Brian Burns grabbed hold of 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 and not losing their grip on the way to a 34-17 victory at MetLife Stadium. 

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Burns made seven tackles, 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. 

“He’s Mr. Reliable, in my eyes,” cornerback Cor’Dale Flott said. “He’s always bringing that energy.” 

With the Giants leading 7-3, Burns chased down a backpedaling Hurts for an 8-yard loss on third-and-8 to force a punt. Abdul Carter won his one-on-one rep and Burns played off him to get past stud left tackle Jordan Mailata with power. 

The second sack, with the Giants leading 27-17 in the third quarter, was even prettier. 

Walking up to the line of scrimmage as a stand-up inside linebacker before the snap, Burns exploded through the B-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 him backward before they fell together. 

“We kind of just got to the point where this is going to be whichever defense bows up first,” Burns said. “We made sure it was us by knocking out the run. Then, when it was our chance to get after Hurts, we did that.” 

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 celebration, 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 that 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 given 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 where 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. 

Burns credited much-maligned defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. 

“Shane called a great game,” Burns said. “He mixed it up. A lot of simulated [pressures]. He changed the picture for Jalen. Made him hold the ball and gave us opportunities to get after the ball.”