Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes

Category: Eagles/NFL

  • Stories that could shake Philly sports in 2026, from Lane Johnson and A.J. Brown to Bryce Harper and Shane Steichen

    Stories that could shake Philly sports in 2026, from Lane Johnson and A.J. Brown to Bryce Harper and Shane Steichen

    You never see the biggest stories coming. That’s kind of by definition, isn’t it?

    The year 2025 was relatively quiet one as far as seismic activity goes. The Sixers’ arena switcheroo probably was the biggest pure news story next to the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. Compare that to 2024, in which Saquon Barkley and Paul George signed, Jason Kelce retired, Matvei Michikov arrived, and the Sixers went belly-up. That, in addition to Carter Hart being arrested, Cutter Gauthier forcing a trade, and Haason Reddick being traded.

    It’s impossible to say whether the earth will shake in 2026. But if it does, here is how it could happen:

    The thrill of victory and the exasperation of trying to feel good about it define the 2025 Eagles

    1. Lane Johnson announces his retirement after 13 NFL seasons and leaves the Eagles scrambling.

    At this point, nothing suggests that Johnson will seriously consider retiring after the season. The contract extension he signed last year tacked on $40 million in guarantees in 2025 and 2026. That’s a pretty good reason for Eagles fans to take comfort, especially if Johnson returns to the field for the postseason, as is expected. He’d be walking away from some serious money if he retired this offseason.

    At the same time, we’d be foolish not to at least acknowledge the possibility, given the dramatic implications it would have on the Eagles’ roster. Johnson has been the single biggest reason the Eagles have seamlessly bridged their competitive teams through a rotating cast of quarterbacks and head coaches. There will be no replacing him, at least not immediately.

    Johnson has been open about the punishment that the NFL has inflicted upon his body over the years. That’s worth noting after a regular season in which he missed seven games because of injury for the first time since 2020 and just the second time in his career.

    At 35 years and 239 days, Johnson is the second-oldest offensive lineman to play at least 300 snaps this season. Only Kelvin Beachum has him beat at 36 years, 207 days. Since 2015, only seven offensive linemen have a season of 12-plus starts at age 36 or older.

    Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown shown after making a catch against the Bills on Sunday in Buffalo.

    2. A.J. Brown gets traded for a conditional 2027 second round pick that can become a first; Eagles immediately invest in a replacement.

    Forget about Brown’s public grumbling for a moment. Consider instead this fact: In the 10 games in which Brown has seen eight or more targets, the Eagles are 5-5. In the five games in which he has seen fewer than eight targets, the Eagles are 5-0. Kind of strange, isn’t it?

    Correlation doesn’t equal causation, but Brown’s on-field performance clearly has dipped this season. In his first three years with the Eagles, he looked like a receiver who belonged in the conversation for best in the sport. That hasn’t been the case this season. The explosiveness, the burst, the strength at the point of attack and in the air appear to be diminished. The numbers reflect it. His 8.3 yards-per-target is down nearly 20% from 2022 to 2024 (10.3), as is his yards per reception (12.9, down from 15.4) and his catch percentage (52.1, down from 56.3).

    Brown is at an age at which decline can come fast at the wide receiver position. Cooper Kupp hasn’t broken 850 yards in a season since turning 29. Same goes for Brandin Cooks and Odell Beckham Jr.

    DeAndre Hopkins averaged 1,380 yards per season from 25-28 years old and 644 yards at 29-30 years old. Adam Thielen averaged 6.4 catches and 82.8 yards per game at 27-28 and 4.2 catches and 53.7 yards at 29-30.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    Alshon Jeffery, Allen Robinson, Michael Thomas, Tyreek Hill … the list goes on. For Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, and Antonio Brown, the drop-off came at 30 or 31.

    There are exceptions: Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, Mike Evans. But they are very much exceptions.

    To justify trading Brown, the Eagles almost certainly would have to have a replacement lined up. Jahan Dotson clearly isn’t a suitable second option. In the four regular-season games Brown has missed over the last two seasons, Dotson has a total of five catches for 25 yards. In those four games, the Eagles’ total wide receiver production outside of DeVonta Smith was 20 catches for 94 yards.

    The Eagles would save about $7 million against the cap if they traded Brown after June 1. They might be able to accommodate a free-agent offer to somebody like Alec Pierce, the Colts deep threat whose all-around game took an intriguing step forward this season. But there are a lot of teams that will be in the free-agent market this season, with the Patriots and dream quarterback Drake Maye at the top of the list.

    Even if Brown isn’t the player at 29 years old that he was at 27, he would still be difficult to replace. Combined with the limited financial upside of moving him, we’ll have to see this story to believe it.

    Sixers center Joel Embiid has scored 27 or more points in his last three games.

    3. Joel Embiid helps to lead the Sixers to a first-round playoff upset and sparks trade interest among teams desperate to catch the Thunder and Spurs.

    Embiid entered the new year having scored 27-plus points in three straight games. That counts as an accomplishment these days. He looked like an empty husk of his former self in his first nine games of the 2025-26 season, averaging just 18.2 points on a woeful .441 effective field goal percentage.

    Question is, what if Embiid’s recent uptick in minutes and production is a signal that he has more left in the tank than we’ve given him credit for? He still needs to show a lot more defensively. And he has yet to play more than 71 minutes in a seven-day span. But he just logged 38 minutes in an overtime win over the Grizzlies, four days after playing a season-high 32 minutes in a loss to the Bulls.

    With three years and $188 million left on his contract after this season, Embiid would probably have to be playing at his prime MVP level to have positive trade value. A more realistic question is whether he can play well enough to change the Sixers’ short-term narrative.

    4. Eagles hire Shane Steichen or Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator.

    The Colts would be foolish to fire Steichen, who has somehow managed to put together a 25-25 record with the following starting quarterbacks: Gardner Minshew (7-6), Daniel Jones (8-5), Anthony Richardson (8-7), Joe Flacco (2-4), and Philip Rivers (0-3). But here is what owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon told the Athletic recently:

    Tanner McKee is ready to ‘play fast’ in his next opportunity to start at quarterback with the Eagles

    “Most people don’t like change,” said Irsay-Gordon, who has been patrolling the sidelines with a clipboard all season. “I think there’s something wrong with me, but I feel like it is the one thing that is a guarantee. I think it can be exciting.”

    Even if the Colts part ways with Steichen, a team like the Giants could easily snatch him up. I can’t imagine Nick Sirianni would demote himself from head coach in order to restore Steichen as the play-caller. It definitely would be a heck of a story.

    McDaniel might be a more realistic option, although he may be in the process of saving his job by leading the Dolphins to five wins in seven games.

    5. Bryce Harper takes another step backward, as do the Phillies.

    There has been enough passive-aggressive weirdness percolating between Harper and management that we have to at least flag him as the main character in a potential major story. Dave Dombrowski rankled Harper when he mused about Harper’s eliteness, but it is a legitimate question. At 32 years old, Harper is coming off his worst season in a decade. Another step backward would raise some serious concerns. And create some serious headlines.

  • Marcus Epps’ NFL career was in jeopardy last summer. He believes his return home to the Eagles was meant to be

    Marcus Epps’ NFL career was in jeopardy last summer. He believes his return home to the Eagles was meant to be

    Cooper DeJeanhas sat just a few stalls away from Marcus Epps in the NovaCare Complex locker room day after day, practice after practice since September.

    But, on Game Days, the second-year nickel cornerback says he hardly recognizes Epps.

    The relaxed, laid-back safety doesn’t make a peep, at least compared to the boisterous DeJean, who is constantly cracking jokes with his teammates. When Epps is on the field, though, DeJean said that calm demeanor dissipates as if a switch flips in his head.

    Enthusiasm emanates from Epps on every play. The 29-year-old wore his heart on his jersey sleeve in last Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills, especially on a critical goal-line stand late in the third quarter. After Epps stuffed James Cook for a loss of a yard on third down and Zack Baun prevented Josh Allen from scrambling into the end zone on fourth, Epps screamed and flexed on his way to the sideline.

    In moments like those, Reed Blankenship says he’s scared to give his fellow safety a high five.

    “He’ll try to slap me as hard as he can,” Blankenship explained. “I’m like, I don’t know if I want to do that. He’s just one of those dudes that you can tell that loves the game and loves the way it’s supposed to be played.”

    Epps shows his passion through his physicality, according to DeJean.

    “He loves to hit people,” DeJean said. “Loves to play downhill. You can tell he really loves to be out there just by the way he plays and his energy.”

    That love for football intensified when the game was taken away from Epps. This time last year, he was recovering from a torn ACL suffered early in the season as the starting safety for the Las Vegas Raiders.

    Initial devastation was eventually replaced by a new perspective, one that fueled Epps’ comeback in 2025 upon his return to the Eagles, the team he started for in the Super Bowl in 2022.

    Tanner McKee is ready to ‘play fast’ in his next opportunity to start at quarterback with the Eagles

    Epps says he doesn’t take any moment — even his shortcomings — for granted. His failure to make the New England Patriots roster out of training camp led him to sign to the Eagles’ practice squad two days later. Shortly after Drew Mukuba’s Week 12 ankle injury, Vic Fangio anointed a new starter in Epps, who has seamlessly slotted into one of the league’s most dominant defenses.

    Months of doubt over his NFL future gave way to a sense of gratitude in Philadelphia, even before he became an Eagles starter again.

    “I feel like this is exactly where I was supposed to be this season,” Epps said last week.

    Marcus Epps (1) started all 17 games for the Raiders in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury three games into the 2024 season.

    ‘Everything happens for a reason’

    On the morning of Las Vegas’ Week 4 game against the Cleveland Browns last season, Jakorian Bennett, then a Raiders cornerback, decided to switch up his pregame look.

    Bennett donned a black No. 1 Epps jersey as he walked through the Allegiant Stadium corridors to the locker room. Bennett, whom the Eagles acquired from the Raiders in early August, sought to honor Epps, who tore his ACL the week prior against the Carolina Panthers.

    Even though Epps was four years Bennett’s senior, the cornerback considered him his closest friend on the team. He admired Epps, who went from a University of Wyoming walk-on to a Minnesota Vikings sixth-round pick to an NFL starter in a span of eight years.

    “If you’d seen how much work he put in during the offseason, when you train so hard for, what, four months? Three months? Whatever it is,” Bennett said. “It’s year-round, really, and for it to just kind of be, I don’t want to say that it was just a waste, but just for it to kind of go out that way, it’s kind of unfortunate.”

    Jalen Hurts says he trusts Eagles coaches with sit-or-start decision — and the offense’s direction

    Bennett, 25, knew just how much work Epps had put in during the offseason. Bennett’s NFL career began with the Raiders in 2023, the same year Epps joined the team after 3½ years with the Eagles. Since then, Bennett has spent two weeks of the summer training with the veteran safety at the gym he owns in Costa Mesa, Calif.

    Epps and Bennett initially gravitated toward each other because they both “do things the right way,” the cornerback explained. That approach applies to their preparation, from their film study to the way they take care of their bodies.

    Their bond grew stronger in 2024, when they supported each other through season-ending injuries. Bennett had shoulder surgery in November that shut him down for the rest of the year. While Epps called his own recovery a “difficult process” that required him to lean on his loved ones, it also put his career into perspective.

    “I realized even more so, how much I really just love football, and just want to be out there as much as I can and play this game for as long as I can,” Epps said. “That perspective just helped me every day in terms of getting up in the morning and continuing to put the work in.”

    Marcus Epps could not navigate a crowded depth chart in New England in the preseason, dimming his career prospects in the process.

    Epps said he went through plenty of “dark days” during his rehab. He understood the reality of his situation — there was no guarantee that everything he worked to achieve as a starter would be waiting for him in the end. Regardless, he said he believed that everything would work out for the best.

    Better days did not immediately arrive. Epps signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal in the offseason, a decision he said he made because they “came after me and they made it seem like they wanted me there.”

    But he never made progress up the depth chart, leading to his release at the end of August. The Eagles came calling that same day, a silver lining to his stint in New England.

    “That experience, I feel like, brought me back here,” Epps said. “Everything happens for a reason. Got to be able to just stay true to yourself, keep working, have faith in God and that he’s going to put you in the right spot.”

    A ‘seamless’ transition

    There’s a little bit of weirdness that comes with being the guy who returns to his former squad after a hiatus, according to Epps.

    No, that feeling wasn’t associated with his having signed with another team in free agency following the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss. Rather, Epps returned to a familiar place filled with unfamiliar faces, especially on a defense under second-year Eagles coordinator Fangio. Of course, he had to learn Fangio’s scheme, too.

    “[Epps] was asking me questions,” said Bennett, who had arrived in Philadelphia just a few weeks earlier. “I’m like, ‘Hey, brother, can’t really help you with that one.’”

    The uniform might have been familiar for Marcus Epps (39), but there was a lot to learn after three years away.

    While Epps acknowledged he had to make an adjustment, former teammates such as Blankenship, Jalen Hurts, and A.J. Brown, plus safeties coach Joe Kasper, who was a defensive quality control coach during Epps’ first stint, made his transition easier.

    “Everybody really just greeted me with open arms,” Epps said. “And I can’t say enough about that and how much I appreciated that, this locker room and this building just welcoming me back and making me feel like I was wanted here and appreciated here.”

    Blankenship’s appreciation for Epps dates to his rookie season in 2022, when the elder safety became his mentor. As Blankenship learned Jonathan Gannon’s scheme, Epps implored him to start small. He wasn’t going to become Ed Reed overnight.

    Even when Epps wasn’t starting earlier in the 2025 season, he took that same approach with the younger safeties in the room, all while staying ready for his opportunity. Blankenship said he knows how it feels to be on the receiving end of the wisdom that Mukuba, Sydney Brown, and Andrè Sam received.

    “He helped me out a lot with doing that, how to break down film, just how to communicate as a whole,” Blankenship said. “I feel like he does a really good job of doing that now.”

    Then wearing No. 22, Marcus Epps (center) played 54 games as an Eagle from 2019-22, starting all 17 games in the final season of his first run with the team.

    DeJean also highlighted Epps’ communication skills, stating that it’s the reason why he has been able to make an impact on the defense so quickly. Epps is adept at making sure his teammates are on the same page by communicating what he sees from the opposing offense before the snap.

    His familiarity with Blankenship has helped his transition, too. Blankenship and Epps started five games together between the regular season and postseason in 2022. Their trust flourished in that span, when Epps saw firsthand just how much work Blankenship was putting in behind the scenes. Epps said he knew the rookie would be ready to play every week.

    Even though they’re playing in a new defense now, Epps said they picked up where they left off three seasons ago.

    “Just having played with him before and having that chemistry and trust especially, I think that’s a huge thing, especially in this system,” Epps said. “The safeties have to have a lot of trust and a lot of chemistry. And it made that a lot easier that we already had that in place. So from there, it’s just communication. And it really felt like it was seamless.”

    Epps won’t see the field in the season finale against the Washington Commanders. Instead, he’ll continue his recovery from a concussion after he reported symptoms following Thursday’s practice.

    Three reassuring Eagles stats, and three reasons to worry ahead of the NFL playoffs

    Then, the playoffs await — Epps’ first postseason appearance since the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The veteran safety is eager to bring his playoff experience to the team this time around. He said he knows what it takes to make a long postseason run, even though he didn’t lift the Lombardi Trophy three years ago.

    His teammates appreciate his presence, too. Epps may not garner much attention off the field with his subdued personality, but Blankenship didn’t shy away from giving him his flowers.

    “It’s not just me, Cooper, or Zack back there,” Blankenship said. “It’s Epps, too. He knows what he’s doing. We’re very comfortable with him back there.”

  • Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 18

    Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 18

    Welcome to Preseason Week … err … Week 18 of the NFL season.

    The Eagles made the decision to rest some starters for Sunday’s season finale against the Washington Commanders to give themselves a pseudo bye week ahead of the playoffs.

    But even so, Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field presents the potential for the Eagles to move up a spot and into the No. 2 seed in the NFC if they win and Detroit is able to pull off a road win at Chicago.

    Will the Eagles’ backups do their part? Or will Washington end a miserable season on a high note? Here’s what our writers think:

    Jeff Neiburg

    It’s Tanner Time.

    And, really, is there anything near as interesting as the Eagles’ backup quarterback on Sunday? Sure, there are some young players whose progress and development will be on display, but this wacky season deserves nothing more than a phony quarterback controversy to start the postseason run.

    Three reassuring Eagles stats, and three reasons to worry ahead of the NFL playoffs

    In all seriousness, Tanner McKee and whichever amalgamation of offensive players take the field for the Eagles’ first series Sunday still have a very real chance at winning the game and putting the fate of the playoff seeding in the hands of the Bears.

    We can expect to see a similar McKee that we saw in Week 18 last season. He’s a capable passer who can operate the offense at a pretty high level. And Washington’s defense is really bad.

    The Commanders, meanwhile, are expected to start third-stringer Josh Johnson at quarterback. His cross-field throw into the waiting hands of Cooper DeJean in Week 16 is all you really need to know about the Commanders’ offense with Johnson playing quarterback. Jacory Croskey-Merritt got free for a 72-yard touchdown last Thursday, but otherwise he had 10 carries for 33 yards.

    The Eagles don’t typically stack the box, but if their backups are able to stop the run with success, it may be tough for Johnson to beat them with his arm. The Eagles will have some capable players on the field on defense. Imagine how long Josh Uche has been waiting to rush the quarterback in a game?

    Games like this are really hard to predict. Who plays? And for how long? But the Eagles have the advantage at quarterback, and they’re the team with more football to play beyond Week 18. I’ll take that combination in this one.

    Will there actually be a quarterback controversy? McKee will probably play well enough that the sports radio callers will engage in the absurdity. Happy New Year.

    Prediction: Eagles 27, Commanders 16

    Olivia Reiner

    The million-dollar question this week: Can the Eagles backups beat the Commanders?

    McKee will certainly give them a chance. Whenever he has been called upon, both in the preseason and the regular season, the 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford has risen to the occasion. In his last start, he led the Eagles to a 2024 Week 18 victory against the New York Giants.

    Jalen Hurts says he trusts Eagles coaches with sit-or-start decision — and the offense’s direction

    But McKee isn’t throwing the ball to himself, blocking for himself, nor trying to stop the Johnson-led Commanders offense. Is this Eagles team as deep as they were last season at every other position?

    That’s up for debate. The players adding secondary depth were more experienced in Week 18 of last year, with players such as Avonte Maddox and Isaiah Rodgers starting at safety and cornerback, respectively. Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett are likely to get the nod at cornerback, while Sydney Brown will likely start at safety.

    On the offensive line, Drew Kendall could earn his first start at center. Last year, it was sixth-year veteran Nick Gates in that role.

    Still, the Eagles can’t rest all of the starters. Perhaps a few such as Jihaad Campbell see some playing time on Sunday.

    The Commanders aren’t exactly operating at full strength. Center Tyler Biadasz went on injured reserve this week and left tackle Laremy Tunsil isn’t expected to play, either.

    While the Eagles will be motivated to win, the banged-up Commanders have more experience playing together this season. Plus, they may still have a bad taste in their mouths given the scrum that occurred late in the Week 16 game at Northwest Stadium.

    Prediction: Commanders 21, Eagles 17

  • Tanner McKee is ready to ‘play fast’ in his next opportunity to start at quarterback with the Eagles

    Tanner McKee is ready to ‘play fast’ in his next opportunity to start at quarterback with the Eagles

    The Eagles were going through their ball security drills at practice Thursday when running backs coach Jemal Singleton chimed in.

    Many starters will get the day off Sunday in the season finale vs. the Washington Commanders. So Singleton wanted to offer a reminder: For some Eagles who will take the field Sunday, their last time getting hit was a while ago. His eyes quickly darted to Tanner McKee, the backup quarterback said.

    “It’s actually been a while since I’ve gotten hit,” McKee said Thursday afternoon.

    Sure, Jalen Hurts’ backup has hit the field a few times in mop-up duty this season. He handed to Tank Bigsby twice and kneeled twice during the final drive two weeks ago vs. Washington. He led a 17-play drive to the goal line in a blowout over Las Vegas a week earlier. And he handed once to Bigsby before kneeling three times to close out a Week 8 win over the Giants.

    This week is different. McKee will get the reins vs. the Commanders as the Eagles give Hurts and some other regulars a week off from game action to get ready for the playoffs. McKee and any other backup will routinely tell you about preparation being the same every week. Backups prepare to start because their number could be called at any time. But McKee said there is a slight difference.

    “You’re just more involved with making the calls on the field instead of watching somebody else make the calls,” he said. “So you’re back there and you’re doing your footwork. ‘This is what I would do; these are my reads if I were in.’ But now you’re actually in. It is just kind of getting those physical reps.”

    Almost a decade after his cancer scare, Eagles QB Tanner McKee champions the importance of early detection

    And he will prepare to be hit, too. McKee hasn’t gone into a game as a starter since the preseason. Prior to that it was Week 18 last year, when he completed 27 of 41 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-13 win over the Giants. McKee will again face a divisional foe, but the big difference this time is the game has some stakes. The Eagles were locked into the No. 2 seed last season. This time, McKee could help lead the Eagles to a win with a chance to move into the second spot in the NFC if Detroit beats Chicago.

    “I’m definitely excited for that,” McKee said. “It’s obviously fun when something is on the line.”

    Philadelphia Eagles Tanner McKee throws the football during practice at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia

    In that regard, McKee hasn’t played a meaningful game since he was at Stanford in 2022. And while this game does have some possible stakes for the Eagles, it definitely has stakes for McKee, who is still a 25-year-old quarterback trying to put good play on tape. Next season is the final year of his contract, and while there are surely some Eagles fans that want him to be a starter here — and will make their voices heard on radio stations heading into the playoffs if he plays well Sunday — McKee is, in a sense, auditioning for his next job. The Eagles could choose to bring him back as a reliable backup option in 2026, or they could try to flip him for draft capital this offseason.

    McKee, who had a good training camp with the Eagles, said he wasn’t thinking ahead about that part of it, but is viewing Sunday as just another opportunity to go do his job and perform. He feels more prepared to do that now than he did at this time last year just because of all the practice time he’s gotten since.

    “Obviously with more reps you get more confidence, you have that good chemistry with the guys around you,” McKee said. “I feel like I have a good feel, can play fast. As a quarterback it’s really big to be able to play and just react to the game instead of trying to think, ‘What’s my job? What’s my footwork? What’s everybody else doing?’ You can just play and react and so I feel like I’ve gotten to that point and I feel comfortable doing that.”

    A year after his last start, he’ll get a chance to show just how comfortable on Sunday.

    Jalen Hurts says he trusts Eagles coaches with sit-or-start decision — and the offense’s direction

    Williams added to active roster

    Rookie right tackle Cameron Williams was added to the active roster after being activated from injured reserve Thursday. Williams’ 21-day practice window was set to expire this week and the Eagles opted to activated him rather than end his season.

    Williams, 22, could see his first NFL action Sunday.

    Injury report

    The Eagles listed Jalen Carter (hip), Nakobe Dean (hamstring), Dallas Goedert (knee), Lane Johnson (foot), and Jalean Phillips (ankle) as non participants in practice Thursday.

    Safety Marcus Epps reported concussion symptoms to the medical staff after practice. He has a concussion and is in the concussion protocol.

    Jihaad Campbell (back/shoulder) was upgraded to a full participant after appearing on the estimated injury report after Wednesday’s walk-through as limited.

  • From the Eagles’ Super Bowl win to the Phillies’ bitter end, let’s look back at 2025 in Philly sports

    From the Eagles’ Super Bowl win to the Phillies’ bitter end, let’s look back at 2025 in Philly sports

    Dave Barry, arguably the funniest columnist ever and certainly the funniest Haverford College alumnus ever, has a tradition. Every December, he writes a piece in which he reviews everything that happened over the previous calendar year. Some of the things are true. Some of them are kinda true. All of them are hilarious.

    Barry got his start in journalism at the West Chester Daily Local News, was almost hired by The Inquirer in 1983, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988, and has written more than 40 books, including a terrific memoir, Class Clown, that was published in May. (Dave, when you update the “Acknowledgments” section for the paperback edition, it’s S-I-E-L-S-K-I.) So in honor of a great writer with strong local ties, let’s close out 2025 with a look back at the year in Philadelphia sports.

    January

    The year got off to a rough start when Howard Eskin, the Edward R. Murrow of autograph seekers, lost his very important job of telling everyone how awesome the Eagles are. Tanner McKee started the team’s final regular-season game and played well against the Giants, proving that he is better than Jalen Hurts, Tom Brady, and Joe Montana combined. Nevertheless, coach Nick Sirianni insisted on starting Hurts in the Eagles’ first playoff game, which led to wide receiver A.J. Brown’s decision to sit on the sideline and read a book called Magic in the Air, which was written by some hack from the suburbs. Hurts shook off his two tepid performances against the Packers and the Rams to play brilliantly in the NFC championship game against the Commanders, who aided him by refusing to cover any receivers or tackle Saquon Barkley.

    A.J. Brown plays football and has impeccable taste in literature.

    Meanwhile, the Sixers played 17 games in the month and lost 11 of them, which cut into the listenership for Paul George’s podcast. But on the bright side, Penn State lost a close game to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals, inspiring optimism that James Franklin finally would guide the Nittany Lions to a national championship the following season.

    February

    Speculation of a pro-Chiefs conspiracy among NFL officials swirled in the run-up to Super Bowl LIX, but those rumors were put to rest once Patrick Mahomes conspired to throw the ball to Cooper DeJean and Zack Baun throughout the first half. The Eagles thumped Kansas City, 40-22, prompting Brady to provide no discernable analysis on the telecast other than shouting “WOW!” after every significant play. At the Super Bowl parade, Eagles vice president Howie Roseman was struck in the head by a full can of beer. He immediately found the fan who threw the beer and signed him to a three-year, cap-friendly contract. On WIP, Spike Eskin argued that the fan should start ahead of Hurts.

    March meant a pink slip for Flyers coach John Tortorella.

    March

    The Phillies began the 2025 season with three wins in their first four games and the expectation that, if the team did not win the World Series, fans would storm Citizens Bank Park, bind and gag team president Dave Dombrowski, and throw him into the Schuylkill. Villanova’s men’s basketball team lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament and fired coach Kyle Neptune, which reminded everyone that Kyle Neptune had been coaching Villanova’s men’s basketball team. The Flyers lost 11 times in a 12-game stretch and fired coach John Tortorella, which reminded everyone that Philadelphia used to have a hockey team.

    Brandon Graham said he was retiring after 15 years with the Eagles. Yep. He said that. There was a news conference and everything.

    Aaron Nola elicited deep concern in April.

    April

    Aaron Nola lost four consecutive starts for the Phillies, which raised the concern that fans would storm Citizens Bank Park, bind and gag him, and throw him into the Schuylkill. Coaches and executives around the NFL began lobbying the league to ban the Tush Push. The Eagles responded by encouraging their offensive linemen to stop blocking altogether — a strategy they carried into the 2025 season. The team then drafted Jihaad Campbell, the first time that the Eagles had selected a linebacker in the first round since 1979 … two years before their head coach was born. Seriously.

    Big Five Hall of Fame induction continues to elude Pope Leo XIV.

    May

    A busy time. The Flyers hired Rick Tocchet as their new head coach, which prompted several 55-year-old South Jersey women to dig their TOCCHET, ZEZEL, and MELLANBY jerseys out of mothballs and start wearing them again.

    The Phillies won nine straight games, but bad news marred their hot streak. Major League Baseball suspended closer José Alvarado for 80 games and ruled him ineligible for the postseason after a drug test revealed he had not told gamblers that he was using a banned substance. Nola gave up 12 hits and nine earned runs over 3⅔ innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, after which the Phillies placed him on the injured list. Then Jesús Luzardo gave up 12 hits and 12 earned runs over 3⅓ innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, which raised the concern that fans would storm Citizens Bank Park and insist that Nola pitch again.

    DeJean and his fellow Eagles defensive back Reed Blankenship launched their podcast, Exciting Whites, which immediately rocketed up the audience rankings in Mayfair, Somerton, and Ridley Township. The College of Cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost, a Villanova alumnus, as the new Pope. In his first declaration as Pope Leo XIV, Prevost announced that “V for Villanova” would become the official Communion hymn for every Catholic Mass in the United States, replacing “Taste and See,” “Eat This Bread,” and the ever popular “One Bread, One Body.”

    The Sixers drafted VJ Edgecombe and everyone blindly trusted that the franchise made the correct choice.

    June

    The Indiana Pacers’ remarkable run to Game 7 of the NBA Finals — thanks in large part to T.J. McConnell — reminded Sixers fans of those halcyon days when the team tanked for three years to acquire a 5-10 backup point guard who might someday lead them to an almost-championship. Things got better once the Sixers selected VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick in the draft, allowing them to phase out Joel Embiid and George with a roster made up entirely of guards who were 6-4 or shorter.

    The Flyers used their first-round pick on a promising winger, Porter Mantone, though fans remained disappointed that neither Tocchet, general manager Danny Brière, nor team president Keith Jones would be suiting up for the team himself.

    Jalen Hurts and the Eagles did not win a single game in July.

    July

    The WNBA announced that Philadelphia would get an expansion franchise in 2030, provided that the WNBA still exists in 2030. The NCAA announced that it would keep the March Madness field at 68, quelling any remaining hope that any Big 5 team would ever qualify for the Tournament again. At the MLB trade deadline, the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader, who immediately became their best player, and Jhoan Duran, who immediately increased their in-game pyrotechnic production costs by 250%.

    The Eagles began training camp, and Hurts laid out the team’s message for the season: “We are focused on 2025. We’re acting like we didn’t just win the Super Bowl. We’ve forgotten that we won the Super Bowl. You either win or you learn. We are keeping the main thing the thing that is mainly the thing that we think is, in the main, what we want to be doing. What is the Super Bowl anyway? What is soup? What are bowls? Who am I? Why am I here?”

    Kyle Schwarber (right, with Bryce Harper) heated up the Philadelphia summer.

    August

    Kyle Schwarber became the 21st player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a game, raising questions about whether the Phillies would re-sign him in the offseason — questions that Dombrowski dispelled: “Kyle is an elite power hitter. He’s the most elite hitter we have. He’s the elitist elite hitter around. Got all that, Bryce?”

    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced that they were engaged and that their wedding ceremony would be streamed live on the New Heights podcast. That way, someone would finally have a reason to listen to a full episode of the New Heights podcast.

    Jalen Carter’s one magic loogie earned him an early trip to the locker room.

    September

    Seconds into the Eagles’ season opener, Jalen Carter spat on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carter was ejected from the game and, via referendum, elected mayor of Philadelphia. The Eagles won their first four games, which everyone agreed was awful, just like A.J. Brown said on Twitter/X.

    Before the ninth inning of a Phillies-Nationals game at Citizens Bank Park, Duran set himself on fire and jogged to the pitcher’s mound, where he sacrificed a goat to what he later called “the mighty spider god who gives me strength.” He then gave up two runs for his first blown save.

    After manager Rob Thomson benched him, outfielder Nick Castellanos complained that Thomson didn’t communicate well. When asked to respond to Castellanos’ comments, Thomson shrugged and said, “Welp.”

    Orion Kerkering could have done without all of that.

    October

    A not-so-great month. The Phillies lost in the National League Division Series when a Dodgers batter hit a ground ball back to the mound and reliever Orion Kerkering passed out. The Eagles lost back-to-back games to the Broncos and Giants. To adjust to their team’s limitations, Sirianni and new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo decided that Hurts would be forbidden from throwing a pass after halftime for the rest of the season. Penn State fired James Franklin after losses to Oregon, UCLA, Northwestern, Archbishop Ryan, and the Lenape Valley 10U Pop Warner team.

    The silver lining? Brandon Graham — surprise! — came out of retirement to rejoin the Eagles.

    Jalen Hurts and Kevin Patullo are pleased to give Eagles fans something to discuss.

    November

    The media who cover the Eagles grappled with a simple question: Does the offense stink because of A) Jalen Hurts, B) Kevin Patullo, or C) Yes? The Eagles then squandered a 21-point lead in losing to the Cowboys and got pushed around in losing to the Bears, leading NFL experts to wonder whether a team coached by Sirianni and quarterbacked by Hurts could ever win anything of consequence.

    Tocchet faced withering criticism from Flyers fans for limiting the ice time of Matvei Michkov, who showed up for training camp weighing 350 pounds and having forgotten how to skate. The Sixers got off to an excellent start as Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey showed they could form the franchise’s best backcourt since Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith.

    The Flyers are good again and we all saw it coming.

    December

    The Phillies re-signed Schwarber for too many years and too much money for a 32-year-old designated hitter, handing him a contract that will prevent them from breaking down the roster and beginning the 15-year rebuild that any true fan would really want. In response to Dombrowski’s assertion that he was “not elite,” Harper began a new offseason training program similar to Robert De Niro’s in Cape Fear.

    The Flyers finished the month in third place in the Metropolitan Division and on pace to make the playoffs, disappointing those fans who hated the idea of tanking right up until the Flyers stopped tanking. Maxey and Edgecombe kept up their fine play for the Sixers, and Villanova won 10 of its first 12 games, even though no one, not even new coach Kevin Willard, could identify a single player on the Wildcats’ roster.

    In a possible Super Bowl preview, the Eagles beat the Buffalo Bills despite scoring one point and racking up negative-19 yards of total offense. Sirianni then chose to have most of the Eagles’ starters sit out the team’s regular-season finale, because if 2026 turns out to be anything like 2025, everyone is going to need some rest.

  • Jalen Hurts says he trusts Eagles coaches with sit-or-start decision — and the offense’s direction

    Jalen Hurts says he trusts Eagles coaches with sit-or-start decision — and the offense’s direction

    For the first time in four months, Jalen Hurts is expected to watch Sunday’s game from the sideline.

    The perimeter of the gridiron isn’t necessarily the vantage point the Eagles quarterback enjoys. But with the playoffs looming, Nick Sirianni is expected to rest most of his key starters for the regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders, even with the NFC’s No. 2 seed up for grabs.

    Kevin Patullo on struggles of Eagles offense: ’It never comes down to one thing.’

    That choice is out of Hurts’ hands. And he says he has faith in those decision-makers that they’re making the right one.

    “Just giving my trust to the coaches and trusting their plans and everything that we do,” Hurts said Wednesday. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. Every opportunity we have, we want to take advantage of and try and go out there and compete at a high level. So if that opportunity is given to us this week, I’ll have that mentality, just as I had last week.”

    That trust extends beyond Sirianni’s decision. For all of the ups and downs the Eagles offense has experienced this season, Hurts emphasized the trust he has in the coaching staff to put the players in advantageous situations going forward.

    Sunday’s 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills was a microcosm of the offense’s inconsistency this season. The group had a solid start in the first half, then cobbled together just 17 yards in 17 plays in the second.

    Jalen Hurts and the offense had a miserable second half in Sunday’s win at Buffalo.

    The Eagles couldn’t recover from their inefficiency on early downs in the second half. They punted on all five second-half possessions, outside of the final kneel down.

    Following the early-December mini-bye in the aftermath of the loss to the Chicago Bears, Hurts said the sequencing of the offense from seasons past was one of the details he focused on in his film study. But as evidenced by Sunday night’s performance, an inefficient first down is going to make it more difficult on offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo to sequence the ensuing plays.

    While Hurts acknowledged he has opinions and even a degree of influence over the sequencing of plays, he said it’s not his primary focus.

    “As a quarterback, you want to go out there and purely focus on executing what’s called and doing that,” Hurts said. “We all have a feel for the rhythm of a game and how it flows. And I think as a unit, you don’t want to speak from a place of divisiveness or anything, but we are what we are, and we have what we have, and we’ve got a great opportunity in front of us, and so everybody’s working together to try and figure those things out.

    “Ultimately, trusting my teammates to go out there and make plays. We’ve got to master the material. We’ve got to know what to do. We’ve got to know where to line up and operate efficiently and control the things we can, and then, from a coaching standpoint, I trust our coaches to go out there and put us in good positions.”

    Every year, Hurts is required to reestablish that sense of trust with his offensive play caller, which this season is Patullo. Hurts has had a revolving door of offensive play callers since he was drafted in 2020 (and even before that as a college player at Oklahoma and Alabama).

    One of his constant companions as an Eagle has been Tanner McKee, the 25-year-old backup who is expected to start Sunday for the first time this season. Since the Eagles drafted McKee in 2023, he has been a valued sounding board for Hurts.

    “I think the conversations, the dialogue, those things are very important in the quarterback room,” Hurts said. “And considering he’s been a constant in the room for the last three years he’s been here, being able to go through some of those changes together and process those things and take the coaching and go out there and play — I think that’s very beneficial.”

    For now, the focus is on preparing McKee and the rest of the backups for the Commanders. But in just two weeks, Hurts is slated to return to action as the playoffs begin.

    Three reassuring Eagles stats, and three reasons to worry ahead of the NFL playoffs

    It’s a stage he knows well, having appeared in the postseason in every year since he’s been the starter. That experience, Hurts said, is the biggest teacher, especially for an offense that has “played ball together” dating back to last season.

    Can that experience provide a spark in the playoffs? Despite the inconsistency that has defined the offense this year, Hurts is optimistic about the opportunity ahead.

    “For everything it’s been this year, we’ve got a great opportunity in front of us,” Hurts said. “And that’s not saying that in a bad way. We’ve done a lot of special things this year. We’ve set a high standard for ourselves. And when you’ve had the level of success you have that comes with it, ultimately, nothing else matters.

    “As we play through this week and prepare through this week and then enter the tournament, it’s 0-0 for everyone. And so the mentality is just go find a way to win.”

  • Jason Kelce: ‘I feel good about Round 1,’ Caitlin Clark discusses the NFL playoff picture, and more from ‘New Heights’

    Jason Kelce: ‘I feel good about Round 1,’ Caitlin Clark discusses the NFL playoff picture, and more from ‘New Heights’

    Entering Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, the Eagles were riding high after consecutive wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Commanders. There still were plenty of concerns, though, regarding how they would look against a good team led by former league MVP and four-time Pro Bowler Josh Allen.

    The Eagles responded to those concerns with a 13-12 win over the Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Former Eagles center Jason Kelce praised the team for the win on the latest episode of New Heights.

    “I mean, it’s a great win,” Kelce said. “For the Eagles to go into Buffalo and win this game, it just shows how good the Eagles are. Do you know how tough it is to beat the best team in the AFC — some people are saying — do you know how hard it is to beat that team when you don’t get a single pass completion in the second half? Do you know how hard that is? That’s how good the Eagles are. That’s how good we are, Philadelphia.”

    Of course, the win didn’t come without drama. After the Eagles took a 13-0 lead in the first half, the offense went silent in the second half. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley was held to 68 yards on 19 carries against one of the worst run defenses in the league.

    “It was a very frustrating game to watch offensively, to say the least,” Kelce said. “The Eagles have been trending better in running the ball, right? They did well against the Raiders; they did well against the Commanders. This was a chance to do it against a team that is going to be in the playoffs.

    “It was not a great performance, collectively, up front, to be honest with you. And that was — it’s frustrating, as a former offensive lineman, a guy in that room that knows how good all those players are. We’ve got to do better than this, boys.”

    After scoring a touchdown with five seconds left, Bills had a chance to send the game into overtime with an extra point or effectively end it with a two-point conversion. They chose the latter, and Allen missed his open man in the end zone to seal an Eagles win.

    The stifling Eagles defense got Jason Kelce’s attention.

    Despite the offensive struggles, the Eagles defense remained a bright spot vs. the Bills. They had five sacks and limited NFL rushing leader James Cook to 74 yards on 20 carries.

    “The defense played out of their mind,” Kelce said. “That’s the positive coming out of this thing.”

    The Eagles now prepare to host the Commanders to end the regular season. However, the Birds are expected to rest Jalen Hurts and the starters — a decision with which Kelce seems to agree.

    Cooper DeJean’s bromance with Reed Blankenship, preparing for Josh Allen, and more ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

    “[In 2023], we decided to go out against [the] New York [Giants in Week 18] because we wanted to get some momentum going offensively because we weren’t playing great,” Kelce said. “And we ended up getting A.J. Brown hurt to where he couldn’t play in the playoff game. Jalen [Hurts] got his finger banged up. Like, it was catastrophic. So I am fully on board with do not risk getting anybody … anybody that you’re not going to be happy about missing in that playoff game, sit them on the bench. Unless you have the chance to get the No. 1 seed, I don’t give a crap who you’re playing, take the rest when you can get it.”

    Caitlin Clark expressed her admiration for Patriots quarterback Drake Maye on the “New Heights” podcast.

    Playoff picture with Caitlin Clark

    Caitlin Clark made her highly anticipated return to New Heights to discuss her new Nike advertisement, her signature shoe, and the NFL playoff picture. The two-time WNBA All-Star asked Kelce who he likes in the playoffs besides the Birds.

    “I really liked the Rams until [Monday] night,” Kelce said. “The first half was kind of the first weakness that I kind of saw from them. To their credit, they did bounce back and almost ended up winning there at the end. But, the Rams feel like they have the least questions of everybody that’s in the playoffs.

    “Like, everything kind of has an answer. They’re great on the offense. They’re great on the defensive line. They run the ball well. They stop the run. Their quarterback [Matthew Stafford] is a proven — already won a Super Bowl and been around for a long time. So it’s like that’s the kind of the team that I think probably is the safest one.”

    When asked about the Eagles’ chances, Kelce responded: “I think they’ll do better than people expect.”

    “I mean, I know that the offense struggled in the second half last week and it’s struggled at times this season, but their defense is so good,” Kelce said. “And whoever they get in this first round, they’re probably going to get a team — whether it’s the Rams, who have said they’re going to play their starters, or San Francisco will probably be it. There’s a chance they could be the No. 2 seed and play Green Bay. They’re going to get a team traveling from the West Coast all the way to the East Coast, and the Eagles are probably going to rest. So, I kind of feel good about Round 1. I feel like they’re so talented that they have a chance to beat anybody at this point.”

    Clark revealed that she doesn’t have a horse in the race. However, she is a fan of a certain young quarterback in the running for league MVP.

    “I mean, I’m not cheering for anybody,” Clark said. “Honestly, I’m a Drake Maye fan. I think he’s been incredible, and I think the Patriots are — I mean, what is it? The NFC, I mean they’re all so good. The 49ers are really good, but they’re the most injured team, but they just still find a way to win, which is pretty crazy. I mean, I’ll probably be pulling for the Patriots. But I think the Rams are really good, too. [The Seahawks’] Sam Darnold seems like a good guy. So I could root for him, too.”

  • Eagles expected to rest Jalen Hurts and starters on Sunday vs. the Commanders

    Eagles expected to rest Jalen Hurts and starters on Sunday vs. the Commanders

    The Eagles are expected to rest quarterback Jalen Hurts and most of their starters against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, NFL sources said Wednesday.

    Eagles coach Nick Sirianni declined to say whether he was resting his starters or not when asked during his Wednesday news conference. He said he wanted to first inform his players of his decision during a later team meeting before making it public.

    But the team later confirmed that some key starters will get the game off, some will play on a limited basis, and some will dress but not play. The Eagles will need to have a certain amount of players active to meet the league requirement.

    The decision to use the season finale as a “bye” week heading into the playoffs shouldn’t come as a surprise based on Sirianni’s other recent comments. The NFC East champion Eagles can still improve their seeding, but he emphasized on Monday the importance of giving players a week off.

    “If I look back and how beneficial some of the byes that we’ve had have been, that’s part of the reason why you think through it,” Sirianni said, a day after the Eagles beat the Bills, 13-12. “It’s a marathon of a season. You give your guys some rest, you get some time to think through some different things, even though you’re preparing for an opponent as you go.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    “Both times that I’ve been here that we’ve been to the Super Bowl, we’ve had that opportunity for a bye, and that’s ’22 and obviously ’24.”

    Sirianni took advantage of resting starters in those seasons, while in 2023, he did the opposite and played Hurts and most of his starters with the NFC East still on the line. The Eagles performed poorly in the first half at the Giants. Most of the starters were eventually pulled when it became apparent the Cowboys would win the division.

    The Eagles also suffered a significant injury in that game when wide receiver A.J. Brown left with a knee injury. He missed the first-round game at Tampa Bay, which the Eagles lost, 32-9. Hurts also dislocated a finger on his non-throwing hand in the Giants game.

    The Eagles offense has been struggling for most of this season, but it had more success in wins earlier this month over the Raiders and Commanders — two of the worst teams in the NFL.

    They had a solid first half at the Bills on Sunday but could do almost nothing in the second half and gained only 17 yards. Sirianni could use a rematch vs. Washington as an opportunity to give his offense some momentum heading into the postseason. Or it could backfire like it did two years ago.

    The 11-5 Eagles are the No. 3 seed and would host the 11-5, No. 6 seed Los Angeles Rams or the 12-4 San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round. If they were to beat the Commanders and the 11-5 Bears were to lose to the eliminated Lions at home, the Eagles would be the No. 2 seed and would host the 9-6-1 Packers in Round 1.

    Sirianni may believe that No. 2 quarterback Tanner McKee and his backups can still beat the 4-12 Commanders. Washington is expected to start third-string quarterback Josh Johnson, who entered the first meeting with the Eagles when backup Marcus Mariota was knocked from the game.

    McKee and the Eagles reserves beat a poor Giants team playing most of its starters in last season’s finale.

  • Cooper DeJean’s bromance with Reed Blankenship, preparing for Josh Allen, and more ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

    Cooper DeJean’s bromance with Reed Blankenship, preparing for Josh Allen, and more ‘Hard Knocks’ highlights

    The latest episode of Hard Knocks featured Christmas presents for the NFC East, with none bigger than the Eagles’ 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills.

    The HBO documentary series, which releases new episodes every Tuesday, took a long look at Cooper DeJean, his relationship with Reed Blankenship, and the Birds’ preparation for their nail-biter win on Sunday.

    Here’s everything you may have missed from the latest episode of Hard Knocks:

    Jaxson Dart did not mince words about which team he considers the Giants’ biggest rival.

    A Giant pain

    Fans in Philadelphia might not be aware of it, but the Giants consider the Eagles their biggest rivals.

    During a fan holiday meet-and-greet labeled “Dart the Halls,” rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was asked by a young fan which team he considers the Giants’ “most rivalrous team.”

    “The Eagles, for sure,” Dart responded to a chorus of oohs and ahhs.

    The Birds went 1-1 this season against their competition up north and lost at MetLife Stadium for Dart’s first win against an NFC East opponent on Oct. 9. Dart is a candidate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Eagles fans can expect to see the former Mississippi star for years to come.

    Cooper DeJean’s Pro Bowl citation got some airtime in the latest episode of “Hard Knocks.”

    Who cares about the Pro Bowl?

    Hard Knocks began in a festive mood, showcasing the Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Commanders exchanging gifts and celebrating Pro Bowl nominations — which the teams had extra time to focus on after being eliminated from postseason contention.

    The playoff-bound Eagles, however, weren’t shown celebrating their five Pro Bowlers: DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, Cam Jurgens, Zack Baun, and Jalen Carter. What was shown was the practice field, with some players congratulating one another in comical fashion.

    “Pro Bowler, Cooper DeJawn,” Blankenship said at practice. “Anything you want to say to the people?”

    “DeJean … It’s DeJean,” DeJean responded.

    Safety Reed Blankenship (left) warming up before the Eagles played the Bears at Lincoln Financial Field on Nov. 28.

    The Secon-dairy

    DeJean and his partner-in-crime, Blankenship, took center stage in the episode, with their blossoming bromance on and off the field. From ripping the ball away from each other through WWE-style takedowns to practicing dance routines, the Eagles’ defensive stars appeared inseparable.

    “He’s an awesome teammate,” DeJean said. “He’s an awesome person to be around. Really welcomed me in and helped me learn the defense when I got here. It’s fun to watch him play and do his thing. I think our connection and our friendship has helped us play well together on the field.”

    Said Blankenship: “I’m so proud of him. We sit beside each other in meetings, and I feel like I’m the older brother. There’s not a lot of people like him. He is the best nickel in the league, and just having that communication allows us to play better.”

    The legend of the ‘Exciting Whites’: How Eagles Reed Blankenship and Cooper DeJean formed a bond

    The tandem started a podcast called Exciting Mics in June, a reference to the duo’s “Exciting Whites” nickname.

    Other nicknames have followed the pair, including “Secon-dairy,” which came after DeJean and Blankenship leaned into a new celebration.

    “We do have a milk-the-cow celly,” DeJean admitted.

    “We usually do our normal thumbs-down,” Blankenship said. “And I was like, ‘Dude, it’s like udders from a cow …’”

    Some observers have confused them for each other on the field — with Fox announcer Kevin Burkhardt and Bills safety Sam Franklin Jr. referring to Blankenship as Coop or DeJean during the game.

    “What up, Coop,” Franklin said.

    “I’m the other one, bruh,” Blankenship answered.

    The Eagles spent time last week addressing Josh Allen’s propensity for running up the middle.

    Getting ready

    Eagles coaches took great care in preparing the defense for the Bills offense, with Hard Knocks providing a glimpse into each defensive unit ahead of last Sunday.

    Bobby King, the Eagles’ inside linebackers coach, showed sumo wrestling clips to inspire his players to play physically, while Jeremiah Washburn, the inside linebackers and defensive line coach, focused on Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s ability to escape up the middle — something the defense effectively prevented on Sunday.

    “Lot of middle escapes,” Washburn said. “And he’s tough. But this is where most of his explosive runs come, is up the middle. It takes a group, fellas. It’s going to take a group because he doesn’t hit the ground easy, and so it’s just going to take a collective effort right there, fellas.

    “You can see again,” Washburn added, referring to a clip of Allen throwing on the run. “He’s got an arm, that’s what he does right there.”

    Defensive backs coach Christian Parker stressed the Bills’ versatility, with Allen leading the charge through the air and James Cook, the league’s leading rusher, dominating on the ground.

    “The key is going to be tackling in space,” Parker said. “Weather could be significant, but we’ve got to take great angles and we’ve got to rally to the football all night long.”

    As coaches worked to prepare the team, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had a different approach to explaining the matchup when addressing the media.

    “You got Josh Allen,” Fangio said. “That’s all you need to say. You got Cook, that’s all you need to say. But once he gets in the open field, he’s got the speed to hit the home run. He’s patient, but once he sees it he hits it, and he’s really good, he’s elusive.”

    The Eagles held the reigning MVP without a touchdown and Cook to less than 100 rushing yards, and also recovered an Allen fumble and blocked an extra point in the win.

    Jalen Hurts warms up in the rain on Sunday.

    Offensive frustration

    You rarely hear Jalen Hurts speak vehemently, so when he does, it means more.

    When Hard Knocks featured a quick interaction between the reigning Super Bowl MVP and quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler, it got viewers’ attention.

    “It’s going to rain,” Loeffler said. “Like there’s no if and … it’s going to rain. I don’t give a [expletive] if there’s bad weather or not, we need to get this going.”

    “We need to do that [expletive] 1,000%,” Hurts responded.

    Hurts, like many fans, seems to have grown frustrated with the production of the offense, which has failed to live up to last year’s standard and leads the league in three-and-out percentage.

    The Eagles had a lot to celebrate despite the low-scoring nature of Sunday’s contest.

    Highlight central

    The game had plenty of impressive plays, despite its low scoring, starting with A.J. Brown’s deep reception, followed by a Dallas Goedert score a few plays later.

    “The night is still young,” Hurts said from the sideline.

    “Yes sir,” Goedert responded.

    Despite the offense’s confidence, the Eagles failed to notch a touchdown for the rest of the game and were shut out in the second half as punter Braden Mann and the defense did the heavy lifting.

    DeJean and Blankenship continued to catch the eye of Hard Knocks cameras and were mic’d up throughout the game.

    “We’re a married couple, baby,” Blankenship said of himself and DeJean. “We are in a relationship.”

    The Eagles left victorious as Allen walked off the field with his head down following a failed two-point conversion. The episode ended with Nick Sirianni’s postgame speech, which pointed out the offense’s ineptitude.

    “Going on the road in the NFL and winning a game like this, that is [expletive] hard to do,” Sirianni said. “It’s a good football team. Defense, wow, wow. Offense, really good first half, right, we’ve got to figure out that second half. A lot to be thankful for. Let’s pray.”

  • Three reassuring Eagles stats, and three reasons to worry ahead of the NFL playoffs

    Three reassuring Eagles stats, and three reasons to worry ahead of the NFL playoffs

    Just one game separates the Eagles from their playoff opener in what will be their fifth consecutive postseason appearance.

    Sunday’s game vs. Washington has potential for both intrigue and boredom with the Eagles resting most of their starters and the NFC’s second or third seed in play.

    The Eagles may just be looking ahead to the playoffs, so we’ll follow that path and focus our weekly glance at the numbers on what’s ahead.

    The Eagles wouldn’t be foolish to rest their starters in Week 18. But they’d better be right.

    The confounding Eagles season continued with a 13-12 win against the Bills in Western New York. The Eagles seem simultaneously good enough to win it all and bad enough to score 11 points in a home loss in the wild-card round.

    There is reason to be confident the Eagles can make a run, and reason to believe this playoff appearance will be short-lived. Here are a few reassuring stats, and some concerning stats ahead of the postseason.

    Let’s start with the good stuff. It’s the holiday season …

    4

    That’s the amount of rushers the Eagles sent at Josh Allen each of the five times they sacked him Sunday at Highmark Stadium. This has been a trend of late. Sunday marked the third game in the last four that the Eagles had at least four sacks with a four-man rush.

    The Eagles, according to Next Gen Stats, have 18 sacks over their last four games utilizing four rushers. That was seven more than any other team in the NFL at the time Sunday’s game ended.

    Let’s couch the excitement a little bit and add the context that two of those games were against the Raiders and Commanders, and the previous contest came against a good Chargers team with a really bad offensive line. But doing what the Eagles did against the Bills with four rushers is remarkable. Only five teams allow pressure to the quarterback at a lower clip than the Bills’ 29.4% for the season.

    Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter sacks Bills quarterback Josh Allen on Sunday.

    The Eagles’ success with four is a big deal, as we saw last year. Vic Fangio doesn’t dial up blitzes. The Eagles send extra rushers on just 19.5% of their defensive plays, the third-lowest rate in the NFL.

    If Jalen Carter is back back from his shoulder injuries, the Eagles, with the deadline acquisition of Jaelan Phillips, might just have a versatile pass-rushing front that can take them pretty far. The Eagles have one of the best outside corners in the league in Quinyon Mitchell, one of the best nickel players in Cooper DeJean, linebackers who can cover, and adequate safeties.

    This type of success rate with four gives the Eagles a numbers advantage beyond the line of scrimmage that works in their favor.

    Quinyon Mitchell breaks up a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton during the second quarter against the Giants on Oct. 26.

    42.4%

    So, the Eagles are humming up front, but let’s focus on the aforementioned Mitchell, who is having one heck of a second NFL season. He deserves his own section here because he will have the ability to take opposing receivers out of the game throughout the playoffs, and his coverage chops help the guys up front, too.

    Among all defensive backs with at least 10 games played, Mitchell leads the NFL in catch rate allowed (42.4%). According to Next Gen, Mitchell has been in coverage on 576 defensive snaps and has allowed just 36 catches on 85 targets for 451 yards. He has allowed one touchdown.

    Why wouldn’t the Eagles go for the No. 2 seed? Nick Sirianni pointed to the Super Bowl for some insight.

    Mitchell also leads qualified players in average target separation (1.8 yards).

    A dangerous Rams passing attack could be up first next week, and Mitchell and the Eagles front will be waiting.

    8-0

    There was one turnover in the game Sunday, a crucial and controversial fumble by Allen that flipped the field and led to an Eagles touchdown.

    That helped the Eagles improve to a league-best 8-0 when they win the turnover margin. They’re now 42-2 in the Nick Sirianni era when the turnover margin is in their favor.

    This is one way of sneaking an offensive stat in here from a unit that hasn’t provided a lot of reassurance this season. But even in doing so, it’s a stat the offense shares with the defense. The Eagles have forced a turnover in eight consecutive games and are tied with Chicago for the longest active streak.

    Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, has recovered nicely from his five-turnover disaster vs. the Chargers. He has six touchdown passes and no interceptions since that game.

    The offense lacks an identity, but taking care of the ball is one it can hang its helmet on. That’s not nothing when the defense is playing like it is.

    Reasons to worry

    We’re not going to sneak a defensive stat in here.

    40.1%

    The Eagles were shut out by the Bills in the second half. They ran 17 plays and netted 17 yards before Hurts took a knee to end the game. It wasn’t pretty.

    For the second time this season, Hurts didn’t complete a pass (in seven attempts) in the second half, and somehow the Eagles are 2-0 in those games. No other team has failed to complete a pass in the second half this season.

    The Eagles were often in third-and-long because they again couldn’t get their running game going — this time against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. Saquon Barkley barely had space to move thanks to missed assignments from the offensive line and tight ends. The Eagles often ran into stacked boxes (they face the fourth-highest stacked-box rate in the league). Dallas Goedert playing fullback was an experiment that failed. Barkley had just 1.75 yards per carry in the second half.

    The Eagles’ success rate on the ground is 40.1%, which ranks 24th in the NFL. It’s been the root of the offense’s issues all season.

    Saquon Barkley is stopped by Bills outside linebacker Shaq Thompson in Week 17.

    Barkley had encouraging performances recently vs. the Commanders and Chargers, but Sunday was a step back, and considering there’s a real chance the starters rest Sunday, it’s a sour taste to enter the postseason with.

    The Eagles are probably going to need to be able to run the ball to win in the playoffs, and the lack of a running game makes them so much easier to defend.

    The Eagles are going to keep driving you crazy with their passive offense. Get used to it.

    9.9

    Since their Week 9 bye, the Eagles have scored more than 21 points just twice in eight games, and those were against two of the worst teams in football (Commanders and Raiders).

    This isn’t a high-powered offense, and it’s one that particularly has trouble scoring in the second half. Sunday wasn’t an outlier. The Eagles average just 9.9 second-half points. That’s good for 25th in the NFL. The combined record of the teams below them: 32-80.

    Scoring in the second half might come in handy in the postseason.

    73.1%

    Jake Elliott went 2-for-2 Sunday, with field goal makes from 28 and 47 yards. He also made his lone point-after attempt.

    It was a nice rebound performance in bad weather from Elliott after a game against the Commanders in which he missed two field goals (plus a third that was negated by a penalty).

    But saying it’s been a shaky season from Elliott is probably putting it mildly. His conversion rate of 73.1% on field goals is the lowest of his nine-season NFL career. This, on the heels of a 77.8% campaign in 2024.

    An inept offense will make the margins slim, and the Eagles’ playoff life could at some point come down to a single kick.