The Philadelphia Eagles continued their winning ways on Sunday night, defeating the Green Bay Packers 22-10 in an NFC Wild Card playoff game. While it felt like a defensive battle, the Eagles controlled the game from start to finish.
However, in the second quarter, Philadelphia’s standout linebacker Nakobe Dean suffered a significant injury while making a tackle on Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, stopping him for a three-yard loss.
Dean was quickly ruled out for the game, and on Monday morning, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported, "Eagles LB Nakobe Dean, at the tail end of a breakout season, suffered torn patellar tendon in his knee and is out for the playoffs."
The Eagles took to social media several hours later to share a heartfelt message for Dean.
"Wishing Nakobe a speedy recovery 💚," Philadelphia's social media team wrote.
Dean was in the midst of his third season in the NFL after being selected in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia.
In the regular season, the 24-year-old recorded 128 tackles, three sacks, four passes defended and one interception.
"He's one of the true leaders on this defense," cornerback Darius Slay said of Dean. "I know I got the 'C' on my chest, but if there is someone I want to give my captaincy to, it's him.
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean (17).
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The 5-foot-11, 231-pound linebacker posted a message of his own on social media.
"Ima be back better than ever... God got me... But for rn... Job not finished... We got more business to handle #GoBirds," Dean wrote.
