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NFL Fines Eagles LB for Fumble-Inducing Hit That Tom Brady, Refs Deemed 'Clean'

An interesting contradiction.

Tom Dierberger

Oren Burks tallied three tackles in the Eagles' 22–10 win over the Packers in the wild-card round.
Oren Burks tallied three tackles in the Eagles' 22–10 win over the Packers in the wild-card round. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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Oren Burks began Philadelphia's playoff run in the best way possible last Sunday, forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff of the Eagles' 22–10 win over the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round.

Burks, sprinting down the field, punished Packers return man Keisean Nixon with a big hit to spring the ball loose. No flag was thrown, handing the ball to quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense for the first time. Fox Sports analyst Tom Brady gave Burks's hit rave reviews on the broadcast, too.

"An absolutely clean hit right on the ball knocks it free," Brady said. "Big-time hit there by Oren Burks."

Six days later, the NFL apparently did not agree with Brady or the referees. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Burks was fined $8,333 on Saturday for unnecessary roughness (use of his helmet) on the big hit.

Burks lost some cash but the Eagles won the game to advance to the divisional round. Philadelphia will host the No. 4-seeded Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field at 3 p.m. ET.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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