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Author: Rob Tornoe

  • Eagles news: Birds don’t get any help from the Bucs; Commanders coach angry; updated playoff scenarios

    Eagles news: Birds don’t get any help from the Bucs; Commanders coach angry; updated playoff scenarios

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 6:07pm

    After Cowboys’ loss, Jerry Jones says ‘we all underachieved’

    The Dallas Cowboys’ slim playoff hopes were dashed by the Eagles Saturday night. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers poured alcohol into the wound with a 34-17 romp of Dak Prescott and company at home.

    “We all underachieved,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said following the game, reflecting on the team’s lost season.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 4:16pm

    Eagles don’t get any help from the Buccaneers

    Baker Mayfield congratulates Bryce Young after the Panthers’ 23-20 win against the Buccaneers Sunday.

    After Saturday’s win against the Washington Commanders, the Eagles would’ve clinched the No. 3 seed or higher with a Tampa Bay Buccaneers win Sunday.

    Unfortunately, the Carolina Panthers defeated the Bucs and took sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

    If the Eagles and Panthers both end the season with a 10-7 record, Carolina would win the tiebreaker with a better record among common opponents. That would force the Birds down to the No. 4 seed, where they would host the No. 5 seed in the wild card round, currently the Los Angeles Rams.

    The good news is a win next week against the Bills or just one more Panthers loss will lock the Eagles into the No. 3 seed or better heading into the playoffs.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 2:47pm

    Eagles’ unlikely path to the NFC’s No. 1 seed

    Eagles fans will get another playoff run.

    The Eagles have less than a 1% chance of ending the season with the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, according to the New York Times, but weird things have happened before.

    In 2018, the Eagles needed a host of things to happen to secure a wild-card spot down the stretch, and they all did, pushing the Birds to the postseason.

    Same thing happened in 2008, with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing to give the Eagles a shot at the playoffs if they defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the final game of the season, which they did in a 44-6 blowout.

    So while it is highly unlikely the Eagles get all the help they need to move up to the top playoff seed, here what would need to happen:

    • Eagles win their final two games against the Bills and Commanders
    • 49ers lose to the Colts Monday and the Bears in Week 17
    • Seahawks lose their final two games against the Panthers and 49ers
    • Bears win against the 49ers in Week 16 and lose to the Lions in Week 17
    • Rams lose one of their final two games against the Falcons or Cardinals

    If all that happens, the Eagles would finish the season with a 12-5 record and would win a three-way tiebreaker with the Bears and Seahawks.

    The path to the No. 2 seed is more realistic. If the Eagles win out, all they would need is for the Bears to lose their final two games to move up to the No. 2 seed. In that case, they’d host a wild card game against the No. 7 seed, currently the Green Bay Packers.

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles clinch, Cowboys eliminated, and remaining scenarios

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 1:57pm

    DeVonta Smith celebrates with daughter’s dance

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 12:09pm

    Jake Elliott doesn’t know what’s going on

    Jake Elliott missed two field goal attempts Saturday night.

    There is an isolating nature to Jake Elliott’s job.

    Hundreds of micro moments impact a given game. There are passes and runs and blocks and tackles and situational coaching decisions. All of those things can work in harmony on a given day and success or failure could still hinge on your swinging foot.

    The Eagles won going away, 29-18, over the Washington Commanders Saturday night and clinched the NFC East title along the way. But inside a happy locker room was a frustrated kicker who missed two field goal attempts, who has missed five over the past five games, who also missed a point-after attempt during that stretch.

    It is not the isolating part that is getting to him, Elliott said. In fact, the soon-to-be-31-year-old kicker in his ninth NFL season wishes it were a mental thing at this point.

    “It would be easier to fix,” Elliott said.

    “It’s just frustrating.”

    Saturday’s frustration was amplified by the fact that Elliott struck the ball well during warmups, he said. He hit from 52, 55, 58, and 60 yards during pregame. He entered the game, he said, with a good plan, “and when they don’t go through in the game it’s no one to blame but yourself. That’s where we’re at. I got to figure some stuff out.”

    Jake Elliott is frustrated. Nick Sirianni says he has ‘ton of confidence’ in Eagles kicker.

    — Jeff Neiburg

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 10:54am

    Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter expected back next week: ESPN

    Lane Johnson on the sideline ahead of Saturday’s Eagles-Commanders game.

    The Eagles could be getting some major reinforcements ahead of next week’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

    ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) and defensive tackle Jalen Carter (shoulders) are expected back next week and could take the field against the Bills.

    It’s also possible both could be healthy and the Eagles choose to rest them, considering the odds of moving up to the No. 2 or No. 1 seed are incredibly low.

    Johnson missed the last five Eagles games after suffering a Lisfranc sprain in his foot during the Birds’ win over the Detroit Lions in Week 11 on Nov. 16.

    Carter has missed the past three games after undergoing a procedure on both of his shoulders earlier this month. Carter had been dealing with a shoulder injury since the beginning of training camp.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 10:27am

    Cooper DeJean’s celebration was a tribute to John Cena

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 9:49am

    The Tush Push is dead

    The Eagles have tried to locate the past magic of the Tush Push this season. The quest has been elusive.

    Here at Northwest Stadium, just 35 miles from the city that was the setting for David Simon’s magisterial series The Wire, it is only fitting that, as if attending a barstool wake among Baltimore po-leece, we eulogize the Tush Push. The play that once gave the Eagles a physical, psychological, and strategic edge over every opponent they encountered is, by all available indications, dead.

    Three times during their 29-18 victory Saturday over the Commanders, the Eagles tried to run their unique and once-unstoppable version of the quarterback sneak. Three times, it failed. Once, tackle Fred Johnson committed a false-start penalty. Once, Hurts gained no yardage. Once, guard Landon Dickerson committed another false-start infraction. And with his offense facing a (relatively long) fourth-and-1 on its first possession, coach Nick Sirianni had the Eagles punt from their own 41 instead of attempting the play.

    This was the flat line across the echocardiogram screen. In 2023, the Eagles led the NFL in fourth-down conversion percentage, at 67.9%. Last season, they were third, but their efficiency rate (71%) was higher. This season, they entered Saturday at 61.1%, seventh-best in the league — good, but not dominant, not close.

    “Teams adjust; we’ve got to continue to adjust,” Sirianni said. “Credit to them. They did a really good job of stopping us there. … We have to get this play working the way it’s been in the past, which we’ll work our butts off to do. But we were really able to overcome.”

    Let us raise a glass to the Tush Push. It’s dead, and the Eagles have to find an alternative.

    — Mike Sielski

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 8:00am

    NFL Playoff picture: Eagles can clinch No. 3 seed or better

    Eagles fans flooded Northwest Stadium to watch the Birds victory over the Washington Commanders Saturday.

    Despite Google jumping the gun, the Eagles (10-5) clinched the NFC East and a playoffs spot thanks to Saturday’s win against the Washington Commanders (4-10) Saturday night.

    That means the Birds will host at least one playoff game at the Linc, where the Eagles haven’t lost a postseason game since the 2019 playoffs.

    The Eagles could also clinch the No. 3 seed or better if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) defeat the Carolina Panthers (7-7) Sunday.

    While the odds are slim, the Eagles are still technically alive in the hunt for the No. 1 seed. But their remote chances for the NFC’s top playoff seed (and a first-round bye) will end if the San Francisco 49ers (10-4) defeat the Indianapolis Colts (8-6) on Monday Night Football, according to Wharton professor Deniz Selman.

    NFC playoff picture

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    The Seattle Seahawks (12-3) control their own playoff destiny after defeating the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) Thursday night. If they win out, they’ll end the season with the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

    The same goes for the 49ers.

    Despite being one game back, San Francisco and Seattle face off in Week 18. The 49ers defeated the Minnesota Vikings (6-8) way back in Week 1, so a win in Week 18 would clinch a tiebreaker and send the NFC playoffs through Santa Clara, where this year’s Super Bowl is being held.

    First the 49ers still need to clinch a playoff spot, which they would do with with a win against the Colts Monday night or a Detroit Lions (8-6) loss.

    As for the Bears, they’ll clinch their first playoff spot since the 2020 season with a Lions loss.

    Then there’s the NFC South, where the Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) play twice over the next three weeks, beginning Sunday in Charlotte. Those two games will decide who hosts a playoff game and who heads home.

    Finally, the Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1) were officially eliminated from the playoffs by the Eagles clinching the NFC East, since winning the division was their only remaining path to the postseason.

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles clinch, Cowboys eliminated, and remaining scenarios

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 9:18am

    NFL games on TV in Philly Sunday

    The Eagles eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs Saturday night.

    With the Eagles playing Saturday night, here are the NFL games airing on TV in and around Philadelphia Sunday:

    • Bills at Browns: 1 p.m., CBS3 (Ian Eagle, J.J. Watt, Evan Washburn)
    • Chargers at Cowboys: 1 p.m., Fox 29 (Adam Amin, Drew Brees, Kristina Pink)
    • Steelers at Lions: 4:25 p.m., CBS3 (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
    • Patriots at Ravens: 8:20 p.m., NBC10 (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)

    The San Francisco 49ers play the Indianapolis Colts Monday night at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN and 6ABC, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 8:36am

    Eagles victory Sunday photo

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 8:01am

    Eagles injury report

    Nakobe Dean leaves the field Saturday with a hamstring injury
    • Tyler Steen was ejected late in the fourth quarter following the Eagles’ two-point conversion for his involvement in a scuffle that broke out between the two teams.
    • Nakobe Dean injured his hamstring halfway through the first quarter when he was attempting to tackle Burks. Jihaad Campbell took his place. Dean was ruled out in the third quarter.

    — Olivia Reiner

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 7:55am

    Jordan Love injured, status for next week unknown

    Jordan Love was forced to leave Saturday night’s game against the Bears.

    Packers quarterback Jordan Love exited with a concussion after he was hit hard in the second quarter, and Green Bay blew a late lead in a gut-wrenching 22-16 overtime loss to the Chicago Bears.

    Love was shaken up after a helmet-to-helmet hit by defensive lineman Austin Booker on a sack. Booker was flagged for roughing the passer.

    The 27-year-old Love eventually jogged off the field and went into the blue injury tent on Green Bay’s sideline. Then he walked to the visiting locker room.

    There was no update on Love after the loss.

    “I hollered at him after the game, just really quickly,” said backup quarterback Malik Willis, who replaced Love. “I mean, I didn’t get to really get into it too much with him. Just let him know I’m praying for him and hope he’s ready to go.”

    — Associated Press

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 7:50am

    ‘If that’s how they want to get down’: Commanders coach angry at Birds following game

    Commanders head coach Dan Quinn wasn’t happy over the Birds’ late two-point conversion.

    Near the end of the Eagles’ win against the Washington Commanders, a brawl broke out on the field that led to three players being ejected, including Birds offensive lineman Tyler Steen.

    “Look out, Tyler Steen is throwing punches,” Fox’s play-by-play announcer Joe Davis said during the broadcast. “This is getting ugly.”

    The fight took place after the Eagles scored a late touchdown and went for a two-point conversion rather than have Jake Elliott – who missed two field goals – attempt an extra point.

    After the game, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was asked about the melee, and he suggested the two-point conversion and the feeling the Birds were running up the score played a role in the brawl.

    “I can only answer for my side, what I would do,” Quinn told reporters. “Hey man, if that’s how they want to get down, then all good. We’ll play them again in two weeks.”

    Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni denied attempting to run up the score.

    “To get one more point in my mind is not running up the score,” Sirianni told reporters after the game. “We’re doing that to give ourselves the best chance to win.”

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 7:45am

    Eagles to face the Bills next week still alive for No. 2 seed

    The Eagles head up to Buffalo next week to face Josh Allen and the Bills.

    The Eagles will still have a chance at moving up to the No. 2 seed when they take on the Buffalo Bills next week in frigid Highmark Stadium.

    The Eagles have already clinched the NFC East and could clinch the No. 3 spot or better Sunday with a Carolina Panthers win. The Birds currently have a 16% chance at landing the No. 2 seed, according to the New York Times playoff calculator, but that would improve to 27% with a win over the Bills.

    Considering the Eagles entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed last year and went on to win the Super Bowl, it might be something worth playing for.

    The game will mean something for the Bills, too. Buffalo could still be fighting for a playoff spot (they’ll clinch Sunday with a win against the Cleveland Browns and losses by either the Indianapolis Colts or Houston Texans) and could still be trying to overtake the New England Patriots and win the AFC East for the sixth straight season.

    The last time the Eagles faced the Bills was 2023 at the Linc, with the Birds rallying to win in overtime. The celebrations didn’t last long, as the Eagles went on to lose five of their final six games and suffer an early playoff exit.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 7:40am

    Photos from Eagles’ win against the Commanders

    2025 Eagles schedule

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 12/21/25 7:35am

  • The Sixers are back, but tonight’s game won’t air on NBC Sports Philadelphia

    The Sixers are back, but tonight’s game won’t air on NBC Sports Philadelphia

    The 76ers return to the court to face the New York Knicks Friday night, but you won’t find the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia or anywhere else on TV.

    Instead, Sixers fans will need to log in to Amazon Prime Video, which is streaming tonight’s game exclusively as part of a 11-year deal with the NBA that runs through the 2035-36 season and totals nearly $20 billion.

    That means you’ll have to wait a day to hear from Sixers’ announcer Alaa Abdelnaby, who got into a back-and-forth with the league’s referees this week over a no-call at the end of Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Kate Scott, Abdelnaby’s broadcast partner on NBC Sports Philadelphia, will appear on Inquirer Live at 11 a.m. to speak with beat writer Gina Mizell.

    It’s also unclear if Joel Embiid will take the court tonight. The Sixers big man is listed as questionable for the game due to an unspecified illness. Embiid, who is dealing with knee issues, has started 11 games for the Sixers so far this season, including four of their last five. He put up a season-high 39 points in the Sixers’ win against the Indiana Pacers last Friday night.

    Unlike Amazon’s Thursday Night Football, which broadcasts NFL games locally in the teams’ home TV markets, the only way to watch tonight’s Sixers game is to log in to Prime Video.

    The good news is, if you already have Amazon Prime for free shipping, you also get Prime Video for free. Otherwise you can subscribe to Prime Video on its own for $8.99 a month.

    Sixers fans will also need to log in to Amazon next week. Philly will be back on the subscription streaming service Friday, Dec. 26, to face the Chicago Bulls.

    Then there’s Peacock, which is also streaming exclusive NBA games this season as part of NBC’s deal with the league. Sixers fans will need to log on to stream the team’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 5, but that’s a problem that can wait until next year.

    Amazon has familiar NBA voices on its broadcast

    Ian Eagle will call tonight’s Sixers-Knicks game on Amazon’s Prime Video.

    Calling tonight’s Sixers-Knicks game on Amazon will be former TNT announcers Ian Eagle and Stan Van Gundy, with Cassidy Hubbarth reporting from the court at Madison Square Garden.

    Eagle is among the top play-by-play announcers in all of sports. In addition to his role at Amazon, Eagle also calls NFL games for CBS alongside J.J. Watt and has been the voice of the Brooklyn Nets on the YES Network for more than 30 years.

    As with the NFL, Amazon has quickly put together a fun pre- and postgame show on a wild, two-story set hosted by Taylor Rocks. Tonight’s studio analysts will be former NBAers Blake Griffin, Steve Nash, and Udonis Haslem, who still holds the record as the longest tenured undrafted player in league history (20 seasons).

    Tonight’s Sixers’ game is the first of a doubleheader that will stream on Amazon tonight, followed by a Western Conference matchup between the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder (who have lost just two games this season) and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

    Sixers’ record and Eastern Conference standings

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    Sixers news

    Tyrese Maxey is part of a young group bringing new life to the Sixers.

    Upcoming Sixers TV schedule

    • Friday, Dec. 19: Sixers at Knicks (7 p.m., Prime Video)
    • Saturday, Dec. 20: Mavericks at Sixers (7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia)
    • Tuesday, Dec. 23: Nets at Sixers (7 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia)
    • Friday, Dec. 26: Sixers at Bulls (7:30 p.m., Prime Video)
    • Sunday, Dec. 28: Sixers at Thunder (3:30 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia)
    • Tuesday, Dec. 30: Sixers at Grizzlies (8 p.m., NBC/Peacock)
  • Tonight’s Rams-Seahawks game has huge playoff implications and could impact the Eagles

    Tonight’s Rams-Seahawks game has huge playoff implications and could impact the Eagles

    The Los Angeles Rams (11-3) take on the Seattle Seahawks (11-3) tonight on Amazon’s Thursday Night Football in a game likely to have a huge impact on the NFC playoff race, but might not matter much to the Eagles (9-5).

    The Rams enter the game as the NFC’s No. 1 seed and in first place in the NFC West because they defeated the Seahawks in Week 11. The San Francisco 49ers (10-4) are close behind both teams and still have a fair shot of winning the division.

    The Eagles, who play the Washington Commanders (4-10) Saturday night, enter Week 16 as the No. 3 seed. A lot would have to happen for the Birds to either move up or down before the season ends. So tonight’s Rams-Seahawks game will have more impact on the team the Eagles could face in the first round of the playoffs than whether the Birds could sneak back into the No. 1 spot.

    How unlikely are the Eagles’ chances of landing the top playoff seed? Less than 1%, according to the New York Times playoff simulator.

    Here are all the various playoff implications of tonight’s game, and how it could impact the Eagles:

    NFC playoff picture

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    A Rams win all but clinches the No. 1 seed

    If the Rams win tonight, they’ll have a 90% chance of clinching both the NFC West and the No. 1 seed, according to the New York Times.

    A win means the Seahawks would need to completely overtake the Rams in the standings. That would require the Seahawks winning their final two games (against the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers) and the Rams losing their final two (against the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals).

    The only other team with a realistic chance to overtake the Rams as the No. 1 seed would be the Chicago Bears (10-4). The Bears defeated the Rams back in September, so Chicago would come out on top if the two teams are tied when the season ends.

    There’s also the 49ers, who face Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts Monday night. The 49ers split their two games against the Rams this season, but San Francisco would currently win a tiebreaker with a better divisional record.

    A Seahawks win would also benefit the 49ers

    The Seahawks will clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight and Seattle would immediately become the NFC’s top playoff seed, at least for now. The Rams would drop to the No. 5 seed.

    Waiting in the wings are the 49ers, who defeated the Seahawks back in September and would be in position to steal the division and the No. 1 seed.

    The Seahawks and 49ers are scheduled to face off in Week 18 at Levi’s Stadium, and a Seattle win tonight makes it more likely that game will end up deciding both the NFC West and the No. 1 seed.

    Eagles could face the loser of tonight’s game first in the playoffs

    If the Eagles do end up the NFC’s No. 3 seed, they’ll host the No. 6 seed at the Linc during the wild card round of the playoffs.

    It’s looking likely the No. 6 seed will be the team that finishes third place in the NFC West, which is currently the 49ers. But the division is so tight, anything can happen over the next three games, so whichever team loses tonight increases their chances of facing the Birds on the road in a wild card game.

    Of the three teams, the Eagles have only played the Rams, a game the Birds narrowly won on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in Week 3.

    The Eagles basically have no shot at the No. 1 seed. What about No. 2?

    While it remains mathematically possible for the Eagles to still end the season as the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, the odds are not in the Birds’ favor.

    But what about the No. 2 seed? That’s how the Eagles entered the playoffs last season, and their postseason run ended with a Super Bowl victory.

    The current No. 2 seed is the Chicago Bears (10-4), who are essentially two games up on the Eagles because of the Birds’ loss to Chicago last month on Black Friday. So there are two main scenarios where the Eagles can overtake the Bears:

    • Eagles end the season 12-5 (winning their final three games), Bears end the season 11-6 (losing two of their final three).
    • Eagles end the season 11-6 (winning two of their final three games), Bears end the season 10-7 (losing their final three).

    There are some less-likely scenarios where the Eagles could win a tiebreaker in the event of a three-way tie also involving the Rams or Seahawks, which Wharton professor Deniz Selman breaks down here:

    If the Packers end up winning the NFC North, the Eagles would need to end the season a half-game up to secure the No. 2 seed, thanks to Green Bay’s tie against the Dallas Cowboys earlier this season (Unless the Eagles tie one of their final three games, but we won’t worry about that until it happens).

    In the unlikely event the Lions overtake both and win the division (the New York Times gives them a 5% chance), the Eagles hold the tiebreaker thanks to their Week 11 win at the Linc.

    The good news is the only way the Eagles would drop to the No. 4 seed is if they lost their final three games and either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) or the Carolina Panthers (7-7) won out, since they face each other twice in the final three weeks of the season.

    NFC East standings

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    The Eagles will officially clinch the NFC East and a playoff spot with a win Sunday or a Cowboys’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (10-4). But there’s still a long-shot chance Dallas could still overtake the Eagles in the division.

    Even if the Cowboys manage to win their final three games — at home against the Chargers and on the road against the Commanders and New York Giants (2-12) — they would still need the Eagles to lose out to overtake the Birds in the standings.

    Good luck.

  • NBA officials ripped NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Alaa Abdelnaby over Sixers broadcast

    NBA officials ripped NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Alaa Abdelnaby over Sixers broadcast

    Controversy from the Sixers’ loss Sunday night lingered into Tuesday thanks to a salty message from NBA officials calling out NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Alaa Abdelnaby.

    With less than two seconds left and the Atlanta Hawks clinging to a one-point lead, Nickeil Alexander-Walker inbounded a pass in the frontcourt and dribbled it into the backcourt before being fouled by 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe.

    Clearly a backcourt violation and Sixers ball with a chance to win the game, right? Abdelnaby certainly thought so.

    “His foot’s in the frontcourt! The ball’s in the frontcourt!” Abdelnaby said during NBC Sports Philadelphia’s telecast.

    The officials didn’t see it that way, despite protests from Joel Embiid and Sixers coach Nick Nurse. Their explanation for the no-call after the game was that Alexander-Walker’s “momentum” carried him into the backcourt, which “is legal in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.”

    Former NBA referee turned ESPN analyst Steve Javie, a Philly native and Temple grad, heard complaints about the no-call from a Sixers fan during a Christmas party Monday night. But after watching the video, Javie thinks the refs made the correct call that Alexander-Walker didn’t establish himself in the frontcourt.

    “That’s an easy one. I don’t even think it’s that controversial,” Javie told The Inquirer. “That’s not the one you want to go up the mountain on.”

    So instead of it being Sixers ball trailing by just one point, Alexander-Walker made both of his foul shots and increased the Hawks’ lead to three. Quentin Grimes got up a decent shot that would have tied the score as time expired, but it bounced in and out, and the Hawks walked away with the win.

    That’s when things got interesting.

    On Monday, the National Basketball Referees Association criticized Abdelnaby on social media and defended the officials’ no-call during Sunday’s game.

    “For those calling the game, there is a responsibility to know the NBA rules and explain them correctly in order to properly educate the fans,” the association wrote, tagging Abdelnaby’s X account.

    The referees’ official X account, with more than 136,000 followers, hasn’t been historically combative and had not called out a single announcer by name this season before going after Abdelnaby.

    Why now? That remains unclear. The National Basketball Referees Association did not respond to a request for comment.

    “As a ref, you hear so much stuff [from announcers] year after year, game after game, you get kind of frustrated. Like, ‘Dude, this is not the right rule you’re talking about,’” Javie said, especially from hometown announcers openly rooting for their teams. “This is why they’re frustrated and gave him a shot, probably.”

    Abdelnaby, a former Duke standout and NBA player in his 10th season calling Sixers games, isn’t afraid to offer strong opinions about the officials during broadcasts. He did so multiple times Sunday night, including after the game from the concourse of State Farm Arena in Atlanta, where he and play-by-play announcer Kate Scott called the game.

    “Sometimes you’re told as a player on the road, you have to beat eight instead of just five,” Abdelnaby said, referring to the three officials on the court. “I thought the Sixers got a little shortchanged tonight.”

    Abdelnaby declined to comment about the NBA referees’ social media post, but he wasn’t alone in thinking the officials missed a backcourt violation.

    “It was a complete blunder by the referees tonight,” NBA Sports Philadelphia studio analyst and former NBA player Marc Jackson said following the game.

    What do the NBA rules say?

    When in doubt, go to the rule book, where there appear to be two sections invoked Sunday night.

    First, the NBA rule book clearly states that the ball “shall be awarded to the opposing team” if a ball in the frontcourt or at the midcourt line passes into the backcourt.

    But there is one exception:

    And here’s what the rule book says about determining the frontcourt or backcourt status of a player on a throw-in:

    The rule basically says a player’s position isn’t determined until he has established a “positive position” on an inbounds pass, as long as it’s under two minutes in the fourth period or in overtime.

    So what does “positive position” mean? According to Javie, it basically equates to possession and stopping with the basketball.

    “If [Alexander-Walker’s] momentum had stopped from going to the backcourt, and then he took a step into the backcourt, that would then be deemed a backcourt violation,” Javie said. “He didn’t establish position anywhere, really.”

    “I thought it was going to be less obvious than that,” Javie added, based on the complaints over the no call.

    Fans will certainly have a lot of time to debate the rules, since the Sixers won’t take the court again until Friday night against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Amazon’s Prime Video.

  • NFL playoff picture: Eagles No. 1 seed scenarios, Chiefs eliminated, two teams clinch

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles No. 1 seed scenarios, Chiefs eliminated, two teams clinch

    Thanks to Sunday’s blowout win against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-12), the Eagles (9-5) are in great shape to make the NFL playoffs and even host a game at the Linc.

    How good? The New York Times now pegs the Eagles’ chances of making the playoffs and hosting a wild card game at 99%, thanks in part to the Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1) loss to the Minnesota Vikings (6-8) Sunday night.

    The Birds remained in the NFC’s No. 3 spot, and if the season ended today they’d be hosting the No. 6 seed San Francisco 49ers (10-4) at the Linc during wild card weekend.

    Here’s a look at the current playoff picture for the Eagles and the rest of the NFL:

    When can the Eagles clinch the NFC East?

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    In the NFC East, the Eagles’ magic number — combined wins and Cowboys losses — is now just one. That means the Birds could clinch both the division and a playoff berth with a win in Week 16 against the Washington Commanders (4-10).

    The Birds would also clinch the NFC East with just one more Cowboys loss.

    Even if Dallas manages to win their final three games — at home against the Chargers and on the road against the Commanders and New York Giants (2-12) — they would still need the Eagles to lose out overtake the Birds in the standings.

    Considering the Birds face the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders twice in the final three weeks, oddsmakers see that as impossibly unlikely. As in less than a 1% chance, according to the New York Times.

    Both the Commanders and Giants have already been eliminated from playoff contention, but both could play the role of spoiler in the coming weeks.

    Can the Eagles still end up with the NFC’s No. 1 seed?

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    You’re saying there’s still a chance?

    Despite Sunday’s win, the Eagles still face an all-but-impossible chance to end the season in the NFC’s No. 1 playoff spot.

    What would have to happen? For starters, the Birds need to win their final three games ― against the Buffalo Bills (10-4) and twice against the Commanders ― to even have a shot at the top playoff seed.

    Now comes the tricky part. In all likelihood, the Eagles would need four of the NFC’s top teams to lose two of their final three games, according to Wharton professor and Eagles analytics nerd Deniz Selman — the Los Angeles Rams (11-3), Seattle Seahawks (11-3), San Francisco 49ers (10-4), and Bears.

    All four teams won Sunday, so the Eagles already-slim odds got worst, despite the Birds’ win.

    There are some even less-likely scenarios where the Eagles could win on tiebreakers, but it all points to the road to a Super Bowl repeat not going through the Linc.

    Odds are the Eagles will win the NFC East and enter the playoffs at the NFC’s No. 3 seed, but the Birds could also end up as the No. 2 seed if things fall their way. Having tiebreakers against most of the top NFC teams helps, though not with the Packers because of that pesky tie.

    The Birds entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed last year, and that seemed to work out well.

    NFC playoff scenarios this week

    Matthew Stafford and the Rams are in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s No. 1 playoff spot.

    Entering Week 15, not a single team in the league had clinched a playoff spot. That changed Sunday, with the Rams officially becoming the NFC’s first playoff team thanks to a 41-34 win against the Detroit Lions (8-6).

    The No. 1 seed will take a few weeks to sort out, thanks to a tight race in the NFC West featuring the Seattle Seahawks (11-3) and 49ers.

    What’s wild is there’s a possibility a team like the Lions, Bears, 49ers, Seahawks, or even Rams could end the season with 12 wins and miss the playoffs due to tiebreakers for the final wild card. That’s never happened in NFL history, though two teams have missed the playoffs with 11 wins — the 1985 Denver Broncos and the 2008 New England Patriots.

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) moved back into the No. 4 seed and lead the NFC South thanks to the Carolina Panthers (7-7) loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Buccaneers and Panthers will face off next week in a game that will likely decide the division.

    Just one NFC team faced elimination in Week 15. The Vikings will officially be booted out of the postseason race with a loss to the Cowboys Monday night.

    AFC playoff picture and scenarios

    The Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs for the first time during Patrick Mahomes’ career.

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    The No. 1 seed Denver Broncos (12-2) clinched the AFC’s first playoff spot and their second-straight postseason appearance under head coach Sean Payton with a win against the Packers.

    The No. 2 seed New England Patriots (11-2) could have clinched the AFC East, but blew a 21-point lead to Josh Allen and the Bills Sunday.

    The Kansas City Chiefs (6-8) were eliminated from the playoffs Sunday for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era thanks to their loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

    The Cincinnati Bengals (4-10) were also eliminated from the playoffs Sunday, clinching their third-straight season without a playoff appearance. No wonder Joe Burrow is frustrated and whirling up the trade rumor machine.

    The Miami Dolphins (6-7) enter Week 15 on a four-game winning streak, but could be booted from the playoffs with a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) Monday night.

    When do the NFL playoffs start?

    The Eagles have made four-straight playoff appearances under Nick Sirianni.

    We’re a little less than a month away from the first playoff game, which will take place on wild-card weekend beginning Jan. 10.

    Six games will take place in the first round of the playoffs, airing across Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN/ABC. Amazon will also exclusively stream a wild-card game on Prime Video for the second straight season.

    Full 2025 NFL playoff schedule:

    • Wild-card round: Saturday, Jan. 10 to Monday, Jan. 12
    • Divisional round: Saturday, Jan. 17 to Sunday, Jan. 18
    • AFC and NFC championship games: Sunday, Jan. 25
    • Super Bowl LX: Sunday, Feb. 8

    Where is this year’s Super Bowl?

    Super Bowl LX (or 60, for those who don’t like Roman numerals) is being held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the San Francisco 49ers. NBC will broadcast this year’s Super Bowl.

    Here are the sites announced for future Super Bowls:

    • Super Bowl LXI: Feb. 14., 2027, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN, ABC)
    • Super Bowl LXII: Feb. 2028, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. (CBS)
  • Updated NFL playoff picture: Eagles in surprisingly good shape, four teams eliminated

    Updated NFL playoff picture: Eagles in surprisingly good shape, four teams eliminated

    Yes, the vibes are bad, but the Eagles (8-4) enter Week 14 in surprisingly good shape, as far as the playoffs are concerned.

    Despite losing two straight, the Birds can tighten their grip on the NFC East and improve their chances of earning the No. 1 seed with a win Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4). Though it won’t be easy.

    Send some thank you notes to Detroit (8-5). The Lions’ 44-30 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1) Thursday night gave the Eagles a much-needed playoff boost. But they’ll need more help to move back into the NFC’s top spot.

    Unfortunately, they didn’t get any help from former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, now the embattled head coach of the Arizona Cardinals (3-10). The Cardinals were blown out 45-17 at home by the Los Angeles Rams (10-3), moving Matt Stafford and company back into the NFC’s No. 1 spot.

    Regardless what happens, the Eagles will end the week in the No. 3 seed. The Green Bay Packers (9-3-1) moved into first place in the NFC North and the NFC’s No. 2 seed thanks to their 28-21 win against the Chicago Bears (9-4).

    As a result, the Bears slide down six spots, from No. 1 all the way down to No. 7, the NFC’s final wild card.

    The good news is the Eagles hold tiebreakers against the Rams, Packers (though it likely won’t come into play because of Green Bay’s tie), Lions, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6), and just two of the Birds’ final five games are against opponents with a winning record.

    The bad news is the Eagles would need the Rams to lose two of their final four games to have a chance at overtaking them. That could also create more headaches for the Eagles, with the Rams tied with the Seattle Seahawks (10-3) and just one game up on the San Francisco 49ers (9-3) in a tight NFC West.

    Currently, the Eagles have just a 5% chance to land the No. 1 seed, according to the New York Times’ playoff simulator, but that would improve slightly with a win Monday night.

    NFC East standings

    Nick Sirianni and the Eagles have the NFC East all but wrapped up.

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    To win the NFC East and clinch their fifth-straight playoff berth, the Eagles’ magic number — combined Birds’ wins and/or Cowboys’ losses — is now three. That will drop to two with a win Monday night against the Chargers.

    Barring a 2023-level collapse, the Birds will become the first team in 21 seasons to win the NFC East in back-to-back years. That would mean hosting at least one playoff game at the Linc.

    As for the Cowboys, may the odds forever be in their favor. With four games left on their schedule, Dallas has just a 9% chance of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times. That would drop to 6% with an Eagles win Monday night.

    Even if the Cowboys win their four remaining games — at home against the Chargers and Minnesota Vikings (5-8), on the road against the Washington Commanders (3-10) and New York Giants (2-11) — Dallas would still need the Eagles to lose three of their final five games to take the division.

    NFC playoff picture

    Caleb Williams and the Bears slid all the way down from the No. 1 seed to the No. 7 spot Sunday.

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    With nine teams bunched together atop the NFC, there were no playoff clinching scenarios in Week 14.

    But a couple of teams were eliminated.

    The Commanders slim playoff hopes were extinguished Sunday in a 31-0 blowout loss to the Vikings.

    The same goes for the Atlanta Falcons (4-9), who were eliminated from playoff contention after being defeated by the Seattle Seahawls (10-3). That will make it eight straight seasons without a postseason appearance for Atlanta.

    Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers (7-6) are still in the hunt, thanks to their upset win against the Los Angeles Rams last week and Sunday’s Buccaneers loss. Carolina has a bye this week and faces Tampa Bay twice in the final four weeks of the season.

    AFC playoff picture

    Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos moved up to the AFC’s No. 1 spot.

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    As with the NFC, there were no clinching scenarios in the AFC this week, but a couple of teams were eliminated.

    The Cleveland Browns (3-10) were officially eliminated from playoff contention by the Tennessee Titans (2-11) Sunday, while the New York Jets (3-10) were eliminated by the Miami Dolphins (6-7), who have won four straight games and are trying to remain in the hunt for a wild card.

    The loss also guarantees this will be the 15th straight season the Jets miss the playoffs, the longest current streak in the NFL.

    If the Eagles do turn around their season, it’s looking less and less likely they’ll have yet another rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-7). Andy Reid’s squad lost to the Houston Texans (8-5) Sunday night and are currently two games back in the hunt for the AFC’s final wild-card spot, their only remaining path to the postseason.

    The Eagles could help improve the Chiefs’ odds by defeating the Chargers Monday night, but they’ll still have any 80% chance of missing the playoffs, according to the New York Times simulator.

    The Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4) moved into sole possession of first place in the AFC South thanks to their win against the Indianapolis Colts (8-5) Sunday. With everyone in the AFC bunched at the top, the winner of the division might be the only team from the AFC South that advances to the playoffs.

    The Denver Broncos (11-2) moved back into the AFC’s No. 1 seed thanks to their win against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders (2-11). While the Broncos are tied with the New England Patriots (11-2), Denver has a better conference record (7-2 vs. 6-2) and Sunday’s win guarantees they’ll have a better record among common opponents (the Patriots lost to the Raiders back in Week 1), the next tiebreaker if Denver ends the season with the same record as the Patriots.

    When do the NFL playoffs start?

    We’re still more than a month away from the first playoff game, which will take place on wild-card weekend beginning Jan. 10.

    Six games will take place in the first round of the playoffs, airing across Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN/ABC. Amazon will also exclusively stream a wild-card game on Prime Video for the second straight season.

    Full 2025 NFL playoff schedule:

    • Wild-card round: Saturday, Jan. 10 to Monday, Jan. 12
    • Divisional round: Saturday, Jan. 17 to Sunday, Jan. 18
    • AFC and NFC championship games: Sunday, Jan. 25
    • Super Bowl LX: Sunday, Feb. 8

    Where is this year’s Super Bowl?

    Fans watch from a general view at Levi’s Stadium during the first half of an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

    Super Bowl LX (or 60, for those who don’t like Roman numerals) is being held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the San Francisco 49ers. NBC will broadcast this year’s Super Bowl.

    It will be the third time the Bay Area hosts a Super Bowl, and the second played at Levi’s Stadium. The first was Super Bowl 50 in 2016, with the Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers in a defensive battle best remembered as Peyton Manning’s final game.

    Here are the sites announced for future Super Bowls. Maybe Philly will be added to this list over the next decade, if Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie builds the dome he wants:

    • Super Bowl LXI: Feb. 14., 2027, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN, ABC)
    • Super Bowl LXII: Feb. 2028, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. (CBS)
  • Republicans won in Trump-friendly Tennessee, despite swing toward Democrats. Here’s what it means for Pennsylvania and 2026.

    Republicans won in Trump-friendly Tennessee, despite swing toward Democrats. Here’s what it means for Pennsylvania and 2026.

    A special election in a safely Republican district in Tennessee became must-watch TV for political observers Tuesday night, the latest sign of anti-Trump sentiment ahead of the 2026 midterms.

    The Associated Press called the race in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District for Republican Matt Van Epps, who was leading Democrat Aftyn Behn by about 9 percentage points with about 99% of the vote in. That was a steep decline from the 22-point win President Donald Trump recorded in the same district just last year, and from his 39-point victory in 2016.

    It was the latest sign of a Democratic blue wave forming, following Election Day sweeps in Virginia, New Jersey, and Virginia last month. It also was the third straight special election in a deeply Republican district where voters swung toward the Democratic candidate by double-digit margins.

    “Sometimes in politics, what is happening is clear and in front of you,” David Chalian, CNN’s Washington bureau chief and political director, said Tuesday night. “Democrats are significantly, significantly over-performing what Kamala Harris did last year vs. Donald Trump in all of these places.”

    While Democrats were not successful in stealing a Republican seat Tuesday night, there are about 100 districts Trump won by a slimmer margin that Republicans will now need to defend during the 2026 midterms, according to the New York Times. Democrats need to flip just a couple to take back the majority in the House for the remainder of Trump’s term.

    While Trump celebrated Van Epps’ victory on social media, Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin called the results “a flashing warning sign for Republicans heading into the midterms.”

    “What happened tonight in Tennessee makes it clear: Democrats are on offense and Republicans are on the ropes,” Martin said in a statement.

    What is the Republican majority in the House?

    Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R., La.) is dealing with a shrinking majority.

    Van Epps’ victory means Republicans will hold 220 seats, while Democrats have 214 seats; 218 are needed to control the majority.

    Two seats remain vacant, and both are expected to go to Democrats, further reducing the already slim majority of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.).

    The first is in Texas, where a runoff will be held Jan. 31 to fill the seat vacated by the death of Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner. The race is down to two Democrats — Christian Menefee and Amanda Edwards.

    The second open seat is in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, which will hold a special election April 16 to fill the spot vacated by New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill. While the district was represented by a Republican as recently as 2018, it has been safely blue since maps were redrawn following the 2020 Census and is expected to remain in Democratic control.

    Not surprisingly, there are a lot of Democrats vying to replace Sherrill. At least 13 have entered the race or are about to do so, a lengthy list that includes former Rep. Tom Malinowski, progressive activist Analilia Mejia, Obama White House alum Cammie Croft, Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, and current Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way.

    Just one Republican has announced a bid to replace Sherrill — Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway.

    Then there is the Georgia seat of GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, which is set to become vacant following her resignation on Jan. 5. It is unclear when Georgia will hold a special election to replace Greene, but Gov. Brian Kemp is required to set a date within 10 days of her departure.

    The seat is considered safely Republican, but that is hardly definitive after what happened in Tennessee on Tuesday night.

    Why was there a special election in Tennessee?

    Former Rep. Mark Green (R., Tenn.) left Congress suddenly to launch his own business.

    Tuesday’s special election was held to replace the seat vacated by Republican Mark Green, who resigned in July to launch a new business called Prosimos.

    Green’s decision to leave Congress, and his role as the chair of the Homeland Security Committee, came in the middle of his fourth term.

    So what is Prosimos? According to Green, it’s a development and strategy firm designed to help U.S. businesses better compete against the influence of China. The company’s website says it provides “tailored strategies and expert guidance to navigate the complexities of global business development.”

    What does this mean for Republicans in Pennsylvania and New Jersey?

    Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R., Pa.) is one of four Pa. Republicans facing a tough reelection battle.

    If there has been a trend since Trump’s inauguration, it’s that voters are keen on punishing Republicans at the ballot box.

    In four previous special elections for House seats held in 2025, Democrats significantly outperformed Harris’ margins in 2024. That was also true of Election Day victories in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Georgia, where two Republicans were booted off the state’s Public Service Commission.

    Closer to home, there are five House seats — four in Pennsylvania, one in New Jersey — that Democrats hope to flip during the 2026 midterms, potentially deciding the balance of power during the final two years of Trump’s presidency.

    • PA-01: In Bucks County, Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is used to close races, but next year could be particularly challenging for the five-term moderate. In addition to nationwide trends, Democrats won each countywide office by around 10 percentage points last month, and Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan is the first member of their party ever elected to the office.
    • PA-07: In the Lehigh Valley, Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie is the biggest target for Democrats after ousting Susan Wild by just 1 percentage point in 2024. Cook Political Report lists the district as a true “toss up” and five Democrats have already entered the race.
    • PA-08: Farther north, in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan is also looking to win reelection to a seat he flipped by just 1 percentage point in 2024. The district leans Republican — Trump won it by nearly 9 percentage points — and so far Bresnahan’s only challenger is Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.
    • PA-10: Another of Cook’s “toss up” districts. Republican Rep. Scott Perry, an outspoken Trump supporter who supported the president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, is seeking his eighth term. Perry narrowly won reelection in 2024, defeating former news anchor Janelle Stelson by less than 1 percentage point. She is running against Perry again in 2026 and has already received an endorsement from Gov. Josh Shapiro.
    • NJ-07: The northwestern New Jersey district is currently represented by Republican Tom Kean Jr., a moderate who won reelection by about 5 percentage points in 2024. Cook lists Kean’s district as a “toss up,” and he faces a crowded field of Democrats in what would otherwise be a safely Republican seat.
  • Eagles-Bears: Updated playoff picture, Richard Sherman blasts Birds play design, and more

    Eagles-Bears: Updated playoff picture, Richard Sherman blasts Birds play design, and more

    Thanks for nothing, Kansas City.

    The Eagles face the Chicago Bears on Black Friday still in the driver’s seat in the NFC East, but their magic number to clinch the division remains four games following the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving win against the Chiefs.

    It remains unlikely the Cowboys will be able to overtake the Eagles — even after Thursday’s victory, the New York Times gives Dallas a 3% chance to win the NFC East — but the division is suddenly a lot closer than it appeared just a few weeks ago.

    NFC East standings

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    Of course, the Eagles are playing for higher stakes than simply winning the division. Entering Friday’s game, the Birds hold the No. 2 spot in the NFC, with head-to-head wins against most of the conference’s top teams, including the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions.

    The Birds can add the surprising Bears to that list today with a win, while a loss would knock the Eagles down to third place in the NFC with just five more games to go before the playoffs.

    The Lions put themselves in a bad position with their loss against the Packers on Thanksgiving. At 7-5, Detroit is suddenly on the outside of the playoffs looking in with a tough schedule that includes games against the Cowboys, Rams, and Bears.

    NFC playoff picture

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    Week 13: Bears (8-3) at Eagles (8-3)

    • Where: Lincoln Financial Field
    • When: 3 p.m., Friday
    • Streaming: Amazon Prime Video (Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung)
    • TV: Fox29
    • Radio: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Devan Kaney)

    It shouldn’t be hard to watch or stream Friday’s game. In addition to simulcasting on Fox 29 in and around Philadelphia, Amazon is streaming the game for free globally on its Prime Video platform.

    Amazon’s Richard Sherman says Eagles play designs are ‘pretty pedestrian’

    Richard Sherman called the Eagles’ offense predictable and “pedestrian.”

    Last week, Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles called out the Eagles’ predictable offense, pointing to “simplistic” route designs that don’t create enough opportunities for wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

    “[Eagles offensive coordinator] Kevin Patullo is probably a great dude, a great coach, but there’s an art to play-calling that not everyone has and it’s not showing up this year,” Foles said.

    Richard Sherman agrees.

    The five-time Pro Bowl defender turned Thursday Night Football analyst said during a conference call earlier this week the design of many Eagles plays are “pretty pedestrian,” allowing defensive backs to “determine route combinations and route concepts” based on how the Birds line up.

    The Eagles have the 24th ranked offense in the NFL entering Friday’s game, among a handful of teams averaging less than 200 passing yards per game. Plus, Saquon Barkley isn’t coming close to repeating last year’s dominant 2,000-yard performance.

    “Do I think they can repair their offense? No, I don’t,” Sherman said. “I think Kevin Patullo’s the issue, and unless they replace him, nothing’s going to change. They’re going to go home” early in the playoffs.

    Ryan Fitzpatrick, Sherman’s colleague at Amazon who spent 17 seasons as an NFL quarterback, played with Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during his time in Buffalo. Fitzpatrick said it’s up to Patullo and head coach Nick Sirianni to fix “some missteps,” with their receivers, including getting A.J. Brown ”on a few more out cuts” and “in the slot a little bit more.”

    “They’ve got to start in the second half of the season here, breaking some of those bad tendencies,” Fitzpatrick said. “Because you do fall in love with certain routes, with certain guys, because they’re such good players.”

    They got paid. They got Super Bowl rings. And now, the Eagles’ offense is unmotivated.

    NFL games airing in Philadelphia this weekend

    Sunday
    • Texans at Colts: 1 p.m., CBS (Ian Eagle, J.J. Watt)
    • Rams at Panthers: 1 p.m., Fox (Adam Amin, Drew Brees)
    • Bills at Steelers: 4:25 p.m., CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo)
    • Broncos at Commanders: 8:15 p.m., NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth)
    Monday
    • Giants at Patriots: 8:20 p.m., ESPN/ABC (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman)

    Eagles-Bears live updates

    Staff writers Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, and Jeff Neiburg will be covering the action live on Inquirer.com.

    Notes and observations about the game can be found at Inquirer.com/Eagles. Don’t forget to subscribe to our free Sports Daily newsletter.

    Eagles-Bears: Live updates

    Eagles news

    Saquon Barkley is averaging just 62 rushing yards per game this season.

    Eagles 2025 schedule

  • NFL Thanksgiving games: Eagles came close to playing, league makes a change, and more

    NFL Thanksgiving games: Eagles came close to playing, league makes a change, and more

    Six NFL teams will take the field Thursday in the league’s latest incarnation of an annual Thanksgiving ritual, but for the 10th straight year the Eagles won’t be among them.

    Instead, the Birds will face the Chicago Bears on Amazon’s Black Friday game, which will stream for free on Prime Video Friday afternoon. It will also air on Fox 29 in and around Philadelphia.

    The last time the Birds played on Thanksgiving was in 2015, when they were blown out by the Lions in Chip Kelly’s final season as head coach.

    The NFL decided to go big this year, pitting the Dallas Cowboys against the Kansas City Chiefs on CBS in a matchup likely to become the most-watched NFL regular-season game in league history. The current high mark is a 2022 Thanksgiving game between the Cowboys and New York Giants, which drew 42.1 million viewers.

    With the Cowboys and Chiefs both coming off comeback wins and fighting for playoff spots, that bet paid off. But the league seriously considered scheduling Eagles-Cowboys in Dallas for Thanksgiving, which would’ve been just the third time the NFC East rivals faced off on the holiday — they previously played one another in 1989 and 2014.

    Maybe the league got sick of the Eagles’ holiday dominance. The Birds are 6-1 in games played on Thanksgiving, the highest win percentage (.857) in NFL history among teams that played at least five games.

    NFL makes some Thanksgiving changes

    This year’s NFL slate reveals a major shift for the league. Instead of dumping mediocre matchups on Thanksgiving knowing they’ll get good TV ratings — think of all those bad Cowboys-Washington games — the league turned to marquee teams in an attempt to maximize viewership.

    “We decided that based on last year, and the numbers, and the audience, and how many people were watching, to really see how high Thanksgiving can get,” Hans Schroeder, the NFL’s executive vice president of media distribution, told Front Office Sports.

    The NFL also pushed the start of the first Thanksgiving game back 30 minutes, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Schroeder told the Detroit Free Press the earlier kickoff time was potentially lowering viewership numbers slightly.

    “We look at the data where we can be informed,” Schroeder said. “It told us there’s a lot more fans that are home, that are back from wherever they are Thanksgiving morning to be on their couches and being able to watch. So that felt like a really obvious thing from a media perspective.”

    2025 NFL Thanksgiving TV schedule

    Green Bay Packers (7-3-1) at Detroit Lions (7-4)
    Jared Goff and the Lions will take on the Packers in a NFC North battle.
    • Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
    • Kickoff time: 1 p.m. Eastern
    • TV: Fox (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)
    • Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One
    • Stream: Fox One

    This game will only have playoff implications for the Eagles if the Birds lose a few more games.

    While both the Packers and Lions are among a cluster of teams atop the NFC, the Eagles hold tiebreakers against both thanks to head-to-head wins against the Packers and Lions in back-to-back weeks earlier this month.

    The game does have big ramifications in the NFC North, which the Packers are looking to win for the first time since 2021. Green Bay defeated Detroit way back in Week 1 and could sweep the season series with a win on Thanksgiving.

    This is the 29th time the Packers and Lions have faced off on Thanksgiving, with Detroit holding a 12-9-1 edge overall.

    Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) at Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1)
    Dak Prescott hopes to keep the Cowboys’ slim playoff hopes alive.
    • Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.
    • Kickoff time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern
    • TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
    • Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One
    • Stream: Paramount+

    The Cowboys have new life after their 21-point comeback win against the Eagles Sunday.

    While the NFC East is likely out of reach for the Cowboys (barring an epic collapse by the Eagles), Dak Prescott and company are still alive in the wild-card hunt. A win on Thanksgiving would improve the Cowboys’ chances of making the postseason to 22%, according to the New York Times playoff simulator. A loss drops their already poor odds down to just 6%.

    The Chiefs are in a similar situation, though things aren’t as dire. Despite entering Week 13 in 10th place in the AFC, Kansas City is right in the middle of the wild-card hunt with important divisional games against the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers coming up.

    Cincinnati Bengals (3-8) at Baltimore Ravens (6-5)
    Joe Burrow is back just in time for a big national game.
    • Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
    • Kickoff time: 8:20 p.m. Eastern
    • TV: NBC (Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)
    • Radio: 94.1 WIP via Westwood One
    • Stream: Peacock

    Outside of Joe Burrow’s return to the Bengals, the Thanksgiving nightcap has limited interest to Eagles fans.

    The Bengals would need to pull off a remarkable streak of wins to sneak into the playoffs. They head into Thanksgiving looking to end a four-game losing streak, and over the next three weeks they’ll play the Ravens twice and face Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo.

    The Ravens enter the game back in first place in the AFC North, though they’re tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers at 6-5. The Ravens’ offense has sputtered this season along with Lamar Jackson, who is playing despite ankle, knee, and toe issues. But the Bengals have the second-worst run defense in the league, which Derrick Henry and the Ravens could end up feasting on.

    Fubo subscribers won’t be able to watch one Thanksgiving game

    Mike Tirico (left) and Cris Collinsworth will call the evening Thanksgiving game on NBC.

    All three games will stream on their network’s respective subscription streaming services — Fox One for Fox, Paramount+ for CBS, and Peacock for NBC.

    The games also will stream on any so-called skinny bundle that carries the three broadcast networks, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream. Most offer a free trial.

    The one exception this year is Disney-owned Fubo, whose more than 1.3 million subscribers won’t be able to stream Thursday’s Bengals-Ravens on NBC due to a carriage dispute with NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast.

    As a result, all of NBC’s TV networks — including Bravo, CNBC, MS NOW, and NBC Sports Philadelphia here in the city — are dark on Fubo, with no sign of a deal on the horizon.

    If you live in the Philadelphia TV market, you can stream all three games on NFL+, the league’s subscription streaming service, which runs $6.99 a month. But that only includes tablets and mobile devices.

    If you’re looking to stream the games for free and you live in or around Philadelphia, your best option is using a digital antenna, since all three will air on broadcast television.

    What NFL teams have never played on Thanksgiving?

    Jacksonville is still looking to play in their first Thanksgiving game.

    The Jacksonville Jaguars remain the only NFL team to never play a Thanksgiving game.

    There are a lot of reasons for this, but it’s mostly because the Jaguars just haven’t been that good or compelling, and there are less opportunities for AFC teams than NFC teams.

    It doesn’t help Jacksonville has only played a total of nine road games against the Lions and Cowboys in 30 seasons since entering the league in 1995, and isn’t scheduled to face either team this season.

    The NFL’s old TV rules didn’t help, either. Prior to 2022, any Jaguars-Lions or Jaguars-Cowboys game would have had to air on CBS, which had the rights to broadcast AFC teams when they were on the road facing NFC teams.

    Maybe they’ll get their shot next season, since the Jaguars appear to be on the upswing and will face the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in 2026. Then again, if the NFL is focusing on big matchups, Jacksonville may be out of luck.

  • WMMR’s ‘Preston & Steve’ losing another cohost following surprise announcement by Nick McIlwain

    WMMR’s ‘Preston & Steve’ losing another cohost following surprise announcement by Nick McIlwain

    The Preston & Steve Show is losing another personality.

    Longtime cohost Nick McIlwain, who has been a fixture on Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison’s popular WMMR morning show for 21 years, announced Wednesday would be his last day on the show.

    The surprise announcement comes a little less than a month after the sudden death of beloved WMMR host Pierre Robert. McIlwain made the decision to leave the station before losing his friend and colleague, but made clear it impacted his choice. McIlwain said he was also motivated by the departure of former colleague and current B101 host Kathy Romano, who was forced out in May as part of cutbacks by parent company Beasley Media Group.

    But mostly, McIlwain thought it was time for a change.

    “Kathy and I are really close, but I don’t know if things would be different if she were still here,” McIlwain told The Inquirer. “One of the main factors was I’m 50 years old, and if you’re going to make a change in your life, the older you get the harder it gets.”

    Playing in the background is the long decline of radio (and just about every other form of media) in a digital world, which has led to a continuous cycle of cutbacks and layoffs. Unlike Romano’s departure, it is entirely McIlwain’s decision to leave WMMR, where he began as an intern in 1999 and spent more than half his adult life.

    Though he has some things he plans to pursue, McIlwain doesn’t really know what comes next, though he doesn’t think his future will be on the radio. The only concrete plans he has is to take the next few months off to figure stuff out and come to terms with the death of his friend and mentor.

    “Losing Pierre was really tough. It’s taken a real big toll on me and hurts all the time,” McIlwain said. “I haven’t had a ton of time to grieve and mourn properly yet, so I’m gonna do that for myself.”

    Elliot admitted he was confused when McIlwain first approached him about leaving the show. McIlwain, like the rest of Preston & Steve’s close-knit crew, was under contract for another four years. But both he and Morrison have come to terms with McIlwain’s decision and have already settled on a path forward.

    Replacing McIlwain in the studio will be Preston & Steve producer Marisa Magnatta. Replacing her will be Robert’s former midday producer, Ryan Shuttleworth.

    “This is what you need to do,” Elliott said to McIlwain on the air Wednesday. “Given our druthers, you would stay right here. We’d have you on board. Things would be business as usual. But you know, this is a decision that you came to, and he presented us with it, and who are we to say, ‘How dare you?’”

    More radio personalities on the move

    Paul Kelly (left) will take over Matt Cord’s spot as morning host of 102.9 WMGK.

    Robert’s death last month stunned the music world and left WMMR’s midday spot vacant for the first time in more than four decades.

    Fortunately, WMMR found the perfect replacement in Matt Cord, a veteran Philly voice and the longtime PA announcer for the Sixers. Cord and Robert were close friends for years, and program director Chuck Damico said “Pierre would absolutely 100% approve of the move.

    “No one will ever replace Pierre Robert but I promise I’ll carry his spirit into the ‘Pierre Robert’ studio everyday and do my best to make him proud,” Cord wrote on social media earlier this week.

    Taking over Cord’s morning show at 102.9 WMGK will be another radio veteran — Paul Kelly, a Philly native who’s been a utility infielder at the station since 2019, hosting just about every shift.

    Kelly’s been on the air since 1989, hosting shows in Atlantic City, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and is proud of the fact his family has been Eagles season ticket holders since their Franklin Field days.

    Both start their new gigs Monday.