Eagles' Defensive Star Calls Game Against Jaguars

Nakobe Dean learned from his mistake this summer to put away Jacksonville.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17) celebrates with teammates and fans after an interception late in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - The genesis of the Eagles' 28-23 win over Jacksonville on Sunday, took root in early August at Lincoln Financial Field.

That's when Nakobe Dean's ability in space was tested by the shifty Kenny Gainwell during Philadelphia's lone open practice of the summer.

Those who were there saw Gainwell put an Allen Iverson-like crossover move on Dean before the RB and good friend Jalen Hurts doubled down with a stutter-and-so wheel route that caught Dean flat-footed.

Dean did what you are supposed to do with practice and learned from the adversity.

Fast forward to Sunday and Doug Pederson took his shot for an unlikely upset win after being down 22-0, putting the ball in Trevor Lawrence and D'Ernest Johnson's hands against Dean in space with the Jags at the Eagles' 13-yard line.

To be fair it was a good bet.

Lawrence's throw was off target, overthrown, and too far inside for Johnson, who struggled to track the poorly thrown football. Dean, on the other hand, was on it and high-pointed the football like he was the offensive player essentially walking off the game with the help of a victory formation.

“Just having everybody just come over there and congratulate me, it was good. It was good to call game," Dean said, "I mean, I wasn’t doing much else that game, I don’t know how many tackles I had that game."

It certainly wasn't a typical Dean game, a player who is usually a handful going downhill and has some issue in space. He finished with only two assisted tackles but had two pass breakups and the INT.

“Other guys on defense had big games. I know Zack [Baun] went crazy, Coop [Cooper DeJean] another big fourth-and-short stop," Dean said. "So, you know, a lot of guys were flying around on defense and we was making a lot of plays.”

Dean and Baun teamed up for a turnover in the Week 8 win at Cincinnati and decided to keep all turnover balls in the linebacker room so that's where Dean's game-winner will reside.

The quarterback and the green dot of the Eagles' defense, Dean was aware that Jacksonville might attack him that wasy.

“It’s a play that I knew they had,” Dean said. “They got good backs that can run good routes. I know Saquon [Barkley] scored on it early in the game, a play that was kind of like that from the backfield – a stutter and go. I got beat on it in training camp against Kenny Gainwell.

“I had seen it quite a bit. I remember it from college, got beat on it a couple times in practice, too. So, I kind of was, like, waiting on it. It was an opportune time, it was high red zone. They got the read right, and I just had to make a play.”

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