Short of a touchdown for the Eagles, it was the worst possible way to start the postseason for the Green Bay Packers.
Former Packers linebacker Oren Burks rocked kickoff return man Keisean Nixon on the opening kickoff Sunday afternoon, jarring the ball loose and allowing Philadelphia to take possession at the Packers’ 28-yard line. Three plays later, the Eagles had a touchdown and 7-0 lead.
Replays appeared to show Nixon recover the ball, but officials declined to overturn the call on the field, which awarded the ball to Philadelphia at the bottom of the pile.
The Packers selected Burks, 29, in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, and he spent four seasons in Green Bay before signing with the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he played two seasons before he signed a one-year deal with the Eagles this offseason worth $2.5 million.
It means Burks could be part of the team that eliminates the Packers from the postseason two years in a row. He had two tackles in last year’s divisional-round win over the Packers in Santa Clara.
Burks, who has often been a special-teams contributor, played 71% of Eagles special-teams snaps this year compared to just 14% of defensive snaps. He made two starts on defense in the regular season.
