Brian Burns grabbed Jalen Hurts’ jersey and refused to let go.
Consider it the perfect metaphor for the Giants seizing the opportunity to get the better of the Eagles for a change in a lopsided rivalry and not losing their grip on the way to a 34-17 victory at MetLife Stadium.
Burns made seven tackles and added two more sacks to his co-league-leading total Thursday and was every bit the game-wrecking force that he was acquired to be in March 2024.
With the Giants leading 7-3, Burns chased down a pocket-escaping Hurts for an 8-yard loss on third-and-8 to force a punt.
The second sack was even prettier.
Walking up to the line of scrimmage as a stand-up inside linebacker before the snap, Burns exploded through the gap and shoved guard Brett Toth deep into the pocket.
When Hurts scrambled, Burns never quit. He grabbed Hurts by the shirt tail and tugged Hurts back to him before they fell together.
Third-and-7 near midfield — possible two-down territory — became a must-punt fourth-and-17.
Burns army-crawled, put up two fingers and went into his Spida-man celebrating, shooting webs. Several players hopped off the home sideline to shoot webs back at Burns after his seventh sack in six games.
It was fitting that the sack came on an extra-effort play because Burns’ motor has run hot since spring workouts and seems to be what is taking his game to another level.
The next time the Eagles faced a third down, Burns was walled off by three blockers.
In his second season with the Giants, Burns has lived up to the monster five-year, $141 million contract that he was paid after being acquired from the Panthers for a package of draft picks headlined by a second-rounder.
A willingness to line up in different spots on the defense as a way to accommodate fellow linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter also seems to be paying off for Burns.
There were snaps in the game when the Giants lined up their four best rushers (including tackle Dexter Lawrence) next to each other — a callback to the old NASCAR package days with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul.
When Cor’Dale Flott had the interception that essentially sealed the win, Burns was pressuring Hurts from the backside and drew the chip block from Saquon Barkley.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
