Bay and their players and their coaches. It’s a good football team. But just a big play by Oren and (K) Jake (Elliott) by putting it in the right spot. Jake was phenomenal at the start today. Then we just beat the blocks we had to beat in that particular instance and made a big play – you can’t start a game better than that. The last time we played them, it didn’t start off great for us. It felt like two years ago, but it didn’t start that great for us.”

There is no doubt about it; when Burks tied Nixon and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. got the ball, it was probably the play of the game, right up there with Dotson’s touchdown and Dallas Goedert’s late-third TD. Granted, Burks wasn’t exactly elite defensively when he took over for Dean at middle linebacker, and Trotter Jr. hopefully he gets the nod next week if the Georgia product can’t show up next week. But that incredible forced fumble will be remembered as the true highlight of the Eagles’ 2024 season, as it effectively changed the game before it even began.