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  • Commanders shut down quarterback Jayden Daniels; Eagles will face Marcus Mariota on Saturday

    Commanders shut down quarterback Jayden Daniels; Eagles will face Marcus Mariota on Saturday

    The Eagles won’t face Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on Saturday in Landover, Md.

    Daniels is being shut down for the Commanders’ final three games of the season, coach Dan Quinn announced Monday. Daniels missed Washington’s game Sunday after reinjuring his left elbow last week during a 31-0 loss to Minnesota. It was the same elbow he injured on Nov. 2 vs. Seattle.

    With Daniels out, the Commanders (4-10) will continue to start Marcus Mariota, who led Washington to a 29-21 victory over the Giants on Sunday. It was the Commanders’ first win since Oct. 5. Mariota went 10-for-19 for 211 yards and a touchdown. He also lost a fumble. The Commanders got one of their three touchdowns on a 63-yard punt return.

    The Eagles and Commanders play twice in the final three weeks of the regular season.

    Daniels’ second NFL season will end after he appeared in just seven games. The offensive rookie of the year in 2024 also missed time this season with knee and hamstring injuries.

    Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota carries the ball during the win against the New York Giants on Sunday.

    Injuries have been a big part of Washington’s decline in 2025 after the Commanders reached the NFC championship game last season. It’s easy to point to Daniels’ availability as a reason for the decline, but the Commanders were just 2-5 in games Daniels played.

    The Commanders were a prime candidate for regression in 2024 for a few reasons. ESPN shared the snap-weighted average age of every NFL team on Monday, and the Commanders are the oldest team in the NFL overall and have the oldest defense in the league (28.9 years old). Age is one part of the poor performance this season, but the Commanders also were abnormally lucky in 2024. The luck also included a low number of injuries.

    That has changed in a big way in 2025, and the age of the team may have caught up to the Commanders.

    Daniels aside — the quarterback turns 25 this week — the Commanders’ season has been marred by injuries to older players by NFL standards.

    The Eagles are on the brink of breaking a 20-year streak in the NFC East

    Washington’s defense alone has three players age 28 or older on injured reserve: defensive end Dorance Armstrong (28), cornerback Marshon Lattimore (29), and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (31).

    Additionally, 33-year-old defensive end Preston Smith has been limited to 10 games, 32-year-old corner Jonathan Jones has played in nine games, 28-year-old defensive end Jalyn Holmes has eight appearances, and 29-year-old safety Will Harris has played in six games.

    Dan Quinn’s second season as head coach of the Commanders has been derailed by injuries.

    Veterans Von Miller (36) and Bobby Wagner (35) have stayed healthy, but asking the two of them to anchor a defense at this stage of their careers is not ideal.

    Only one team, Cincinnati, allows more yards per game than Washington (382.6).

    Then there’s the offense. The latest major injury to the Commanders hit former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, whose season ended last week after the 35-year-old suffered a torn ACL. But 30-year-old receiver Terry McLaurin, who held out in camp and was later signed to a three-year, $96 million extension, has been limited to seven games, and 29-year-old receiver Noah Brown has played in four. Running back Austin Ekeler, who is 30, was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 2.

    A nightmare season is almost over for the Commanders, and they made the choice to not subject Daniels to any more meaningless football games.

  • Five things to know about new Phillies outfielder Adolis García, from his defection to his light bulb-shaped head

    Five things to know about new Phillies outfielder Adolis García, from his defection to his light bulb-shaped head

    The Phillies, who re-signed slugger Kyle Schwarber last week, made their first big free agent addition of the offseason Monday, agreeing with outfielder Adolis García on a one-year deal worth $10 million.

    Here are five things to know about the newest Phillie …

    García defected from Cuba

    García ultimately charted his path through professional baseball by first playing in Japan for Nippon Profession Baseball’s Yomiuri Giants. On his return flight to Cuba, which connected through Paris, García instead disembarked and boarded a flight bound for the Dominican Republic, where he lived for six months to establish residency and to become an international free agent in 2017. He signed with the Cardinals for $2.5 million.

    García appeared in 21 games for St. Louis in 2018, and then was traded to the Texas Rangers in 2019. In his 2021 rookie season with Texas, García appeared in 149 games for the Rangers — he had only played a total of 24 games prior — and made the American League All-Star team, finishing fourth in rookie of the year voting.

    Adolis García could be the new Nick Castellanos, and he looks the part. Uncomfortably so. | David Murphy

    He’s a playoff riser

    If you’re familiar with García already, it’s probably because of his postseason performance for the Rangers in 2023, the year Texas won the World Series, a series the Phillies were one win from reaching before losing two straight to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

    Garcia, who was named MVP of that year’s American League Championship Series, is a confident player who loves the big stage.

    “These types of games, when there’s a lot of emotions, the fans out there, they are rallying for their team, it fuels me,” García told Fox Sports. “It’s motivation that helps me out when I’m playing.”

    Former Ranger teammate Marcus Semien, who García now joins in the National League East, said the outfielder was the most confident teammate he’d ever had.

    “I think so,” Semien told Fox Sports. “He’s got the swag to go with it. It’s just so good for young players to watch him and how he plays with such confidence to just boost up everybody else. I think a lot of young players could learn from that guy.”

    Adolis García won a World Series with the Rangers in 2023.

    El Bombi 💡

    García’s nickname is El Bombi, which, according to the Dallas Morning News, originated in childhood in Cuba, thanks to a friend who thought his head represented a light bulb, or a “bombillo.”

    Baseball is a family affair

    His older brother, Adonis García, played in MLB with the Atlanta Braves from 2015-2017. His father also played professionally in Cuba.

    The Phillies are sticking with a veteran core in 2026. But this time the kids have to play too.

    García is the godfather …

    … to Randy Arozarena’s daughter.

    García and current Mariners outfielder Arozarena defected from Cuba around the same time. They didn’t know each other well in Cuba, but became close friends in the Cardinals’ minor league system.

    “Adolis is kind of like my brother,” Arozarena told The Athletic. “So much (so) that I named him the godfather of my daughter.”

  • Adolis García could be the new Nick Castellanos, and he looks the part. Uncomfortably so.

    Adolis García could be the new Nick Castellanos, and he looks the part. Uncomfortably so.

    Adolis García is the new Nick Castellanos. That’s the simplest way to look at the Phillies agreeing to a one-year, $10 million contract with the former Rangers star on Monday. It’s true on a lot of different levels, including some that will make you scratch your head about why Dave Dombrowski decided to go in this direction. Not only is García likely to replace Castellanos in right field — his batting profile looks an awful lot like Castellanos’. Uncomfortably so.

    Let’s make sure we keep things in context here. General managers can’t be picky at this particular price point. Any regular who is willing to sign a one-year deal for less than $20 million is self-evidently going to have some massive flaws. Basically, you are talking about two types of players:

    1. Veterans who have done it before and could potentially bounce back to doing it again.
    2. Veterans who have never done it before but have shown flashes of being able to do it.

    Dombrowski has always seemed to favor the first group of players. Whit Merrifield, Max Kepler, Austin Hays, Jordan Romano, etc. — all were brought into the fold with the hope that they could get back to a form they’d shown in previous seasons. García fits that mold.

    The Phillies are sticking with a veteran core in 2026. But this time the kids have to play too.

    The best-case scenario for the Phillies is that García reemerges as the player he was in 2023, when he was an All-Star and then hit eight postseason home runs with a 1.108 OPS in 15 games as the Rangers won the World Series. His regular-season batting line that year was .245/.328/.508 with 39 home runs and 107 RBIs. That’s quite nice.

    García’s first three seasons in Texas looked a lot like what the Phillies were hoping for out of Castellanos when they signed him to a five-year, $100 million deal. From 2021 through ’23, García averaged 32 home runs with a .226 isolated power percentage. Aaron Judge was the only right-handed-hitting outfielder who hit more home runs than García in those three seasons. His Statcast numbers ranked in the top 10 of righty outfielders in all of the power metrics: Hard-hit percentage (47.6%, 10th), barrel percentage (13.4%, 10th), exit velocity (91.7, ninth), etc.

    Castellanos has never flashed that kind of power in his four seasons with the Phillies. His hard-hit rate since 2022 is just 39.8, down from the 46.9% he posted in his walk year with the Reds. His 82 home runs are well shy of a total that let you accept his plate discipline struggles.

    Adolis Garcia hit 141 home runs over the last five seasons with the Rangers.

    García has many of the same struggles. They are largely to blame for his back-to-back disappointing seasons, which led the Rangers to non-tender him rather than pay him a projected $12 million. After hitting 39 home runs in 2023, he hit just 44 combined in 2024-25. His batting line over those two seasons was .225/.278/.397. That’s still good enough for an OPS+ that was within range of league average. But without the power production, his lack of competitiveness at the plate can be a frustrating thing to watch, manage, and play alongside.

    At the same time, García’s plate discipline metrics aren’t as extreme as Castellanos’. His chase rate of 34.4% in 2024-25 was well above average, but also well shy of Castellanos’ 39.1%. Same goes for his overall swing percentage: 52.1%, compared with 58.4% for Castellanos. García is much more likely to swing-and-miss in the zone. You can live with that when he is hitting 30-plus homers. Not when he is hitting 19, as he did in 2025.

    García hasn’t even been all that good against lefties. His .715 career OPS with the platoon advantage is a lot lower than you’d expect to see out of a power hitter of his profile. Last year, he hit just .199 with 44 strikeouts in 136 at-bats against lefties.

    There aren’t a lot of bad gambles at the $10 million price point. I’m just not sure how realistic the upside is. García is coming off two disappointing seasons and was just non-tendered by a team that knows him quite well. If the Rangers didn’t think he was worth $10 million-$12 million, and the Phillies do, who is more likely to be correct?

    Instead of García, the Phillies could have taken a chance on someone like Miguel Andujar, who finished last season on a tear for the Reds (1.035 OPS, seven home runs in 125 plate appearances over the last quarter of the season). A onetime top-100 prospect who had a big year with the Yankees in 2018 at the age of 23, Andujar has had less than 1,200 plate appearances over the last seven seasons. Heading into his 31-year-old season, he is young enough to think that he might still have his biggest season in front of him. At worst, he gives you a platoon bat (.807 career OPS vs. lefties) with some positional versatility (third base and outfield). Although, you can argue that positional versatility doesn’t mean much if a guy can’t play any of the positions well.

    Phillies give the incomparable Kyle Schwarber an incomparable contract, still need another big bat behind him

    Dombrowski would likely argue that there is a certain floor of value for a guy who has a track record of playing every day for competitive teams. He wouldn’t be wrong, either. García has five straight seasons of 500-plus plate appearances with an elite tool (power) and production that has been close to league average even in two straight disappointing seasons. The Phillies were clearly looking for someone who could play every day for them, presumably in right field, where Castellanos is almost certainly on his way out.

    Whatever the Phillies ended up doing with this particular roster spot, it wasn’t going to be the kind of move you could judge on its own. The important question is the overall picture in the Phillies’ outfield. If they can find a way to bring back Harrison Bader, the unit will be a better one than it was a year ago. Even the player García was in 2024-25 is better than the player Castellanos has been lately.

  • The Eagles put up a bunch of wild numbers in their win over the Raiders

    The Eagles put up a bunch of wild numbers in their win over the Raiders

    Leave it to the lowly Las Vegas Raiders to help the Eagles snap a three-game losing streak in style. The Eagles’ 31-0 victory over the Raiders on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field made history and had plenty of notable numbers come out of it.

    Here’s a look:

    • At 2 hours, 31 minutes, Sunday’s game was the quickest Eagles game since at least 1999.
    • The Eagles posted their first shutout since Dec. 30, 2018. The 31-point margin was the Eagles’ largest margin of victory during a shutout since Dec. 16, 1990, a 31-0 victory over Green Bay.
    • The 75 yards the Eagles limited the Raiders to were the fewest allowed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl era, and fewest overall since they surrendered just 49 yards to the Chicago Cardinals on Dec. 4, 1955. It was also the fewest yards allowed by a team in the NFL since Cleveland allowed just 58 yards by Arizona on Nov. 5, 2023.
    • The 312-yard advantage in total yards was the Eagles’ largest margin since Sept. 7, 2008, when they outgained St. Louis by 356 yards.
    • Dallas Goedert scored twice, reaching nine touchdowns on the season. He has more touchdowns in 2025 than his previous three seasons combined. Goedert became the fifth player in Eagles history to reach 400 career receptions, joining Harold Carmichael (589), Zach Ertz (579), Pete Retzlaff (452), and Brian Westbrook (426).
    • Goedert is now one off the single-season record for touchdowns by an Eagles tight end. Retzlaff had 10 in 1965.
    • Brandon Graham, at 37 years, 255 days, became the oldest player in Eagles history to register a sack in a game. The record was previously held by Richard Dent, who registered a sack on Dec. 14, 1997, in Atlanta on the day after his 37th birthday. Graham also became the oldest NFL player to produce multiple sacks in the first half of a game since Bruce Smith on Nov. 28, 2002 (39 years, 163 days).
    • Zack Baun picked up his third interception of the season. He is the only NFL player with at least 100 tackles, three sacks, and three takeaways this year.
    • Jalen Hurts became the first quarterback in Eagles history to record multiple games with a 150-plus passer rating (154.9) and .800 completion percentage in the same season. He previously accomplished the feat in Week 7 at Minnesota (158.3 rating and .826 percentage).
    • The Eagles secured their fifth consecutive winning season with Nick Sirianni at the helm — the longest streak to start a career in franchise history. Sirianni is the 10th head coach since 1970 to start his career with five straight winning seasons, joining Bill Cowher, John Harbaugh, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Sean McVay, George Seifert, Mike Sherman, Mike Smith, and Mike Tomlin (according to Elias Sports Bureau).
    • This is the 21st winning season under Jeffrey Lurie’s ownership, making the Eagles one of only four teams with 21-plus winning seasons since Lurie took over — joining Green Bay (24), New England (24), and Pittsburgh (23).

    (Statistics courtesy of the Eagles’ football communications staff.)

  • Eagles open as favorites over Commanders — and see their Super Bowl, NFC odds improve after big win

    Eagles open as favorites over Commanders — and see their Super Bowl, NFC odds improve after big win

    After three straight losses, the Eagles bounced back with a 31-0 blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders at home. Now, the team faces a short week before a Saturday night matchup at Northwest Stadium, where they’ll take on the Washington Commanders in the first of two matchups over the next three weeks.

    From the Birds’ chances this weekend to updates on year-end awards, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks …

    Eagles vs. Commanders odds

    The last time these teams met was in the NFC championship game in January. After the two teams split their regular-season matchup — the Eagles’ loss coming in a game in which Jalen Hurts went down early — the Birds dominated a Jayden Daniels-led Washington team on their way to a 55-23 win at Lincoln Financial Field.

    While the Birds are coming off a win, after three straight losses, the Commanders earned their first win in eight games Sunday, a 29-21 victory over the New York Giants without Daniels under center after he reaggravated an elbow injury.

    The Eagles initially opened as 5.5- and 6-point favorites at FanDuel and DraftKings, respectively, but that started to change when news came down that the Commanders would be shutting down Daniels for the season and sticking with Marcus Mariota as the starter. The line jumped by a point at FanDuel by Monday afternoon.

    FanDuel

    • Spread: Commanders +6.5 (-105); Eagles -5.5 (-115)
    • Moneyline: Commanders (+235); Eagles (-290)
    • Total: Over 44.5 (-115); Under 44.5 (-105)

    DraftKings

    • Spread: Commanders +6 (-110); Eagles -6 (-110)
    • Moneyline: Commanders (+225); Eagles (-278)
    • Total: Over 45.5 (-108); Under 45.5 (-112)
    Jalen Hurts makes a statement, the NFC is wide open for the taking, and what else they’re saying about the Eagles

    NFC East odds update

    The 9-5 Eagles increased their division lead over the Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1), who despite two consecutive losses are still in the running for the NFC East — although that can end on Saturday night with an Eagles’ victory. Meanwhile, the New York Giants (2-12) and Washington Commanders (4-10) are out of contention.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    The Eagles are on the brink of breaking a 20-year streak in the NFC East
    The Eagles jumped ahead of the Packers in both sportsbooks’ Super Bowl odds.

    NFC odds update

    At both sportsbooks, the Eagles have improved their odds of winning the conference after the victory over the Raiders. They trail behind the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks for the third-best odds to win the NFC.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

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

    Super Bowl odds

    The defending champions remain outside of the top three favorites to win the Super Bowl. However, their odds have improved from last week, where they were ranked seventh at both sportsbooks. Now, the team has made their way back into the top five favorites to win the big game.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    The Eagles can still get to the Super Bowl, but only if their defense drags them there | Mike Sielski
    Don’t look now, but Josh Allen is making a late charge in the MVP race.

    MVP odds

    Jalen Hurts’ MVP odds have fallen drastically after the last stretch of games with the Eagles, and he’s essentially out of the running. Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye continue to battle for the top spot with Josh Allen rapidly closing in behind them.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    ‘That was amazing:’ Return of Jalen Hurts as a runner — and run-heavy offense — is the Eagles’ winning formula
  • Phillies sign outfielder Adolis García to one-year deal

    Phillies sign outfielder Adolis García to one-year deal

    At a time when righty-hitting outfielders with power are in short supply across baseball, the Phillies will wager on a onetime postseason star to have a bounce-back season.

    The Phillies signed free-agent outfielder Adolis Garcia to a one-year contract, which major league sources said is for $10 million. The deal was reported first Monday by Beisbol FG.

    García, 32, is expected to replace Nick Castellanos in right field. The Phillies intend to trade or release Castellanos, who is owed $20 million in 2026 but lost his everyday job in August amid declining performance and clashes with manager Rob Thomson.

    Adolis García could be the new Nick Castellanos, and he looks the part. Uncomfortably so.

    The Phillies’ signing of García comes 361 days after an identical one-year, $10 million free-agent deal with outfielder Max Kepler.

    It represents a similar bet, too.

    García, who will be 33 next season and played for the Rangers since 2020, wasn’t tendered a contract last month after batting .225/.278/.397 with a 96 OPS-plus over the last two years. He was projected to make $12.1 million in salary arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

    Adolis García had a 30.3% strikeout rate last season with the Rangers.

    In particular, García struggled to make contact, with a 30.3% whiff rate last season and 33.6% the year before. For context, Castellanos had a 29.9% whiff rate last season and 30.1% in 2024. García’s bat speed has also dipped in the last two years.

    But when García connects, he still hits the ball hard. He ranked in the 89th percentile among all hitters last season in average exit velocity (92.1 mph), which mirrored his mark from 2023 when he smashed 39 homers and had a 127 OPS-plus, career-best totals. García also batted .323 with eight homers in the 2023 postseason and was MVP of the American League Championship Series en route to helping the Rangers win the World Series.

    The Phillies will count on hitting coach Kevin Long to bring about a revival for García. And maybe he will benefit from hitting in Citizens Bank Park.

    The Phillies intend to move on from Nick Castellanos. But will they find a trade match?

    Even if García’s decline at the plate continues, he figures to be a massive defensive upgrade in right field. Known for his elite arm strength, García tied for third among all outfielders with 16 defensive runs saved above average and was a Gold Glove finalist. He won a Gold Glove in 2023.

    Castellanos rated among the worst defenders at any position last season, 11 runs saved below average, according to Sports Info Solutions. His offense is in a three-year decline (OPS-plus: 112, 104, 88 over the last three years). And Thomson benched him in June in Miami for insubordination in the dugout after being removed for defense in the ninth inning.

    Even with Castellanos, the Phillies, like many teams, looked everywhere in recent years in search of righty-hitting outfield help. After committing to Johan Rojas as a rookie in 2023, they traded for Austin Hays and Harrison Bader on back-to-back July deadlines.

    Last winter, the available righty-hitting outfield options were so scarce that the Phillies signed lefty-swinging Kepler, who batted .216/.300/.391 with 18 homers and an 88 OPS-plus. And although president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has defended Kepler’s season, he also said multiple times that the Phillies would not re-sign him.

    Adolis Garcia has 44 homers over the last two seasons, 10th among all righty-hitting outfielders in baseball.

    The scarcity of righty-hitting outfielders was evident earlier in the offseason, when the Orioles traded a pitcher with four years of team control (Grayson Rodriguez) to the Angels for Taylor Ward, a corner outfielder entering his last year before free agency.

    García ranks 10th among all righty-hitting outfielders with 44 homers over the last two seasons.

    “There’s just a lot more left-handed hitters nowadays than there are right-handed hitters, for whatever reason,” Dombrowski said last week. “We’ll talk about something that comes up, and I’ll say, ‘Yeah, but that’s a left-handed hitter again.’”

    The Phillies are sticking with a veteran core in 2026. But this time the kids have to play too.

    García’s presence in right field likely means top prospect Justin Crawford will play center with Brandon Marsh in left, at least against right-handed pitching. The Phillies could still add a righty-hitting outfielder, or open the door again to Rojas, to share time with Marsh.

    García’s contract will boost the Phillies’ 2026 payroll commitments to approximately $295 million, as calculated for the luxury tax. That figure includes Castellanos’ salary. If the Phillies are able to trade him, they almost certainly will have to swallow all or most of the $20 million.

    Kyle Schwarber found his way back to the Phillies, and he hopes J.T. Realmuto does the same

    The Phillies still hope to bring back free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, which would put them in range with their final 2025 payroll figure of roughly $312 million.

    During the winter meetings last week in Orlando, rival team officials painted the Phillies as interested in trading from the major league roster to create payroll space to add in other areas, including the outfield and bullpen. They remain interested in re-signing Bader, although he’s believed to be seeking to parlay a career-best season at the plate into a three-year contract.

    It’s possible, then, that García will represent the Phillies’ biggest outfield addition.

  • Jalen Hurts makes a statement, the NFC is wide open for the taking, and what else they’re saying about the Eagles

    Jalen Hurts makes a statement, the NFC is wide open for the taking, and what else they’re saying about the Eagles

    It feels good to play a week of football where the Eagles aren’t the number one topic of the national conversation, doesn’t it?

    But some in the national media still had things to say about the Birds after they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders …

    Injuries catching up with rest of NFC

    The Eagles aren’t out of the woods offensively, even after delivering against a weak Raiders team. But with the Cowboys’ loss to the Vikings, the Eagles are just one win or Cowboys loss away from clinching a playoff berth — and becoming the first team to repeat as NFC East champs in 20 years.

    But what Week 15 showcased for former Eagle Chris Long is that the NFL is wide-open this season. The Eagles still have work to do, but they’re not the only contender with issues.

    “If you’re the Eagles, you kind of feel like, if we can get our [expletive] together, the Rams … might have lost Davante Adams for a little bit … Green Bay’s lost Micah [Parsons], Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft, these are tough injuries to overcome for these other teams,” Long said.

    The Eagles can still get to the Super Bowl, but only if their defense drags them there

    Eagles are ‘in a good spot right now’

    Were the Eagles the biggest winners in Week 15? Damien Woody said on ESPN’s Get Up that he thinks so.

    “Obviously, you win the game against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, but the Dallas Cowboys lost, and you look at some of the other losses in the conference,” Woody said. “If you’re Philadelphia, you come out of this week thinking, if we get our offense back on track and these other teams lose, we’re still in a good spot right now.”

    The Birds are one game back of the Bears for second in the NFC and two games back of the Rams, with the easiest remaining schedule of the three. It’s extremely unlikely that the Birds could secure the bye at this point, but second in the NFC is still very much in play.

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles No. 1 seed scenarios, Chiefs eliminated, two teams clinch
    Jalen Hurts was incredibly efficient against the Raiders, throwing as many touchdowns (3) as incompletions.

    Hurts ‘had a statement to make’

    After a career-worst performance against the Chargers, Jalen Hurts needed a game like Sunday’s against Las Vegas. Hurts went 12-for-15 for 175 yards and three touchdowns, and was out of the game by the fourth quarter.

    Emmanuel Acho said on Speakeasy that he wasn’t ready to say Hurts was fully back, given the opponent, but was encouraged that the Eagles took care of business instead of falling into the trap.

    “The Eagles played the second-fastest game in NFL history against the Raiders,” Acho said. “Here’s why that matters, you got in, you got out, you got on with your life. You did what you needed to do and you did it efficiently.”

    ‘That was amazing:’ Return of Jalen Hurts as a runner — and run-heavy offense — is the Eagles’ winning formula

    Former Eagle LeSean McCoy was also impressed with Hurts’ performance.

    “I don’t want to say he’s silenced all doubt because it is this Vegas team, but it’s the way he looked,” McCoy said. “He looked really, really good, he looked really confident, like he had a statement to make.”

  • Brandon Graham set the Eagles’ shutout tone Sunday; NFL’s injury epidemic changes the playoff picture

    Brandon Graham set the Eagles’ shutout tone Sunday; NFL’s injury epidemic changes the playoff picture

    Cooper DeJean committed two penalties on the same play in the first quarter Sunday. First, he held Tyler Lockett, then he pushed him, which drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. However, that was not the most important thing that happened on the play.

    In the backfield, 37-year-old unretired defensive end Brandon Graham, playing his second career game at defensive tackle due to depth issues, sacked Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett. It was about 25 degrees, it felt about 25-below, and the turf was as cold and as hard as Graham’s heart when it comes to quarterbacks.

    The penalties dulled the impact of the sack, but that sack changed the game.

    To that point, Pickett was 4-for-5 for 16 yards, plus an 8-yard scramble. The Raiders had gained 20 yards.

    They gained just 55 more yards all game as the Eagles secured their first shutout since Dec. 30, 2018. Graham was the only current Eagles defender to play in that game; the next afternoon, Pickett, a sophomore at Pitt, lost to Stanford in the Sun Bowl.

    After the Graham sack, Pickett looked like he wished he was back in El Paso. Pickett went 11-for-20 for 48 yards, with an interception, minus-1 rushing yard, and three more sacks. Every drop back, he’d glance at the coverage and then look for Graham & Co.

    “It was big, man,” Graham said. “Whenever we can hit the quarterback like that … you just abort the plan that you had.”

    Moro Ojomo sacked Pickett on the very next play.

    Graham later collected another sack on a day when he became the oldest Eagle in history to record a sack. They were his first and second since he returned to the field six games ago, when the Birds found themselves shorthanded at end. Now, in the absence of Jalen Carter, Graham, at 265 pounds, is playing tackle, to great effect.

    He was good at the Chargers last week, but he was great Sunday. It was his first game with at least two sacks since Jan. 1, 2023, against the Saints, which was Game 16 of the 2022 season.

    DeJean was grateful that, thanks to Graham laying wood while he was fouling Lockett, nothing much came of his penalty.

    “It had this, like, carryover effect,” DeJean said. “It gets into the mind of a quarterback, and we were just able to come after him.”

    Graham didn’t win every play. In fact, not only did Graham not see Zack Baun intercept Pickett’s pass early in the third quarter, he was rendered completely irrelevant.

    “Oh, my goodness,” Graham said after the game, shaking his head and smiling. “Oh, my goodness.”

    Graham had left the middle for one play and lined up on the left edge. There, he told tight end Michael Mayer, “You better not chip me!”

    Mayer chipped him as right tackle DJ Glaze blocked him.

    Graham wound up on his back.

    He was still there when Mayer, who’d raced across the field, tackled Baun.

    “I didn’t think he was going to chip me,” Graham said with a shrug. “He got me. But trust me, it looked worse than it felt.”

    Shutout football with two sacks at the age of 37 can be a powerful anesthetic.

    Injury earthquakes

    Micah Parsons is the Packers’ best defensive player. He entered Sunday’s game with 12½ sacks and a league-high 60 QB pressures, a brilliant return on the Packers’ investment. He cost the Pack two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in a blockbuster trade with Dallas, then signed a four-year, $188 million contract extension.

    Then, Sunday. Parsons left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter just before the Broncos took the lead for good in their 34-26 win. Reports indicate that he has a torn ACL.

    The Packers’ Micah Parsons reacts after suffering a knee injury Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

    The loss dropped the Packers to 9-4-1, a half-game in the NFC North standings behind the 10-4 Bears — the team they visit Saturday night — but Green Bay leads the 9-5 Eagles, in case that matters. Parsons’ absence might matter more than anything. It would be like the Browns losing Myles Garrett, or maybe even like the Chiefs losing Patrick Mahomes.

    On that point …

    Mahomes left the Chiefs’ loss Sunday with a torn ACL. The Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention.

    So, suddenly, the best player on an elite NFC team is gone, and, while the return from an ACL injury can be as short at eight months, Parsons, a dynamic athlete who relies on speed, probably won’t be the same until 2027.

    Also, suddenly, the best player in the NFL over the last eight seasons on the best team in the NFL over the last eight seasons is gone, and, as perhaps the most effective mobile quarterback in history, Mahomes probably won’t be the same until 2027, either. Neither will the Chiefs.

    Finally, star wideout Davante Adams left the Rams’ comeback win against the visiting Lions when he aggravated a hamstring injury. Adams has 14 touchdown receptions, which leads the league by six. He’s seventh on the all-time TD catches list with 117, and he’s the active leader by 11. The Rams sit atop the NFC at 11-3, which might be enough to secure the No. 1 seed, but the impact of a diminished Adams could resonate in the playoffs.

    Philip Rivers gave the Colts a chance to win in Seattle but came up just short at age 44.

    Extra points

    The Cowboys’ home loss to the Vikings left them at 6-7-1 and essentially ended their hopes for a playoff berth. The Cowboys would have to win the NFC East, and to do that they’d have to go 3-0 and have the Eagles go 0-3. … Josh Allen led the Bills to five touchdowns and a third big comeback win, this time at New England, which kept the Patriots from clinching the AFC East. … Unretired grandfather Philip Rivers, signed by Indianapolis to replace injured Daniel Jones, threw a touchdown pass and an interception but the Colts (8-6) lost their fourth in a row when Seahawks kicker Jason Myers kicked his franchise-record sixth field goal, a 56-yarder in the final minute. Seattle, with quarterback Sam Darnold, is 11-3. … Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars (10-4) to a fifth straight win with a career-high five TD passes, ran for another, and has his team on top of the AFC South.

  • Flyers takeaways: Trevor Zegras on pace for a career season; Dan Vladař continues to be ‘amazing’

    Flyers takeaways: Trevor Zegras on pace for a career season; Dan Vladař continues to be ‘amazing’

    RALEIGH, N.C. — On Sunday night, the Flyers dropped their third straight game, and their third straight after regulation, with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

    Yes, it’s a losing streak, but the Flyers were facing the Eastern Conference’s best for the second straight night. And while things started slowly for Philly, it was able to find its footing and snag a point.

    Here are two players who played a big role.

    The Flyers’ Trevor Zegras has a four-game points streak.

    Storm front

    The Flyers may have been playing the Hurricanes, but there’s a storm front coming from Trevor Zegras. Acquired in June, the 24-year-old from New York is on pace to smash his career highs.

    Zegras is riding a four-game point streak (three goals, three assists) and has 13 goals and 32 points in 31 games. He has already tied his point total from last season in 57 games.

    If he maintains this pace, he will score 34 goals and 85 points. His career highs are 23 goals and 65 points, set in the 2022-23 season.

    Flyers drop second straight game to Hurricanes in 3-2 shootout loss

    Coach Rick Tocchet agreed that Zegras was one of the better players for the Flyers right from puck drop.

    “He wants the puck. He wants to make plays,” Tocchet said. “That’s what we want from him; he’s been doing it all year. And then when he gets the puck, he’s making plays through the middle of the ice, which is nice.”

    Trevor Zegras was very active around the Carolina Hurricanes’ net, and he finished with a goal and an assist.

    Zegras tied Nick Seeler for the team lead on Sunday with seven shot attempts. Although three missed the net and two shots were blocked, two more were on goal, with one finding the back of the net.

    That goal came in the last two minutes of the game to tie it up and force overtime. But it was one moment of many by Zegras that set the tone.

    In the first period, with the Flyers trailing 1-0 and having just one shot on goal, and on their second straight power play, Emil Andrae was struggling with Seth Jarvis deep in the Flyers’ zone.

    Zegras came over and followed one of the fundamentals when there is a man advantage: If you lose possession, you need two players on the puck. He threw a hit on Jarvis — just the 11th by the lithe forward this season — with Andrae squeezing him out on the other side, ending the Hurricanes forward’s possession.

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    It wasn’t the most altering moment of the game, but it seemed to say that it was time to end the Flyers’ poor play. And the Flyers did start to pick up the pace after that, powered by Zegras.

    “I mean, it’s a team game,” he said when asked about carrying the load. “It’s a team effort, especially if you’re talking power play. I definitely just try to do what I can to be the best for my teammates. But I mean, those guys were making plays all night.”

    According to Natural Stat Trick, Zegras had one rebound attempt and created another two, with one coming from Noah Cates atop the crease as the Flyers looked for the equalizer in the third period.

    He also led the team with six scoring chances. None came during five-on-five play. Most came during six-on-five action — the Flyers scored both goals at this strength, one on a delayed penalty and the second with the goalie pulled.

    After a slow start, the new power-play units started to gel with Zegras (4:47), Cates (4:22), Tippett (4:22), Drysdale (4:02), and Brink (3:55) getting the most time with the man advantage.

    Originally, with Andrae on the power play alongside Zegras, Cates, Bobby Brink, and Owen Tippett, the Flyers had one missed shot and two more blocked. But Tocchet moved Andrae off the unit — and also off the second pairing.

    “I thought Emil was struggling,” he said about Andrae being moved down to play with Noah Juulsen. “He’s been struggling the last couple of games; not struggling, but has been a little bit off. Just trying some different things.”

    Zegras’ old power-play buddy with the Anaheim Ducks, Jamie Drysdale, was moved to the unit, and things started to pick up. This unit had eight chances, including three shots on goal.

    “I think the power play was good tonight,” Zegras said. “I think we got some looks that we wanted to.

    “We had the prescout on their penalty kill for the last couple days, so we kind of knew what to expect, and just finally broke through on the six-on-five, which was good.”

    Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar made 30 saves against the Hurricanes on Sunday.

    Here I am

    In Star Wars: A New Hope, Darth Vader says, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.” He’s a lot nicer than the villain, but Dan Vladař could probably say the same to those who doubted his signing in July.

    You cannot lay any blame at Vladař on the two goals he allowed to Carolina — one off a broken play and the other a deflection on a power play — but you can assuredly praise him for the 30 shots he bested.

    “He’s a stud,” Drysdale said. “There really is no other way around it. Both of our goalies have been great this year and really, really give us a chance. So that also instills a lot of confidence in our group, for sure.”

    The Carolina Hurricanes are known for shooting from everywhere, and they did that on Sunday.

    In the first period, he faced 14 shots on goal, nine in the second, seven in the third, and a pair in overtime. He got a lot of work in the opening 5 minutes, 44 seconds, facing eight shots on goal compared to zero for the Flyers.

    The Czech netminder, who should be getting a call soon to represent his country in the Olympics, was often spotted using his blocker. He stopped Jordan Martinook in the second period and then Carolina defenseman K’Andre Miller on a breakaway.

    “He’s amazing,” Zegras said. “He saved my butt a couple of times. But, I mean, it’s every night, right? You guys [the media] see it. It’s big saves, timely saves, saves that he shouldn’t even be making.”

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    And while the official play-by-play says Jackson Blake missed the net, it was Vladař’s patience and movement that forced the son of former New York Islander forward Jason Blake wide.

    According to Natural Stat Trick, 19 shots were low-danger shots — and Vladař stopped them all.

    “You look at their shots, their shots are from the corners and stuff like that, like they’re kind of cheap shots. So we’re not too worried about that,” said defenseman Cam York, who returned to the lineup after missing four games.

    “I think we’re worried about trying to make sure those aren’t Grade A chances. And, you know, Vladdy, he’s so good that he’s going to make those saves.”

  • Sixers takeaways: Paul George’s best game, Joel Embiid’s availability, and more from loss to the Hawks

    Sixers takeaways: Paul George’s best game, Joel Embiid’s availability, and more from loss to the Hawks

    ATLANTA — Paul George is moving well.

    Joel Embiid is making progress in his recovery.

    VJ Edgecombe showed why he needs to be more involved.

    The 76ers also had a tough time making key defensive stops. And when they finally did, they struggled to score late.

    These things stood out in their 120-117 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday at State Farm Arena.

    George’s star shining bright

    This matchup might have been George’s best performance of the season, even after the versatility he displayed in Friday’s victory over the Indiana Pacers.

    Paul George shows signs of being the versatile difference-maker the Sixers expected last season

    Against the Hawks, George took his ballhandling, scoring, and defense to another level. He didn’t look like someone dealing with left knee injury management and appeared closer to the player the Sixers (14-11) gave a four-year, $211.5 million deal on July 6, 2024, to form a Big Three with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

    George finished with 35 points while making 7 of 10 three-pointers. The 6-foot-8 forward also had four rebounds, three assists, and one block. He scored nine of his points on 3-for-6 shooting, including both of his three-pointers, in the second quarter.

    “I’m getting more and more comfortable within the system, within the offense,” George said. “At that point, now, I can kind of just be myself. Just allow the game to come to me, find my moment. And be aggressive in those.”

    George scored 14 of his points in the fourth quarter. Now healthier, the 35-year-old, who missed 56 games since the start of last season, is once again able to get by defenders.

    “Last year was a lot going on,” he said. “I was just trying to patch up stuff. This year, I’m a lot healthier. I’m able. I feel like I can play my game. I feel like I can be myself.

    “There’s still some things that got to come back. I’m not all the way [100%]. But I’m more myself than I was last year. So that’s the positive that I can take. And everything else is, with time, I’m just going to continue to get better.”

    Joel Embiid (left) had his first double-double of the season for the Sixers.

    Embiid ramping up

    At the start of the season, Embiid needed at least two full days in between games to play. For instance, if the Sixers center played on a Monday, he wouldn’t play again until Thursday of that week.

    But that changed on Sunday.

    Embiid was back on the court after scoring a season-high 39 points on Friday. After that game, the 2023 MVP, who is dealing with knee issues, said he would petition to play against the Hawks. And his presence was needed with Maxey, the team’s leading scorer, missing his second straight game with an illness.

    “The main thing is he was feeling pretty good after the last game,” coach Nick Nurse said of playing Embiid. “Probably the schedule has helped a little bit, too, both pre and post these two games.

    “Listen, I thought he had some pretty good opportunities tonight. I thought he had a lot of unfortunate ones, especially some in close to the basket that rolled off here and there. And I kind of wish he would have gotten to the free throw line more tonight.”

    Embiid was rerouted on several drives to the basket, where the officials didn’t call a foul. When he did attempt free throws, he made 5 of 6.

    Embiid didn’t shoot the ball well from the field, making just 8 of 20 shots. However, he finished with 22 points, a season-high 14 rebounds, and two blocks for his first double-double of the season.

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    “I feel OK,” he said of playing on one day’s rest. “I was a little tired out there. But I feel good. I’ll take it. I came out pretty good either way. So I’ll take it. Obviously, I would have felt better if we got the win. But that didn’t happen. … We’ll see how it feels tomorrow. But it was good things.”

    Edgecombe’s dominant quarter

    The night started poorly for Edgecombe, who was summoned to the bench early in the first quarter after picking up two fouls. But he settled down upon his return and was in video game mode in the third quarter.

    That’s when the rookie shooting guard scored 17 of his 26 points. He did that while making 5 of 7 shots, including all three of his three-pointers. He was 4-for-4 from the foul line while playing the entire quarter.

    Edgecombe has been solid for most of the season. It’s just been a matter of keeping him involved. He gave the crowd in Atlanta a glimpse of what he can do when the offense runs through him.

    Sixers’ VJ Edgecombe (left) scored 17 of his 26 points in the third quarter.

    Defense improvement equals poor offensive possession

    The Sixers made clutch shots and kept mounting comeback attempts. They also had some solid defense, highlighted by Andre Drummond’s two blocked shots in the third quarter.

    But it just seemed like whenever the Hawks really needed to make a basket, they did. A prime example was Onyeka Okongwu’s three-pointer to give the Hawks a 114-109 lead with 3 minutes, 31 seconds remaining. That shot squashed a 13-5 run by the Sixers.

    Then, after Quentin Grimes’ three-pointer closed the gap to one point with 1:03 left, the Sixers made a defensive stop. However, they couldn’t score on their final two possessions.

    Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey sits out game in Atlanta with an illness

    Their ensuing possession, which concluded with George and Grimes missing three-pointers, appeared to be a few seconds of chaos.

    The Sixers got the ball after Embiid’s defensive rebound with 41.3 seconds left. They passed up several good looks in addition to their two misses before Nickeil Alexander-Walker grabbed a rebound for the Hawks (15-12) with 6.8 seconds remaining.

    Sixers guard Quentin Grimes (right) finished with 14 points against Atlanta.

    “Listen, it’s always one of those, I think, when we [get] a stop, we want to get up the floor and hit them before the defense is set, for sure,” Nurse said. “That settles down a little bit. There’s some chances to take a timeout. When you don’t and don’t score, you always want to go back and do it, maybe.

    “But I was pretty happy with — they were moving the ball. They had some looks. They had two cracks at it. Two guys who had just made shots, a bunch of shots down the stretch. I have to look at it again. I’m sitting here right now, [the possession] was probably OK.”

    Then, after Alexander-Walker made a pair of foul shots to give Atlanta a three-point cushion, Grimes missed a potential game-tying three at the buzzer.