Skip to content
As It Happened
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Eagles news: NFL playoff schedule; Cowboys lose head coach; NBC start time shenanigans; Packers player complains after loss

The Eagles move on to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they'll face either the Vikings or Rams Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles move on to the next round of the NFL playoffs after defeating the Green Bay Packers Sunday.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles move on to the next round of the NFL playoffs after defeating the Green Bay Packers Sunday.Read more
David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
What you should know
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied
  1. The Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-10, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. The game will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC, despite what the network announced.

  2. The Birds will host the winner of tonight's wild card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams (8 p.m., ESPN/ABC)

  3. Jalen Hurts kept winning, or the Eagles won in spite of him. Either way, is it postseason sustainable?

  4. Eagles stats: Turnover edge, poor tackling, and Hurts’ inefficiency under pressure.

  5. Eagles grades: An opportunistic defense wore down the Packers, while A.J. Brown's reading habits got the nation's attention.

Pinned
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

NFL playoff schedule

The divisional round of the playoffs begin Saturday, and the Eagles still don’t yet know who they’ll be playing. 

The Birds will face the winner of the final wild-card game tonight between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Eagles coaches preparing for both Rams and Vikings

Nick Sirianni has been in this position before, waiting to find out who the Eagles will play in the divisional round of the playoffs.

In January 2023, the top-seeded Eagles would take on the victor of the Minnesota Vikings-New York Giants wild-card game. Ultimately, the Eagles faced the Giants in the divisional round on their path to Super Bowl LVII.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Nick Sirianni on Nakobe Dean's replacement

With Nakobe Dean confirmed to be out for the season, that means it's Oren Burks' turn to step up — something he did in a big way Sunday before Dean even left the game. On the opening kickoff, Burks was the player to knock the ball loose and force the fumble that ultimately led to an Eagles touchdown.

He's been playing on special teams all season, and has filled in for Dean already this season, making two starts. The seventh-year linebacker has 17 career starts, and Sunday won't be hist first start in the playoffs — just last year he started for the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Sirianni confirms Nakobe Dean out for the postseason

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Watch: Nick Sirianni speaks to reporters following Eagles' win

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Packers player who fumbled opening kickoff says refs made two mistakes

The Eagles set the tone early in their 22-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers during the opening kickoff.

The Birds recovered a fumble from Packers returner Keisean Nixon, which led to a Jahan Dotson touchdown just three plays later to give the Eagles an early lead.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

NFL sources expect Cowboys to request interview with Eagles OC Kellen Moore

As soon as news broke that Mike McCarthy was divorcing Jerry Jones, the NFL information network started buzzing. The most buzz surrounded Jones courting Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to replace McCarthy.

Moore, 36, was a backup quarterback in Dallas from 2015-17, served as QB coach in 2018, then became offensive coordinator from 2019-22. He was Jones’ Golden Boy, but he wasn’t McCarthy’s. McCarthy inherited Moore when Jones hired McCarthy as head coach in 2020, then McCarthy scapegoated Moore after the 2022 season, firing Moore and saying Moore’s desire “to light the scoreboard up” hurt the Cowboys’ efforts.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

NFL referee who ejected C.J. Gardner-Johnson will be lead official for Birds' game Sunday

Shawn Smith will be the lead official for the Birds’ divisional-round game against the winner of Monday’s Vikings-Rams game.

Eagles fans might remember Smith from his turn officiating the loss to the Commanders in Week 16, which saw C.J. Gardner-Johnson get controversially ejected after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Mike McCarthy out as Cowboys coach

The Cowboys are parting ways with head coach Mike McCarthy after contract negotiations stalled.

NFL Network reported that the two sides could not come to terms on an agreement on the length of a new contract. McCarthy had completed his contract with the Cowboys, ending his five-year tenure with a 49-35 record, making the playoffs four times, but winning just one playoff game.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Nakobe Dean suffers season-ending knee injury

As the Eagles move on to the divisional round, Nakobe Dean is out for the rest of the postseason.

The 24-year-old inside linebacker tore his patellar tendon in his knee in the Eagles’ wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, a league source confirmed to The Inquirer. The NFL Network first reported the news. Not only will the injury knock him out for the remaining playoff run, but also his recovery could reportedly linger into the beginning of the 2025 season.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Eagles tickets go on sale Tuesday for divisional round playoff game

Tickets for the Eagles divisional-round playoff game at the Linc will go on sale 10 a.m. Tuesday, the team announced Monday morning.

The Eagles' opponent will be the winner of tonight's wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Who will the Eagles play next in the playoffs? How the Vikings and Rams stack up.

Saquon Barkley rushed for a record 255 yards in the Eagles' win against the Rams earlier this season.
Saquon Barkley rushed for a record 255 yards in the Eagles' win against the Rams earlier this season.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

The Eagles are through to the divisional round – but they’ll have to wait for the result of Monday night’s game to know who their next opponent will be.

The NFL re-seeds its contenders after the wild-card round. Thanks to the Commanders’ win over the Bucs in Tampa on Sunday, Washington is locked in to play Detroit, who had a bye in the wild-card, as the six seed. Monday’s game is the No. 4 Rams vs. the No. 5 Vikings, and the winner goes on the road to face the Eagles.

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Fox 29 opens 'Good Day, Philadelphia' with some light reading

As their show began Monday, Good Day, Philadelphia cohosts Mike Jerrick and Alex Holley were a bit distracted reading the inspiration book A.J. Brown flipped through on the sidelines during the Eagles' win over the Green Bay Packers Sunday

"I think this is the most read books in Philadelphia," Holley joke.

— Rob Tornoe

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

A.J. Brown explains viral book moment caught on TV

The author of Inner Excellence was home in Snohomish, Wash., watching football Sunday night. But while the rest of the football-watching world was tuned into the Eagles-Packers NFC playoff game, Jim Murphy was watching a replay of Notre Dame’s win over Penn State from Thursday night. He heard it was a good game and knew the result, but he wanted to watch it for himself.

Then the text messages started streaming in. “This is crazy,” Murphy said. “This is amazing.”

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Eagles injury report

Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean gets help leaving the field Sunday.
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean gets help leaving the field Sunday.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Here's an updated injury report following the Eagles' wild-card win against the Green Bay Packers:

  1. Jalen Hurts, quarterback: Hurts returned to the lineup after missing the last two games in the concussion protocol. He turned in an uneven performance but delivered when the offense needed him.

  2. Nakobe Dean, linebacker: Dean left the game in the second quarter after suffering a knee injury and did not return. He will remain out the rest of the playoffs with a torn patellar tendon in his knee.

  3. Darius Slay, cornerback: Slay also left the game in the second quarter with an elbow injury, but returned a short time later.

— Rob Tornoe and EJ Smith

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

NBC announced wrong start time for Eagles game on purpose

Following the Washington Commanders wild-card win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday night, NBC’s Mike Tirico had Eagles fans scratching their heads over the schedule for the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. 

Both Tirico and the graphic aired on NBC showed the game beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern, along with the three other games taking place place next weekend. But kickoff for the Eagles’ divisional round game is actually scheduled for 3 p.m. 

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Who's up, who's down after Eagles' win against Packers

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Eagles held on to beat the Green Bay Packers, 22-10. Jalen Hurts completed just 13 of 21 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns in his return to action. The defense led the way, picking off Jordan Love three times.

Here's our stock watch from the Eagles' wild-card victory on Sunday:

Link copied to clipboard
Link copied

Photos of the Eagles' wild-card win against the Packers