There’s been a bit of a shake-up to the Flyers’ defensive corps.
The top pairing of Travis Sanheim and Cam York is still intact, but the bottom four are looking a little different right now. During Thursday night’s win against the visiting St. Louis Blues, Nick Seeler and Jamie Drysdale were split up, as were Emil Andrae and Noah Juulsen.
After speaking with assistant Todd Reirden following the first period, and with the Flyers trailing by two, coach Rick Tocchet said, “Let’s make the switch here.”
So Andrae was moved into the top four alongside Drysdale, and Seeler was switched to play with Juulsen. It seemed to work as Andrae and Drysdale were on the ice for both of the Flyers’ goals in regulation before Travis Sanheim won the game in overtime.
Based on who stayed out late for the team’s optional morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday, before facing the New Jersey Devils, it looked like Juulsen will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season, and he was. Therefore, Egor Zamula slotted in alongside Seeler for his first game since Nov. 1.
It’s an interesting dynamic putting Drysdale and Andrae together. Both are puck-moving defensemen who are known for their offensive upside. “We don’t complicate it that much,” Andrae said on Saturday.
Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale skates with the puck against the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 20.
According to Natural Stat Trick, Andrae and Drysdale played 54 minutes, 21 seconds together last season. They had a 54.26% Corsi For and were on the ice for 31 scoring chances for the Flyers compared to 25 by the opposition. But, while they were also on the ice together for four goals by the Flyers, five were scored against with a .762 save percentage.
Drysdale has changed his game, becoming better in the defensive zone. As noted by the stat site, when he is on the ice, Corsi For percentage has risen from 46.22% to 51.97%, expected goals against has drop (49.14% to 12.49%), and save percentage has risen from .876 to .893
He’ll now be skating with Andrae, and when the Swede is on the ice the Flyers have an expected goals against of 5.69 along with a .914 save percentage.
But, in a game dominated by big men with teams across the league hyper-focused on adding size, they are a smaller pairing; Drysdale is listed at 5-foot-11 and Andrae at 5-9.
But as the saying goes: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
“I think Emil, he’s shown ability to go in a corner, and he’s not afraid to squash a player or hit a guy,” Tocchet said Saturday morning. “He’s a small guy, but he’s built pretty good, so I don’t see that being a problem.”
Tocchet likes Andrae’s abrasiveness and his ability to use his brain, body positioning, and quickness to read plays and be smart on the puck in the defensive zone. When the bench boss was playing, it may have been taboo to let a guy get the puck first in the corner, but he’s OK with seeing a defenseman like Andrae let the heavier opponent get the puck and then defend after that.
Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae skates with the puck against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 30.
New to the organization, Tocchet’s seeing what the Flyers front office has noticed for a long time about Andrae: his competitiveness, grit, and determination.
“I’ve never been the biggest guy and I’ve always had to find a way to get around that and to play the style of game that I can with my size,” Andrae said. “I’m strong on the walls, strong on the puck. I think it comes with a lot of competitiveness, too. I like to use that to my advantage. Maybe it’s a little surprising for the guys out there that I play against.”
Forward Nikita Grebenkin stayed on late during the optional skate and was a healthy scratch again. “It’s tough because in our position right now, we’re looking for a fourth line identity, and he’s kind of stuck in the middle there,” Tocchet said. “We’re trying to find out what is Grebby, in a sense. But that’s a process, a 23-year-old. Eventually, we’ve got to make a decision; he’s got to play. Trust me, we’re talking about it all the time, Danny and management about it, the best way to handle him if he’s not going to play much. So we’ll figure that out as it goes.”
The 76ers said Saturday that Joel Embiid is still experiencing soreness in his right knee.
It was determined that he’ll need a little more time. But the team said the doctors feel he’s progressing well. The center, who has no structural damage to his right knee, has been listed as day-to-day.
“I think we’re trying to take the best care we can of him and get him out there,” said coach Nick Nurse. “He wants to play. He’s being very diligent. He’s all the stuff. He’s doing a lot to try to get back on the floor. And I think it will be soon.
“I know this has been a long [process]. I think it will be soon, but just keep doing the right things, keep listening to what the doctors tell us.”
The Sixers entertain the Miami Heat at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Embiid hasn’t played since the Sixers’ 130-120 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 8.
He missed the last five games due to right knee injury management. Embiid also missed the Sixers’ 111-108 home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 9 because he doesn’t play on back-to-back nights to rest his left knee.
The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder has already missed nine of the Sixers’ 15 games because of his knee ailments. He is averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks in 23.3 minutes.
Kelly Oubre Jr. (sprained left knee) and Adem Bona (sprained right ankle) did not participate in Saturday’s shootaround-type practice for Sunday’s contest.
Two years into his Eagles career, Jalyx Hunt counts his blessings in pairs of cleats and gloves.
He doesn’t lack either. About a dozen brand-new white gloves wrapped in cellophane are stacked on a low shelf on the left side of his stall in the NovaCare Complex. Hunt has four pairs of cleats sitting on the racks below that shelf, but he knows that if he busts them, he can ask assistant equipment manager Craig Blake for another pair.
The 6-foot-3, 252-pound outside linebacker still isn’t used to the extravagance. He didn’t take his first charter flight with a football team until two years ago, his senior season at FCS-level Houston Christian. If he wore through a pair of cleats, the cost for new ones came out of his pocket.
Hunt, 24, picked up odd jobs to pay for those expenses integral to attaining his NFL dream, especially his training. He delivered takeout for DoorDash. He and his friends signed up to work as overnight security guards at the 24-hour library on campus, even when they had to lift in the morning.
In high school in Orlando, the zero-star recruit worked nights as a janitor at the urgent care where his father, James, served as a physician’s assistant.
The experiences that shaped Jalyx didn’t magically evaporate after the Eagles selected him in the third round of the 2024 draft.
“I got a chip on my shoulder to a certain degree,” Hunt said on Wednesday. “But I also just appreciate things a lot more, because a lot of these people were able to be blessed coming out of high school. … I was like, ‘Should I be paying for training? If I have to do this, is it really that feasible?’”
Cornell and the Ivy League gave Hunt his start as a college football player.
A cursory glimpse at his early football path suggests that Hunt’s NFL dream was a long shot. He began his collegiate career at Cornell, a struggling program not known for producing pro players. One of the rising edge rushers on the NFL’s most feared defense just four years ago could be found working as an Ivy League safety.
When Hunt entered the transfer portal in 2022, all he said he needed was an opportunity to make an impact. That, and a program that thought he had a chance to reach the NFL.
Houston Christian gave him both in earnest. A shift closer to the line of scrimmage altered the trajectory of his football journey. His perseverance in realizing a once-unlikely dream doesn’t surprise those close to him, however.
“People think I say stuff like this because he’s my son,” said James Hunt. “But I don’t. My wife will tell you I am very, very real and upfront with my son, my daughter, anybody I know, any kid trying to do something. She calls me a dream killer, because I’m going to tell you.
“But I didn’t think it would be an issue, because I truly feel you can put Jalyx anywhere and he will get it done.”
Jaaqua Hunt discovered her son’s unrelenting motor long before he charged after quarterbacks on Sundays.
Jalyx was always busy, always moving. James recalled how long it took to get him dressed in the mornings before school because he couldn’t stand still. A teacher herself, Jaaqua emphasized to his educators that he needed an activity to do after he finished his work, otherwise he would talk the ears off his classmates and no one would get anything done.
Hunt’s enthusiasm and energy for all things found a natural outlet on the football field.
“I told his doctor when he was 15 months [old] that he had ADD,” Jaaqua said. “And they said, ‘You couldn’t possibly know that now. He’s 15 months.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I do.’ I was at home at the time. I said, ‘He doesn’t have an off switch. He hits the floor in the morning, and he is nonstop until he drops at night.’”
Behavioral therapy as a child helped Hunt learn how to channel his energy in a productive way. His therapist recommended origami, so he folded up what felt like millions of ninja stars, paper cranes, and waterbombs. Origami gave way to thousand-piece puzzles, LEGOs, the saxophone, and most recently the guitar.
Sports became an outlet for Hunt’s energy, too. He started playing basketball around age 6 at the YMCA. James served as an assistant coach for his team.
“He was really dominating these kids,” James said. “They were the same age, but he just had that ‘it.’ And he was bigger. So you kind of felt bad for that, but then you started realizing everything he did, it’s like the environment would change.”
The Hunt family moved around, spending Hunt’s adolescence in the Orlando area where James completed a physician-assistant program, then came Tennessee, Maryland, and eventually South Carolina to be closer to their daughter, Jessica, who was a track athlete at Winthrop University.
The Hunts’ frequent moves made it difficult for Jalyx to find his footing with coaches and potential recruiters.
Jalyx longed to play football, just like his father had at Alcorn State and Ole Miss. His parents encouraged it, too, believing his chances of earning a scholarship in football were greater than in basketball by sheer numbers alone. Plus, Hunt was cut out better for football, Jaaqua said.
“His dad told him he didn’t have the mentality to play D-I basketball,” Jaaqua said. “And it’s true. Jalyx is a sharer. He’s not selfish enough to play basketball. Even in high school, and all the way back to when he was 6 or 7 years old, he would get a rebound and then give it to someone who didn’t have any points so that they could try and score.”
The Hunt family moved back to Florida before his sophomore year, as James figured that every college football program in the country would recruit in the state. Still growing into his body, Hunt primarily played cornerback and eventually added receiver to his resumé in his senior year.
But he had a hard time getting on the field, finishing his senior season with 20 catches for nearly 500 yards. His recruitment was limited, James said, because he didn’t play much. James put together a highlight video and sent it out to more than 100 schools, which garnered offers from smaller programs and walk-on offers from bigger ones, such as Florida, Marshall, Boston College, and Georgia State.
Cornell was among the smaller programs. Hunt appreciated the opportunity to get an Ivy League education in addition to his football pursuits. He aspired to earn an engineering degree, which he thought would blend his hands-on personality and his affinity for math.
Ultimately, it felt good to feel wanted, and that’s how Cornell made Hunt feel.
“You loved the girl who loves you the most,” Jaaqua said. “They loved him. Simple as that.”
Hunt transitioned to serving as a big free safety in Cornell’s defense. Hunt was responsible for rolling down into the box to play outside linebacker, but would also play in the post and cover receivers downfield.
Hunt was an important part of the Cornell defense, but as a safety was ultimately playing outside of his natural position.
Hunt was still growing, though, and James always thought he played better when he was closer to the line of scrimmage. The position issue was indicative of the struggles that Hunt had faced throughout his football career.
“Part of the problem he had, his coaches didn’t know how to use his ability,” James said. “Because he was very athletic, and then when you start to grow, he was a bigger guy who had small-guy skills. What do you do with this guy? So let’s put him here. Let’s try him there. They just didn’t know where to put him.”
COVID-19 didn’t make things easier, especially from a mental health perspective. His parents could tell that the isolation — Cornell’s entire 2020 season was canceled — was taking a toll on Hunt’s wellbeing. It showed in his slipping grades, too. Hunt wanted to stick it out at Cornell, according to James, but his parents encouraged him to make a change.
Hunt entered the transfer portal after his junior year in 2021. He garnered interest from some Power 5 programs, including Texas Christian and Boston College, but Hunt was behind on class credits. Houston Christian was the only program that had a plan, on and off the field, for Hunt.
Houston Christian, a 4,700-student member of the Southland Conference, was clear during its recruitment that it viewed Hunt as a defensive lineman/linebacker rather than as a safety.
“We didn’t feel like he could dominate the game covering 20 yards down the field man-to-man,” said Roger Hinshaw, Houston Christian’s linebackers coach. “But you just could see … we [could] make him faster by just moving him closer to the ball.”
Houston Christian was prepared to bring Hunt into its summer school at the local community college so he could get back on track from an academic standpoint, too.
It didn’t matter to Jaaqua or James that they had never heard of Houston Christian (formerly known as Houston Baptist) or its nine-year-old football program. Hunt said defensive coordinator Shane Eachus displayed a sense of belief in him that no one else had.
Houston Christian believed in Hunt as a pass rusher, and he thrived quickly in the role.
“He said, ‘We think you can make it to the League,’” Hunt said. “That’s all I need to hear. Like, if you believed in me, bet, let’s go. Even if you’re lying to me, you could be lying to me, but I just needed somebody to even fake it. So, shoot, that’s why I went. That’s the only reason.”
Hunt had all of the physical traits — from his athletic ability to his size to his length — that former Houston Christian defensive line coach Isaac Mooring was looking for in an edge rusher. Hunt had a natural talent at some aspects of the position, Hinshaw said, that his coaches couldn’t teach.
“When he was lined up and the ball was snapped, he was dynamic, which is really the key to any good pass rush,” Hinshaw said. “Quite frankly, that was a DNA thing. God gave him that. Everybody doesn’t get that.”
But beyond his inherent traits, Hunt had a strong desire to learn the position and to be great. Mooring detected that desire through the residency Hunt took up in his office. He was constantly watching film, asking questions in meetings, and taking notes.
Mooring would pull NFL clips and study them with Hunt, and once the young pass rusher began to learn the requisite technique of the position, he began to point out technical nuances on film.
That diligence translated to the football field. If Hunt didn’t get a drill down pat in practice, he would stay after and work on it some more. It didn’t matter if the team had just completed a 24-period session. Hunt could be found striking the sled because he wanted to make sure his hand placement was correct.
Mooring discovered that Hunt had that same attitude after games. After Hunt’s third or fourth contest with Houston Christian, Mooring went around the locker room as he typically would to hug his players and offer words of encouragement. He couldn’t find Hunt.
Eventually, Mooring was told that Hunt was still out on the field. Sure enough, there he was, running 100-yard sprints after playing anywhere from 50 to 70 snaps. He ran sprints at home and on the road, win, lose, or draw.
“I learned to be the type of player that I feel like if we lose, it’s because of me,” Hunt said. “I feel like it’s because of me, like I could have made more plays. I could have done this, I could have done that. So it was one way for me to just think, get some lactic acid out of my legs, but also condition a little bit more.
Hunt’s explosive work as a pass rusher in the Southland Conference got him on the radar of NFL scouts.
“Sometimes, I’d get home, off the bus, and go work out, like on the field or bags, whatever the case may be, just so I could do something more. I just felt I needed to get better right now.”
Hunt gradually improved. He began to put on the weight needed to go up against 300-pound offensive tackles. He leaned on the football IQ that he had developed as a safety to understand run fits and drops in coverage when he wasn’t rushing the passer.
Development turned into sacks, and sacks turned into recognition from NFL teams that traveled to Houston Christian to scout him ahead of the draft. In 2022, his first season with the Huskies, Hunt led the Southland in forced fumbles (three) and tackles for a loss (11.5), and his team in sacks (seven).
The following year, he earned the conference’s defensive player of the year honors, leading the team in tackles for a loss (nine), sacks (6.5), and forced fumbles (two). He also had a 16-yard interception returnfor a touchdown.
“That just shows the guys that don’t let somebody tell you just because you’re here at Houston Christian, nobody’s going to find you,” Hinshaw said. “That’s not the case at all.”
Hunt solidified himself as a second-day pick with an eye-opening performance at the 2024 combine. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Patrick Johnson, the Eagles’ 2021 seventh-round defensive end out of Tulane, first met Hunt through one of his high school teammates who played for Cornell. That fall, Cornell visited Philadelphia to play against Penn.
Immediately, Johnson was struck by Hunt’s size.
“When I first met him, I was like, ‘Dang, you sure you’re a safety, not an outside linebacker?’” Johnson recalled.
Johnson and Hunt didn’t keep in touch. It wasn’t until Johnson dug into the newest Eagles outside linebacker’s film after the 2024 draft that he realized who Hunt was — and that he had made a position change.
Hunt had independently caught the eyes of both Vic Fangio and Jeremiah Washburn, the Eagles’ defensive ends/outside linebackers coach, in the lead-up to the 2024 draft. Washburn saw him at the combine — where he had a 128-inch broad jump (95th percentile among edge defenders) and a 4.64 40-yard dash (81st percentile) — and his pro day.
Hunt possessed great size and athleticism at the position, but he also had an intangible that convinced Washburn that he would be a fit for the team.
“He had intense focus,” Washburn said. “He just had a good demeanor to him, a competitive demeanor, and it just felt like he was an Eagle.”
An Eagle who helped the team win a Super Bowl in his rookie season, notching a sack in that game to boot. In hindsight, though, Hunt wasn’t satisfied with his overall performance in his rookie season, as he finished the year with 1.5 sacks.
Hunt’s emergence included a sack of Jared Goff in Sunday night’s win over the Lions.
He still isn’t this year, but Hunt is beginning to show progress. He has two sacks (five quarterback hits total) in his last three games. He said he is stronger, too, sitting at roughly 260 pounds after listed at 252 this year and last year.
In Hunt, Jaelan Phillips said he sees a “stud” with a deep toolbox of pass-rush moves, an ability to blend speed, power, and agility, with a high motor. Brandon Graham said he sees a sense of confidence in Hunt that he didn’t this time last year. Washburn said he sees a more decisive player now compared to his Week 1 performance against the Dallas Cowboys.
Hunt sees room for improvement, but said he’s learned to become patient with himself.
“It takes a lot of patience not to get [ticked] off,” Hunt said. “Like, ‘Oh, I want to get a sack right now,’ especially at the beginning of the year. I didn’t start out how I wanted to start out. But my goal, and I’ve stuck through to it, is I just want to improve on something each week. And I think if you watch my film, you can definitely see that.”
The support of mother Jaaqua and father James has helped guide Jalyx on his unusual football journey.
While Hunt has evolved as a player, the small-school chip on his shoulder hasn’t gone away. The stack of fresh gloves in his stall serves as a daily reminder of where he came from. He doesn’t just internalize his journey. He is vocal about it, too, even on the league’s biggest platforms.
In the aftermath of the Super Bowl and his sack on Patrick Mahomes, Hunt appeared on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. Mooring’s ears perked up when he gave his coach a shout-out for seeing a skill set in him as a pass rusher that he didn’t recognize in himself.
“That just kind of shows you even though he’s reaching all these types of heights that people only dream of, he’s still humble Jalyx where he understands his beginnings and still [gives] his flowers to people that poured into him,” Mooring said.
In one kind of ideal world, Cavan Sullivan wouldn’t be with the Union right now.
He’d be with the U.S. under-17 national team, which took one of its strongest squads in program history to this month’s World Cup in Qatar.
The Americans won their group with a perfect record for the first time since 1991, with Sullivan in a starring role. He had two goals, both game- winners, and an assist in those three games.
However, their luck ran out after that. Morocco edged them in the round of 32 last Friday, scoring a late equalizer for a 1-1 draw and then winning a penalty kick shootout. Sullivan assisted on the U.S. goal and scored his penalty attempt, but he could do no more.
“It’s going to be an electric night,” Sullivan told The Inquirer. “It’s probably going to be a little chilly, but our fans don’t care and us players don’t care. We’re ready to battle, show up for the city, and on a personal level, I just want to be ready to come into the game and make a difference. Yeah, I’m excited.”
Union manager Bradley Carnell said it was “a real shame” that the U.S. went out of the tournament early, but that Sullivan “has incorporated well into the group again.”
The lessons that Sullivan learned at the World Cup were the kind that should pay off as the 16-year-old develops, whether with the Union, his future club home at England’s Manchester City, or with future U.S. national teams.
“You learn what a World Cup’s all about,” Sullivan said. “Got to understand the experience, the atmospheres, what it’s like representing your country at the highest level.”
“MVP,” Vassilev said, before offering the real answer: “Don’t play with your food, just finish it up.”
That indeed was the lesson from a game that the U.S. was on the cusp of winning. Had the Americans held on, they’d have advanced in an under-17 World Cup knockout round for just the third time in program history.
“ … Don’t play with your food,” Sullivan continued. “I wish we just did things differently and closed out that game, but that’s reality. And I’m back here now, and my focus is on the game Sunday.”
Coincidentally, the U.S. under-17s, last month’s under-20s (including Frankie Westfield), and last year’s under-23s at the Olympics (with many Union ties) all got knocked out of their championships by Morocco. That created some chatter back home, and Sullivan said his team talked about it too.
“Yeah, people were definitely talking about it, but [it was] not in my mind,” he said.
What was in his mind was getting to play with three close friends who are currently in the Union’s academy: forwards Kellan LeBlanc, Jamir Johnson, and defender Jordan Griffin.
“I’ve played with those guys for over five years now apiece — Jordan since I was, like, 7; Kellan since I was, like, 9; and Jamir since I was, like, 10,” Sullivan said. “So we know each other really well, and we definitely stick together. And I’m really proud of those guys.”
With the U.S. under-17 World Cup in the rearview, Cavan Sullivan says he’s focused on helping the Union anyway he can in the MLS playoffs.
The Union’s total of four players on the 23-man squad was the most of any club, another endorsement of its strength at developing American prospects.
Sullivan also knew well that while he was away, four more Union products were with the senior U.S. team at Subaru Park. And earlier this year, his oldest brother Quinn made his senior-squad debut.
“It’s definitely pretty special to have the Union produce players that are now abroad and getting called into the national team regularly,” he said. “For my own brother to make a few caps as well was pretty special for my family.”
Quinn Sullivan earned his senior U.S. men’s national team debut over the summer.
For all that went into the tournament buildup, does the sting of an early departure now motivate Sullivan to push harder with the Union?
“I wouldn’t say it’s anything to really dwell on too long or use it as — like, it’s not going to fuel me Sunday night,” he said. “But I definitely want to build off the performances I had, and continue to finish out this year on a good note. And what are we two games ‘til a final?”
Yes, that’s the number.
“Big games,” Sullivan said. “But no matter what it’s at home, so that’s a benefit.”
More than a thousand Flyers fans came to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday to pay tribute to Bernie Parent, the legendary goaltender who backstopped the Flyers’ only two Stanley Cup victories.
Diane Gobeil came armed with a copy of The Inquirer from 1974, after the first Stanley Cup victory. She was 14 when the Flyers won the 1974 Stanley Cup, and said she’d never seen her hometown in Delaware County so engaged and excited about anything before that team.
“I never saw the city more excited than that time,” Gobeil said. “He deserved [for] us to come back and say goodbye to him.”
Fans clad in Parent jerseys lined up to look at the memorial display. Jon Levinson, 62, came down from North Jersey to celebrate Parent, his all-time favorite professional athlete, who won his entire family over to Flyers fandom.
Fans look at and take photos of the Bernie Parent memorabilia on display at the Bernie Parent Celebration of Life on Friday.
He met Parent last December at a signing event in Philadelphia, and said it was the happiest moment of his life. When his friend pointed out he had two daughters, he just laughed. “My daughter’s a huge Flyers fan too, so it’s OK. She would understand.”
Levinson came down for the opening game this season to pay tribute to Parent, and is also attending Saturday’s tribute game against the Blues.
“You listen to all the speakers today, and for all the wonderful things they said, I don’t know if they even truly painted an accurate portrait of what Bernie meant to the city of Philadelphia, to the fan base, to Ed Snider youth hockey, to everybody,” Levinson said.
The celebration was an important night for Snider Youth Hockey, the program founded by former Flyers owner Ed Snider and Parent was heavily involved in. Snider youth hockey players handed out programs, and a number came in Snider Hockey jerseys to pay tribute to him. Kenyatta Johnson donated $5,000 to the Ed Snider Foundation, which was doubled by Scott Tharp, president and CEO of Snider Youth Hockey and Education.
His work with Snider Youth Hockey was just one way Parent, who lived in Avalon, N.J., until his death, impacted the local community. To the fans, Parent was so much more than just a hockey player.
He inspired Marion Powell to run her first marathon after she met him in New Jersey a few years ago, and used his book, “Journey through Risk and Fear,” as a motivator when training got hard. She spoke to him again in August, and told him she was running her second marathon in October.
“Bernie has been my biggest motivator, my biggest inspiration,” Powell said. “My daughter told me, when I was training for the marathon, I was on like mile 18 on a run, and she told me Bernie passed away, and I just finished the marathon a month ago.
“When you have an inspiration, it keeps you going, no matter how hard it is.”
Scott Tharp stood on the small stage built on the ice at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The president and CEO of Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education told a story about driving home from Hershey when the Flyers alumni played the Washington Capitals alumni. Driving home on the dark expanse of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Bernie Parent was driving 45 miles per hour — in the left lane.
“Needless to say, there was a whole line of cars flashing their lights and honking behind us,” Tharp said. “Finally, when he pulled over into the right lane, the cars came by and they were flashing, honking, people leaning out the windows, yelling.
“Bernie rolled down his window, took both hands off the wheel, and put his Stanley Cup rings out the window. Then turned to those of us in the car and said, ‘How about that? They’re cheering for me.’”
You know that he had a big grin at that moment, too.
A man larger than life, the Hall of Fame goalie, who backstopped the Orange and Black to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975, was honored on Friday with a celebration of life. Parent died on Sept. 21 at the age of 80.
“Bernie often was described fondly in hockey circles as one of the league’s greatest stand-up goalies,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “Ever more importantly, however, Bernie was always a stand-up man.”
Family, friends, members of Flyers leadership, and approximately 2,000 fans, some wearing his No. 1 jerseys, came to pay their respects to a man who built a legacy in Philly. Born in Quebec, Parent came to the City of Brotherly Love in 1967 as one of the original Flyers. He was traded in 1971, but was reacquired two years later, and never left.
John Bound of Wrightstown, Pa. (right) wore his Parent jersey and made a “Only God saves more than Bernie” sign for the Bernie Parent Celebration of Life at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday.
Parent not only helped build the foundation of the organization with the two Stanley Cups — and the rings he loved showing everyone, everywhere, and every day — but won the Conn Smythe each year as the playoff MVP. A two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the NHL’s top goalie, his name is often dropped when discussing the game’s greats.
“Bernie’s number hangs in our rafters, and his legacy is already etched into the very DNA of our franchise,” Flyers chairman Dan Hilferty said. “We often don’t realize how much someone gives of themselves until they’re gone. Winston Churchill once said, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ And standing here together, it’s clearer than ever just how much Bernie gave.”
Parent was a fixture in the community since hanging up his skates due to injury in February 1979. An ambassador for Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education, his widow, Gini, will carry on his legacy as an ambassador, too.
“Bernie’s life will continue to shine through the lives he inspired, the lessons he taught, and the community he helped build,” she said. “He always said that life was about giving back, lifting others, and leading with love. And thanks to each and every one of you, the light will never dim.”
After Flyers president Keith Jones, general manager Danny Brière, coach Rick Tocchet, and Parent’s daughter, Kim, reminisced and paid tribute on the jumbotron, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson spoke. Johnson said he was pledging $5,000 to Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education, which Tharp said the support organization will match the donation two-to-one.
Johnson then read a proclamation honoring the goalie.
“Whereas, this legislative body extends its deep appreciation for the indelible mark Bernie Parent left on hockey and the Philadelphia community,” part of it read. “Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the council of the city of Philadelphia, hereby honors and recognizes the life and legacy of Philadelphia Flyers goaltender and Hockey Hall of Famer Bernie Parent, for his outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey and the Philadelphia community.”
As Parent’s teammate Bill Clement said, “Bernie loved all of you.” And it was true. Parent loved the Flyers community. And he loved his teammates, too.
“I can honestly say it was an honor and a privilege to play with Barnyard Benny,” said Joe Watson, who had known Parent since 1963. “We had so many laughs and jokes. … I know he’s looking down on us, smiling, and he looks around, he says, My gosh, I can’t believe all those people are for me, but we’re all for you, Bernie, because if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have won.”
Joe Watson, former teammate and friend of Parent speaks during the Bernie Parent Celebration of Life on Friday.
“I know Bernie’s up there, laughing and smiling and everything else. He’d love to be down here, but I look forward to seeing you again, my friend,” Watson concluded as his voice cracked.
Bobby Clarke, the captain of the Flyers’ Stanley Cup teams, was the last to speak.
“A hockey player’s life is only a short period of time in his life. And Bernie, besides being the goaltender, he had a great life and he was a great man,” he said.
“When you win two Stanley Cups, it takes the best that everybody on that team can give; just so happened that Bernie’s best was better than the rest of our best, and we got two Stanley Cups because of Bernie.
“We’ve lost five players from Stanley Cup teams: Barry Ashbee, Eddie Van Impe, Billy Flett, Ross Lonsberry, and Ricky MacLeish.
“God bless Bernie, because he’s going to join them and the rest of us, until we go join them, we will walk together forever.”
They practice at The Star and they play games at Jerry World, but the Eagles can turn the Arlington, Texas, stadium into Boot Hill if they beat the Cowboys on Sunday evening.
The Cowboys are in second place in the NFC East, but they’re 4-5-1, and they face the Chiefs, Lions, and Vikings in the coming weeks. The Eagles, at 8-2, also have a couple of testers left, but they face the Raiders once and the Commanders twice, all games in which they should be big favorites.
If they leave Dallas with nine wins, the NFC East race will be all but finished, and a four-win Cowboys team after Week 11 won’t have a realistic shot at a wild-card berth.
A Big W in Big D, in one fell swoop, essentially hands the Eagles the division title and renders their closest competitor impotent.
To get that W, they’ll need to handle Dak Prescott and the No. 1 offense in the NFC.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is 14-9 against the Eagles with a passer rating of 98.9.
The Cowboys’ quarterback is best known for regular-season brilliance and big-game disasters, but, like him or not, he’s on his way to his fourth Pro Bowl. Those trips have been fueled, partially, by his proficiency against the Eagles — a proficiency attained during the Birds’ current golden era.
Prescott is 14-9 against an Eagles franchise in its heyday. His passer rating of 98.9 is slightly better than his career rating of 98.5, but then, the Eagles are the best team he has regularly faced in his 10 seasons.
He’s thrown 24 touchdown passes in those 23 games, a modest number, but he has just eight interceptions, which is a remarkable number, considering the quality of the Eagles’ defenses in the last decade and the fact that those defenses are more familiar with him than with any other quarterback.
He hasn’t produced gaudy numbers the past three meetings. He managed only 188 yards and no scores in the Thursday Night Football season opener in Philadelphia, and he was injured for both games last season. However, in the five previous matchups, Prescott averaged 305 yards, completed 72% of his passes, threw for 16 touchdowns, and had just one interception. His passer rating was 129.7.
Granted, since 2021, he has faced four different defensive coordinators and has seen a complete turnover of defensive personnel, save for Brandon Graham, who recently unretired and missed the opener.
But there’s just something about Philly that brings out the best in Dak. And, after missing half of 2024 with a hamstring injury, Dak is back to being Dak.
He leads the league with 253 completions, a 74.9 quarterback rating (which includes non-passing data), ranks third with 258.7 yards per game, ranks fourth with a 69.9% completion rate, and ranks eighth with a 102.5 passer rating.
That final stat can be misleading, considering that Jalen Hurts ranks fifth at 107.0, but no sane person would argue that Hurts is playing as well as Prescott — not even Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
“He’s having a hell of a year,” Fangio said of Prescott on Tuesday.
Fangio might be playing possum here.
Prescott struggles against Fangio’s defenses. He lost to Fangio’s defense when Fangio coordinated for Miami in 2023. Fangio flummoxed Dak in 2021, when he was the head coach in Denver. They didn’t meet in 2024, but Dak wasn’t great in the opener in September.
The opener in Philly was Prescott’s best chance against Fangio, and he was aided by the idiocy of Fangio’s best weapon.
NFL officials stand between Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (left) and Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) after a spitting incident in their game on Sept 4.
Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter spat on Prescott before the first play from scrimmage and was ejected from the game. Prescott still didn’t throw for a TD pass.
For Sunday, not only is Carter is back and playing his best, he has reinforcements.
The Eagles added edge rusher Jaelen Phillips at the trade deadline. Nakobe Dean, lost in the playoffs to a knee injury, finally returned to play as a linebacker four games ago, which amplified the play of All Pro linebacker Zack Baun, and the Eagles have allowed just one meaningful touchdown in each of those four games, all wins. Graham hit the field two games ago, and the Eagles surrendered 16 total points in those two games.
George Pickens caught just three passes for 30 yards in the opener, and, though he had seven catches for 110 yards, CeeDee Lamb had just one catch for 13 yards against second-year shutdown corner Quinyon Mitchell, who is playing even better now. Mitchell’s independent competence helps nickel corner Cooper DeJean, who is solid in coverage, serve as a third, punishing safety.
“This is a hell of a defense,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters this week. “I think they’re best in the league.”
Schott’s offense, behind Dak, is the best in the conference: tops in total yards, at 378.8; Dak’s passing yards, at 258.7; and, most significantly, points, at 29.6. That final number should be the most troubling for the Birds, because they’ve scored just 26 points in their last two games, combined.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown seen here in action earlier this season against the Vikings will need to be on the same page Sunday against the Cowboys.
Which brings up the bizarre nature of the Eagles’ 2025 campaign.
Amid all the winning, most of the recent discussion surrounding the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (who are the NFC’s No. 1 seed at the moment) has been the toothlessness of the Eagles’ passing offense. It’s currently ranked 28th, leading to acontroversy surrounding Hurts and malcontent receiver A.J. Brown, fueled entirely by Brown.
That’s why, this week, so much attention is being paid to the Cowboys’ atrocious passing defense, which is the worst in the conference. Maybe the Eagles’ air attack will resurface Sunday.
Irrelevant.
The real story lies in the opposite matchup.
If, as Schottenheimer contends, the Eagles have the best defense; and if that defense can dominate Dallas’ incendiary attack; not only will the pursuit of the NFC East title be a fait accompli, but a second straight Lombardi trophy also should be in the Eagles’ future, too.
The Eagles are headed down to Dallas for their first matchup against the Cowboys since the season opener.
The Birds are in control of the NFC East, but their road loss against the Giants stung, and they certainly don’t want a repeat against another division rival at JerryWorld.
Here’s everything you need to know about this Sunday’s game …
How to watch
Eagles vs. Cowboys will air live on FOX at 4:25 p.m., and will bee “America’s Game of the Week,” the network’s national broadcast. That means Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady will call the game from the booth, and Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will report from the two sidelines.
If you’d rather listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick call the game, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP, and if you want to watch the game with your fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.
Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson walks onto the field before playing the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025.
Injury report
Right tackle Lane Johnson will miss Sunday’s game — and a few more — after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his foot (What is that? Glad you asked) in the team’s win over Detroit. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
However, center Cam Jurgens could return after leaving the Lions game with a concussion. Jurgens, who is listed as questionable, missed the prior two games with a knee injury. The only other Eagles players with injury designations for Sunday are backup offensive lineman Myles Hinton (back) and Willie Lampkin (knee/ankle). Jaelan Phillips was a full participant on Friday and is good to go.
The Eagles are three-point favorites against the Cowboys at most major sportsbooks as of Friday afternoon, down from 4.5 to open the week. The projected point total at DraftKings is 47.5.
Check out prop bets for Jalen Hurts, Dak Prescott, and more here.
Eagles to wear kelly green
For the second time this season — and the first time ever on the road — the Eagles will wear their kelly green uniforms on Sunday. The Birds previously wore their fan-favorite throwbacks in Week 8 against the New York Giants, a 38-20 win that was arguably the team’s best of the season. They’ll wear them again, for the final time this season, in Week 17 against the Washington Commanders.
The Eagles are 5-0 in their lighter shade of green since bringing the jerseys back in 2023.
NFL officials stand between Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (left) and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) after a spitting incident as the Eagles play the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
Story lines to watch
The Birds haven’t seen the Cowboys since Week 1, when Jalen Carter was ejected just seconds into the game due to Spit-Gate (speaking of which, did anyone see Ja’Marr Chase get suspended for doing the same thing just a few weeks ago?). The spit became a national talking point, with even Gov. Josh Shapiro weighing in, and Carter, who was fined and effectively suspended for a game, promised that “it won’t happen again.”
Prior to a rain delay in the third quarter of the opener, the Cowboys offense was easily able to sustain drives, scoring 20 first-half points, as the Birds struggled to get pressure. With Carter (presumably) back in the game and the addition of Jaelan Phillips, Dak Prescott will be looking at a whole new Eagles defensive line, one that just forced Jared Goff to play the worst game of his career.
From the latest on A.J. Brown to the recent drama surrounding Jalen Hurts, here are some other story lines to watch this weekend …
Following a report of internal frustrations with Hurts, the Eagles quarterback said he holds himself accountable. Others in the media had a lot more to say (more on that in a bit).
Meanwhile, Brown, the subject of his own recent controversy after voicing his own frustrations with the offense, said he believes the Eagles are “close“ to where they need to be on offense — and he laughed off talk about his declining skills
Eagles tackle Fred Johnson says it’s “time to show what I can do” as he again fills in for Lane Johnson.
15-24: The Eagles’ record all-time without Lane Johnson. For comparison, the Birds are 120-62-1 in games Johnson has played in since he was drafted in 2013.
The Eagles offensive line and the Cowboys defensive line battle in the fourth quarter. Eagles win 24-20 over the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025.
Our Eagles-Cowboys predictions
Here are our writers’ predictions for Sunday …
Jeff McLane: I see a potential trap in Dallas, but I think the Eagles’ defense will be able to keep Prescott from going off. Eagles 24, Cowboys 20.
Jeff Neiburg: “It’s a great offense and a bad defense (Dallas) against a great defense and a bad offense (Eagles). The game will probably be decided by who wins the matchup between Dallas’ offense and the Eagles’ defense. Who has the upper hand? It’s hard to pick against the Eagles right now.” | Eagles 27, Cowboys 16
Olivia Reiner: “While I’m not so sure this will be the get-well game on the ground the Eagles are looking for, they could have a chance to get going in the passing game, given the Cowboys are conceding 6.9 net yards per passing attempt (No. 29 in the league).” | Eagles 21, Cowboys 17
Matt Breen: “Teams have picked apart the Dallas defense through the air this season but I’ll wait and see if the Eagles can do the same. It’s hard to see the Eagles, especially with a banged up offensive line, suddenly flipping a switch on offense. By now, it’s fair to have a read on who a team is. But the defense is elite and they’ll carry them again on Sunday. We’ll find out how far that unit can carry them the rest of the way.” | Eagles 24, Cowboys 10
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni talks to quarterback Jalen Hurts against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, September 4, 2025 in Philadelphia.
What we’re saying about the Eagles
Here’s a look at what our columnists are saying about the Eagles, starting with David Murphy, who wonders what exactly people are even arguing about anymore with regard to Hurts.
David Murphy: “The only thing that matters is that Hurts has been good enough that the Eagles no longer need to acquire one of those other guys. Coaches and players are more than justified if they are frustrated with some aspects of Hurts’ approach and performance. But they also surely know that they are more fortunate than most.” Read more.
Mike Sielski: “This sliver of doubt when it comes to the Tush Push might seem a small matter. It isn’t. The play’s reliability was a tangible symbol of the strength of the Eagles offense: the manner with which they controlled the line of scrimmage.” Read more.
Marcus Hayes: Don’t expect A.J. Brown to be happy any time soon. Brown called the Eagles’ offense a “bleep show” on a livestream last week … The offense isn’t likely to get any better with the news that right tackle Lane Johnson will miss several weeks with a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot.” Read more.
What the Cowboys are saying about the Eagles
Despite what social media may believe, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is not approaching the Eagles’ offense like it’s a weak one. They have too many elite players for that, Schottenheimer said.
“At the end of the day, I’m not looking at the film and saying, ‘These guys are struggling.’ I’m looking at this film and saying, ‘Man, these guys are dangerous.’”
New addition Quinnen Williams on the Tush Push: “It’s a cool play that they do on second-and-short, on third-and-short, and fourth-and-short. I’ve never been against it. … I’m excited to see the game plan. Excited to go against it. Excited to be able to try and stop it.”
Schottenheimer on Jalen Carter coming back to the defensive line: “It’s a big difference. He’s a really good player. He’s packaged in there with some really good players. Jordan Davis is obviously a really good player as well. There’s Jaelan Phillips, it’s a hell of a defense. They’re the best in the league, I think. Again, it’s going to be really, really tough. But, we love that challenge and we think we’re pretty good too.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts during the National Anthem before the Eagles played the Detroit Lions on Sunday, November 16, 2025 in Philadelphia.
What the national media is saying
The discourse about the Eagles’ offense, and whether Hurts is part of the problem, is wearing on ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, a former Hurts critic who gave an impassioned defense of the quarterback on Get Up.
“What’s going on with Hurts is so disingenuous and disrespectful to Jalen Hurts,” Orlovsky said. “And I’m not the biggest Jalen Hurts fan. All this dude does is literally everything that everybody begged every other quarterback to do — or knocks them for not doing. All he does is win. All he does is be obsessed with football and winning and doing what’s best for the team.”
Jason Kelce on locker room discord: “I think that there are frustrations within a team that build up, continually, and I think Jalen gets a lot of the highlighting of that, again, because he’s the quarterback. … Lane [Johnson] and I didn’t talk for an entire offseason. Lane is like one of my best friends. Like, I love that guy. And this is part of being on a team. There are so many ups and downs. I’ve gotten into yelling matches with Jeff Stoutland, a guy that I consider like a second, almost like a father.
DeSean Jackson on A.J. Brown: “You can tell when the interest ain’t there, it ain’t there. It’s something else going on. And I got a great relationship with [Brown]. I respect him. I can’t say it. But I know it’s something else going on. It’s not all about football, it’s not all about X’s and O’s. I’ve been there. I’ve had situationships with QBs that I didn’t necessarily like. I’m just going to be honest. And when it ain’t there, it sticks out like a sore thumb. That’s all I’m going to say.”
👟 This weekend starts the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative. Here’s a look at some of the colorful kicks the players will be wearing, and the causes they’re supporting.
The Eagles travel to face the Dallas Cowboys in a Week 12 matchup at AT&T Stadium on Sunday (4:25 p.m., Fox 29).
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
When the Eagles have the ball: The offense has a golden opportunity to get back on track against a Matt Eberflus-led defense that has been among the worst in the NFL. The Cowboys have been marginally better of late thanks to reinforcements that came either via trade or from the medical ward. But the Eagles won’t be facing anything near a dominant unit in Arlington, Texas, and may need to open the floodgates if the Dallas offense plays at its explosive best.
Nick Sirianni’s conservatism has made sense, overall. His team is 40-2 when it has won the turnover battle. The Eagles have given the ball away a league-low four times in 2025, while the Cowboys have forced only eight turnovers all season. But this game may call for more aggressiveness.
Being aggressive doesn’t just mean having Jalen Hurts drop back to pass and throw deep. The Eagles, more than most offenses, need their run game to be efficient, so there will be another effort to establish Saquon Barkley on the ground. But Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo should have a game plan that forces Dallas to counter their moves rather than the opposite.
That should mean more three-receiver sets that force Eberflus into nickel personnel, more 3 x 1 formations, and more empty backfields. Run the ball, obviously. The Cowboys have allowed 131.4 yards a game and rank 30th in expected points added (EPA) per rush. But get out of the sets that have exposed the weaknesses in run blocking at the tight end position.
The Cowboys’ most significant addition has been defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, acquired from the Jets at the trade deadline. He can wreck games. Williams had 1½ sacks and five pressures in his debut last week against the Raiders. The Eagles’ interior offensive line will have its hands full whether Williams is paired with Osa Odighizuwa or Kenny Clark.
Eagles center Cam Jurgens is questionable with another recent injury (concussion), but right tackle Lane Johnson (foot) will be out for an extended period. That is a significant loss, even if this isn’t replacement Fred Johnson’s first rodeo. The Eagles are 120-62-1 in games Lane Johnson has played and 15-24 in games he has not, including the playoffs, across his 13 seasons.
Dallas’ edge rush has improved with the emergence of rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku. If Hurts has time, receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith should have advantages when matched up opposite cornerback Kaiir Elam and slot Reddy Steward. Eberflus leans heavy on his zone coverages, which the Eagles have struggled against. It’s time to break out more crossing-route concepts, even if it puts Hurts’ throws more at risk.
Javonte Williams rushed 15 times for 54 yards with two touchdowns against the Eagles in Week 1.
When the Cowboys have the ball: Dallas’ anemic run game from 2024 has been upgraded with former Broncos running back Javonte Williams. He has rushed for 806 yards at 5 yards a clip and has eight touchdowns. Overall, the Cowboys rank 11th in EPA/rush and are strongest on zone runs in between the tackles.
Their stout interior O-line is led by left tackle Tyler Smith. But they can be susceptible on the flanks with tackles Tyler Guyton and Terrence Steele, particularly in pass protection. I’ll get to the Eagles’ pass rush further down, but their improvement in stopping the run has been consequential.
After allowing 4.7 yards a carry in the first six games, opposing offenses have averaged just 3.6 yards per rush over the last four. Linebacker Nakobe Dean’s insertion has been significant, and defensive tackle Jalen Carter has increasingly looked his 2024 self. Carter will be in the lineup this time around, assuming that he doesn’t have extra saliva for Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.
Jaelan Phillips has also buoyed the run defense, but his impact on the pass rush can’t be overstated. The Eagles’ front hounded Jordan Love and Jared Goff in the last two games, and getting to Prescott will be imperative if the league’s top-ranked passing offense can be curtailed. Vic Fangio has been able to rely on his four-man rush and, as a result, has blitzed less in the last two weeks than previously.
When the defensive coordinator has sent extra rushers, Dean has been most effective. But Prescott has long been poised when throwing hot. He’s having another great regular season with 21 touchdowns against just six interceptions. It’s the playoffs that have historically given him trouble.
Dak Prescott has been very good against NFC East teams at home.
The Cowboys came darn near close to beating the Eagles in the season opener. If receiver CeeDee Lamb didn’t drop a few late throws, they might have pulled off the comeback. Lamb is back from injury, but George Pickens (58 catches for 908 yards and seven touchdowns) has become Prescott’s most dangerous weapon.
Fangio had Quinyon Mitchell follow Pickens in the first meeting, but that exposed Adoree’ Jackson vs. Lamb. Safeties Reed Blankenship and Drew Mukuba might be the Cowboys’ primary targets on throws over the middle, typically where Prescott loves to eat.
Extra point: If the Eagles can’t move the ball and score points against this defense, the offense may never be saved. Winning on the road can be tough. The Eagles had lost six straight at JerryDome until last season’s 34-6 demolition of the Prescott-less Cowboys. Each team and season is different, but Dallas is normally a different team at home, as is its quarterback, who has won 70% of his starts there.
Over the course of the season, we’ve seen Fangio make changes in personnel that have benefited the unit. Having Dean in over Jihaad Campbell and Mukuba over Sydney Brown and decreasing Jordan Davis’ snaps has paid off. Howie Roseman helped with the trade for Phillips, but Fangio hasn’t been afraid to bruise egos.
On offense, the Eagles have emphasized ball security and efficiency. That likely has rubbed some players the wrong way. Sirianni and Hurts seem to be doing what’s best in the name of winning. But there’s a chance here to reverse course. I see a potential trap in Dallas, but I think the Eagles’ defense will be able to keep Prescott from going off.
MILWAUKEE — Tyrese Maxey recovered from a rough performance against the Toronto Raptors to kick the Milwaukee Bucks in the teeth.
Now, now. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
In turning a hostile Fiserv Forum into his personal playground, the 76ers star erased memories of fourth-quarter shortcomings to post a historic performance in a 123-114 overtime victory over the Bucks.
Maxey finished with a career-high 54 points along with nine assists, five rebounds, three steals, three blocks, and five turnovers in 46 minutes, 38 seconds.
He joins Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain (March 18, 1968) as the only two players in franchise history to produce at least 50 points and nine assists in a single game.
Against the Bucks, Maxey made 18 of 30 field goals and went 12-for-14 from the foul line. Sixteen of his points came in the fourth quarter on 5-for-7 shooting. He added six points in overtime one night after failing to score any fourth-quarter points in a 121-112 home loss to the Raptors.
Maxey finished that contest with game highs of 24 points and nine assists. He made 8 of 14 shots, but only attempted one — a missed three-pointer — in the fourth quarter.
“Certainly a big difference,” coach Nick Nurse said. “And again, it’s a variety. I keep thinking, it’s obviously a great amount of threes [six] because he’s such a good shooter. [He had] a few drives all the way, a few floaters, playing on top, playing along the baseline, you know, just moving him around and trying not to make it too predictable.”
Tyrese Maxey scores one of his seven left-handed layups against the Milwaukee Bucks.
One thing that no one could have predicted was Maxey making a career-high seven layups with his left hand. It was the most made layups by an NBA player with their nonshooting hand in a game this season.
But on second thought, maybe folks shouldn’t be surprised.
“I work hard, and I don’t shoot shots that I don’t work on, if that makes sense,” Maxey said. “I don’t just try stuff. Every shot that I shoot is a shot that I worked on before. So I have confidence in it.”
He and the Sixers (9-6) know it’s just a matter of remaining aggressive.
The sixth-year player was second in the league in scoring at 33.4 points per game entering Friday’s matchups. He also led the league in made three-pointers (61) and was seventh in assists (7.9). In addition, he was fourth in the NBA in fourth-quarter points (8.9) for players who’ve played at least four games. Maxey also averaged 5.8 shot attempts in the quarter. So to attempt just one against the Raptors is out of character.
And his 14 total field goals were well below his average of 23.4 per game.
“Joel [Embiid] definitely got on me as soon as I got in the locker room,” Maxey said. “He pulled out the stat sheet, showed me the 14 shots, and said, ‘This ain’t going to cut it.’ And Joel is normally right.”
So Maxey responded by tying Hall of Famer Allen Iverson for the ninth-most points in a game in franchise history. Iverson scored 54 points twice as a Sixer.
“He’s special. He’s special,” Paul George said of Maxey. ”Man, he’s gifted. I think what you guys don’t see and what stands out is after the game on a back-to-back, 50 [points], 45-plus minutes, he goes and lifts.”
George thinks that speaks volumes to who Maxey is and where he is in his career. George, a nine-time All-Star, has played alongside Hall of Famers, future Hall of Famers, and borderline Hall of Famers.
“And that’s what they do,” George said. “They do the stuff like that that keeps them going, keeping them strong, and always working on themselves. Therefore, you always see his production on the floor. He puts the work in. And you know, it’s special. He’s a talent.”
Sixers Tyrese Maxey (0) looks for a shot against Milwaukee Bucks guard AJ Green (20) in the first overtime at Fiserv Forum.
And George realized that even before signing with the Sixers on July 6, 2024.
He saw how Maxey excelled while playing alongside former Sixer James Harden. Then he watched how the guard had more added to his plate after Harden was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2023-24 season. Maxey responded by becoming an All-Star and the league’s Most Improved Player that season.
“I noticed it early on,” George said. “Just watching him, man, he’s got better. I think it’s his mindset. It’s his mentality. And like I said, he works on his game tirelessly. So all of that adds up, and he’s just a great leader. He’s young, but he’s a great leader. And he’s the total package.”
