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  • Here’s how Brynn McCurry became Villanova’s ‘bionic’ force on its women’s basketball program

    Here’s how Brynn McCurry became Villanova’s ‘bionic’ force on its women’s basketball program

    It’s hard to miss Brynn McCurry when she takes the floor at the Finneran Pavilion. The Villanova forward has two large, bulky braces on the right side of her body. One brace supports her knee, where she tore her anterior cruciate ligament before last season. The other is on her elbow, protecting a torn ulnar collateral ligament, an injury typically associated with baseball.

    After McCurry missed all of last season with the ACL injury, she suffered the torn UCL just before this season started. But she knew she was not going to sit out another full year.

    So McCurry strapped on the braces and embraced a look she calls “bionic.” Despite the injuries, McCurry, who’s averaging 11.8 points in 11 games this season, has blossomed into an integral part of the Wildcats’ roster, helping them to a 12-3 record as their second-leading scorer and leading rebounder.

    Despite mobility being limited due to braces on her elbow and knee, Villanova’s Brynn McCurry (left) has emerged as the leading rebounder and second-leading scorer for the Wildcats.

    “It’s a great feeling just to be out there in itself, but also being on a team that’s been so successful,” McCurry said. “… And just being able to be back playing with people that I’ve never gotten to play with. So it’s a great feeling to be out there, and an even better feeling to be winning.”

    Injury issues first popped up for McCurry during her senior season at Sparta (N.J.) High School in 2022-23, when she suffered a torn left ACL in mid-December, ending her high school career.

    McCurry enrolled at Villanova but spent most of her freshman year playing sparingly off the bench. However, her role increased near the end of the season. She played double-digit minutes in seven of the Wildcats’ final nine games, which helped her confidence grow.

    Villanova’s winning streak may have ended, but there’s plenty for Denise Dillon to be happy about

    That confidence continued to rise when the team traveled to Italy for exhibition games in the summer of 2024. McCurry looked like the best player on a team full of newcomers to coach Denise Dillon, and her sophomore leap seemed inevitable.

    “A lot of our team had left in [the] transfer portal or graduated, so that was a great experience,” McCurry said. “[But] the momentum kind of just stopped once I tore my ACL.”

    Brynn McCurry battles St. Joseph’s forward Faith Stinson during the clash in the Big 5 women’s basketball championship in December.

    Just as the team began ramping up its preseason in September 2024, McCurry suffered a torn right ACL.

    The injury set up another nine-month recovery period as she was finding her role on the court. However, with the help of her support system, McCurry attacked her rehab to return to the court as soon as possible.

    “Once you have surgery, it’s done; you’ve got to start rehabbing again,” McCurry said. “So just having a good support system around me, my family came down and was with me for the first week after surgery because you can’t do a lot by yourself. But after that, Villanova, my teammates, and the coaches took great care of me.”

    Villanova forward Tafara Gapare leaves the program

    That setback meant McCurry had to spend another season watching from the sidelines. She remained positive in her year off, motivated to get back to the court and compete.

    She was healthy for Villanova’s preseason this fall, albeit supported by a large knee brace. Then, more bad news struck following a seemingly normal practice.

    Brynn McCurry’s brace protects what she discovered was a torn ligament in her right elbow. She’ll look to undergo Tommy John surgery in the offseason.

    McCurry was playing defense and had her right arm caught in a screen, leaving a tingly feeling in her arm, almost as if she hit her funny bone. Initially, she wasn’t too concerned, but she discovered the next day she could not turn doorknobs with her right hand. Scans revealed a torn UCL. She’ll need to undergo Tommy John surgery, but she has put that off.

    “I’m just trying to push through this season without having to get that done, and wearing that big brace is how I can do it,” McCurry said. “So I look a little bit bionic out there on my right side, but whatever keeps me out there, as long as the doctors say I can just wear the brace, that’s what I’ll do.”

    The elbow brace has affected McCurry’s shooting ability, but she has still developed into one of the Wildcats’ crucial players this season — braces and all.

    Forged in Baltimore, Bryce Lindsay has overcome his share of adversity. Now he’s Villanova’s leading scorer.

    She came off the bench in the first four games and didn’t score more than seven points. McCurry entered the starting lineup against James Madison on Nov. 16 and scored a then-career-high 18 points with seven assists.

    McCurry has been on a tear since that breakout performance. She scored in double figures in the next five games, including three straight games with 20 or more points. McCurry put up 21 points in an 81-59 upset of then-No. 25 West Virginia on Dec. 1. She scored another 21 points six days later to beat St. Joseph’s, 76-70, in the Big 5 Classic championship on Dec. 7.

    “She picked up right where she had left off [in freshman year],” Dillon said. “She’s a consistent worker, and she understands the game so well. She knows what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and I’m super proud of her for continuing. Her resilience is amazing, and she’s getting results that are working in favor of this team’s success.”

    McCurry’s first start coincided with the beginning of a 10-game winning streak, Villanova’s longest since the 2017-18 season. McCurry’s impact does not just come from scoring. She takes pride in being an all-around player, averaging 5.6 rebounds, and is second on the Wildcats with 58 assists.

    Villanova’s winning streak ended against Marquette on Sunday, but it is in the NCAA Tournament conversation with two months to play. McCurry has been critical to the Wildcats’ success, despite playing with two big braces and a torn UCL. She is aiming to remain confident to end the season and to help her team continue to pick up wins.

    “Being out, I got to see what some great players are,” McCurry said. “There are so many people out there, and Maddy Siegrist is a big one that everyone from Villanova knows, but just modeling myself after other great players.

    “Confidence is a huge thing. So just continuing to be confident in myself and my teammates. I think we can be really successful.”

    Follow the Inquirer’s complete coverage of Villanova athletics right here!
  • The USWNT will return to north Jersey in March to play Colombia

    The USWNT will return to north Jersey in March to play Colombia

    Local fans have become used to traveling up to northern New Jersey to watch the U.S. women’s soccer team, and in a few months, they’ll get to do it again.

    The Americans will play Colombia on March 7 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison as part of the annual SheBelieves Cup tournament. Canada and Argentina are the other teams in this year’s field, and they’ll play at 12:30 p.m. before the U.S.-Colombia game at 3:30 p.m.

    It will be the last day of the round-robin, with Nashville hosting the opening doubleheader on March 1 and Columbus, Ohio, hosting the middle games on March 4. The day also will feature the retirement tribute for U.S. legend Tobin Heath, a North Jersey native who earned first-ballot induction into this year’s National Soccer Hall of Fame class.

    The U.S. women have played nine times at the 25,000-seat venue formerly known as Red Bull Arena. Their last seven games there have drawn sellout crowds.

    Tobin Heath playing in Philadelphia in 2019. She won two World Cups, two Olympic gold medals, and two NWSL championships in her career.

    Unfortunately, the U.S. kickoff time means that fans here who also follow the Union will have to choose between going north and going down to Chester for the Union’s 7:30 p.m. game against the San Jose Earthquakes.

    In theory, they could try to race out of Harrison to get on the New Jersey Turnpike, but traffic up there is almost certain to make that impossible.

    As for the teams in the SheBelieves field, Canada is the best of them on paper at No. 10 in FIFA’s global rankings. But the Canucks have lost five straight games, a streak that started with a 3-0 rout by the U.S. in June. Since then, they have faced Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Japan twice.

    Philadelphia is on a long list of potential cities for the 2031 women’s World Cup

    Colombia is the most intriguing team of the bunch. Las Cafeteras are ranked No. 20, but have three superstars in their attack: the Washington Spirit’s Leicy Santos, Real Madrid’s Linda Caicedo, and Chelsea’s Mayra Ramírez. Colombia made the final of last year’s Copa América and lost on penalty kicks to Brazil after a wild 4-4 tie.

    U.S. Soccer tends to put the best game for the U.S. on the tournament’s last day, so it says something that Colombia got the honor this time.

    Argentina is ranked No. 30, and finished third at last year’s Copa. Forward Paulina Gramaglia used to play for the Houston Dash, and is now with Spain’s Tenerife.

    These games will be the first of a year that builds up to Concacaf’s women’s championship in November. The tournament will serve as qualifying for the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics, though the U.S. doesn’t have to worry about the latter as the host.

    The USMNT, USWNT, and your kid’s youth team are all different. U.S. Soccer is fine with that.

    “These are three teams that will likely be in the World Cup in 2027 and of course we’ll likely see Canada in World Cup qualifying at the end of the year, so when focusing on our continued preparations and growth as a team, the SheBelieves Cup is of great value,” U.S. manager Emma Hayes said in a statement. “Each team brings different strengths and will challenge us to find success in all parts of the field, which is exactly what we need as we continue our process to build toward the big events on the horizon.”

    Ticket presales for U.S. Soccer members start on Thursday, and the general public sale starts on Monday.

    U.S. manager Emma Hayes overseeing a practice in Chester in October.

    SheBelieves Cup schedule

    Sunday, March 1: Canada vs. Colombia (2 p.m., truTV and Universo) and United States vs. Argentina (5 p.m., TNT, truTV, Universo) in Nashville.

    Wednesday, March 4: Argentina vs. Colombia (3:30 p.m., truTV and Universo) and United States vs. Canada (6:45 p.m., TNT, truTV, Universo) in Columbus, Ohio

    Saturday, March 7: Canada vs. Argentina, 12:30 p.m. (truTV, Universo) and United States vs. Colombia (3:30 p.m., TBS, truTV, Telemundo 62, Universo) in Harrison, N.J.

    All games also are available via online streaming on HBO Max in English and Peacock in Spanish.

  • Nick Sirianni’s ‘stupid’ superstition, Cooper DeJean at wide receiver, and more highlights from ‘Hard Knocks’

    Nick Sirianni’s ‘stupid’ superstition, Cooper DeJean at wide receiver, and more highlights from ‘Hard Knocks’

    Hard Knocks ushered in the new year on Tuesday, with the HBO documentary series showcasing the Eagles’ preparations for both their Week 18 matchup against the Washington Commanders and the playoffs.

    The sixth episode focused on Nick Sirianni’s field goal superstitions, Jordan Davis’ impact on the team, DeVonta Smith securing another 1,000-yard season, and more.

    Here’s what you may have missed from this week’s episode of Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East …

    Just like us

    Many fans have their game-day traditions, especially when it comes to field goals. If you have ever been mocked for blowing on the screen in an attempt to disrupt an opposing player’s kick, don’t be ashamed — even Sirianni has his rituals.

    Eagles-49ers is really a matchup of Nick Sirianni and Kyle Shanahan, savants in their own ways | Mike Sielski

    The Eagles coach revealed that he asked special teams coordinator Michael Clay the same question before Davis’ game-winning field goal block against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3 and Jalen Carter’s consequential extra point block against the Buffalo Bills in Week 17.

    “The last time I was superstitious was during the [expletive] Rams game,” Sirianni said. “I go, ‘Clay, can we block this?’ And that was actually the first time we blocked a kick … because we needed a big play right there. I did it again in the Buffalo game. And that’s why superstitions are stupid, because that had nothing to do with why we blocked the kick.”

    Whether or not the question “Can we block this?” joins the pantheon of Eagles’ fans’ game-day superstitions is yet to be seen, but don’t be surprised if you hear them asking one another the same question this weekend.

    Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (left) and safety Reed Blankenship warm up before Sunday’s game against the Commanders, but neither saw the field.

    Some rest for the weary

    The talk of the town following Sunday’s loss was Sirianni’s decision to rest most of the Eagles’ starters against the Commanders — despite still having a chance to capture the NFC’s second seed by securing a win (thanks to the Chicago Bears’ loss).

    While fans were able to see Sirianni’s explanation to the media before the game, Hard Knocks provided a glimpse into how the Eagles coach broke the news to his players. Sirianni said that some players would be fully off — like Jalaen Phillips, who hadn’t yet had a bye week after his in-season trade from the Miami Dolphins — while some might dress and play a little, or dress and be ready just in case. Others, however, would get a chance to shine in their place.

    “Some guys are going to have a great opportunity to play more than you have,” Sirianni said. “And make no mistake about it, we are going out there to win this [expletive] game. We are going out there to win this [expletive] game.”

    Former coach, others rip Nick Sirianni’s decision to rest Eagles’ starters: ‘Makes no sense’

    Several resting starters decided to flip to the other side of the ball while not getting their normal first-team reps in practice, including Jordan Mailata and Cooper DeJean, who were shown joining the Eagles’ scout team as a pass rusher and wide receiver, respectively.

    “Look at all our guys that are on scout team,” Sirianni said to a smiling Connor Barwin. “It’s helping on defense. Look, the whole defense is in on it. [It’s] a sign of a good team.”

    However, without their starters, the Birds lost to the Commanders, 24-17, forfeiting their shot at the No. 2 seed, which would have guaranteed a second home playoff game if they survive their first-round matchup against the Brock Purdy-led San Francisco 49ers.

    The episode ends with Davis and right guard Tyler Steen walking off the field together while discussing the team’s next steps.

    Nakobe Dean’s expected return from injury could be critical against 49ers ground attack

    “We’ve got to make this run now,” Davis said following the game. “Its crunch time now, boy.”

    “We would’ve had the two seed,” Steen said.

    “As long as we get in and win every single one, that’s all that matters, bro,” Davis said. “Don’t matter if it be home or away.”

    Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis got in much better shape this offseason.

    Davis in the spotlight

    Davis has had a stellar year at defensive tackle for the Eagles, ranking fourth in the league in combined tackles by a defensive lineman.

    In the latest episode, the 6-foot-6 former Georgia star was open about his difficult first few years in the NFL, specifically his struggles with his weight and attitude.

    “I want to genuinely be the best person I can be,” Davis said. “And that’s why I’m going so hard in terms of how my body is changing, and my weightlifting and my conditioning and stuff like that, because I want to do this for me. I want to look sexy. I want to be skinny, selfishly, but, at the same time, the more that I do that, and the more that I see progress and I see results, I’m even more motivated.”

    Defensive line coach Clint Hurtt — who in a previous episode referred to Davis as a “big [expletive] Care Bear” — believes the 25-year-old lineman started this path to improvement during the team’s Super Bowl run last year, focusing on his sleep patterns, extra conditioning, including a healthy Peloton habit, and cutting out sweets. Davis went as far as saying that the biggest difference between the player he was two years ago in comparison to now is that he “learned how to say no.”

    “You can’t be entitled,” Davis said. “Entitlement is like going through life thinking that you can do no wrong. Not that I was ever entitled, but there are definitely traits that I reflected a little bit and looked upon myself like, ‘Damn, that kind of sounds entitled.’ It’s just little small stuff like that that I want to change.”

    Eagles vs. 49ers: These numbers and trends could impact Sunday’s result

    Davis also plays an important role off the field for the Eagles, as he believes it’s his role to “keep things light.”

    “JD is bigger than life, man,” edge rusher Nolan Smith said. “I call him the giant dancing bear. JD is just amazing. He’s fun, he’s energetic, he always makes you laugh, man. He’s one of those guys that just has a big presence.”

    Pun intended or not, Davis’ cultural impact on the team can’t be overstated, from his joyful rendition of Rod Wave’s “Street Runner” during practice to inviting his fellow defensive linemen to South Philly restaurant Alice to celebrate the new year.

    Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (right) made sure to show off photos of his cats during the defensive line’s New Year’s dinner.

    During dinner, the players were in high spirits, discussing everything from whether cats have souls to the questionable origins of Phillips’ favorite quote, before Davis officially rang in the new year for his teammates.

    ”To whom much is given, much is required,” Phillips said.

    “Shout out, Uncle Ben,” Jaylx Hunt replied, in reference to the character from Marvel’s Spider-Man.

    “Is that the Uncle Ben quote?” Phillips responded. “I thought Jesus said that, [expletive]. I’ve been telling my girl — I swear to God, I thought the bible said that [expletive].”

    For those wondering, that is an actual bible quote — Luke 12:48 — and the Uncle Ben quote in question is just a little different, but it sends a similar message: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

    “Man, Stan Lee was dropping bombs,” Phillips joked.

    What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering the wild-card round vs. the 49ers

    1K Smitty

    On Sunday, there was one major offensive starter still on the field for the Eagles: DeVonta Smith.

    Smith, who reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of his previous two seasons with the Birds, entered the regular-season finale 44 yards away from reaching the mark for a third straight year.

    The star receiver only needed the first quarter to get his yards, and finished the game with 52 total. Sirianni pulled the former Heisman Trophy winner early to help keep him ready for the playoffs — but not before jokingly criticizing Smith’s on field decision-making.

    “You didn’t run out of bounds,” Sirianni said to Smith after being pulled from the game. “You took a hit and didn’t run out of bounds.”

    “When?” Smith responded.

    “On that first play,” Sirianni said. “You lying son of a …”

  • Breaking down the area’s top high school girls’ basketball teams this season

    Breaking down the area’s top high school girls’ basketball teams this season

    Over the past two years, the area has produced some of the best girls’ basketball talent in the nation. This season will be no different.

    Other than Westtown School, which competes in the non-Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association-affiliated Friends Schools League, no team is dominant. In the Catholic League, the deepest, most talented league in the state, defending champion Neumann Goretti, will face challenges from Archbishop Carroll and a young, maturing Cardinal O’Hara team. In District 1, defending PIAA Class 6A champion Perkiomen Valley was hit hard by graduation, leaving the door open this season to Suburban One League powers Upper Dublin and Central Bucks East, along with Ches-Mont League stalwart Downingtown East.

    In the Public League, rivals Universal Audenried Charter and Imhotep Charter will again be contenders. The Friends Schools League features two teams, Westtown and Friends Central, with national-level talent.

    Here are some of the area’s top girls’ basketball teams to watch this season.

    Archbishop Carroll

    The Patriots finished 20-10 last season and return a loaded team that has been to the Philadelphia Catholic League championship the last two years. The last time Carroll won the PCL was 2019. Carroll is one of the best shooting teams in the area, with a nucleus led by Villanova-bound senior guard Alexis Eberz and her sophomore twin sisters. Kelsey Eberz is recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered in December 2024, and Kayla Eberz is arguably one of the best players in the PCL. Carroll, which also features 6-foot senior Bridget Grant and junior guard Abbie McFillin, last won the PIAA Class 6A championship in 2023, and reached the state semifinals last year, losing to eventual state champion Perkiomen Valley.

    Archbishop Carroll’s Abby McFillin shoots against Archbishop Wood in the Catholic League semifinals on Feb. 17.

    Audenried

    The Rockets will look to move forward without generational star Shayla Smith, now at Penn State after becoming the all-time scoring leader in the city, finishing with 2,690 points. Audenried ended last season 23-8, one game away from making history as the first girls’ Public League team to reach and win a state final. The three-time defending Public League champion Rockets were stopped by eventual PIAA Class 4A champion Neumann Goretti in the state semifinal. They return one of the nation’s top players in 6-foot-3 junior forward Nasiaah Russell, along with seniors Heaven Reese, Aniyah Cheesboro, and Raven Robinson.

    Cardinal O’Hara

    The traditional Catholic League powerhouse went 17-9 last season and reached the Catholic League semifinals along with the PIAA Class 6A state quarterfinals. The Lions are a young, evolving team centered on Drexel-bound Megan Rullo, a 5-8 point guard. Junior guards Brigidanne Donohue and Leah Hudak give the Lions depth and outside shooting, while 5-11 junior Carly Wakefield is an athletic inside presence. The Lions will be looking for the maturation of 6-3 freshman forward Olivia Craft, along with 6-1 sophomore guard Catie Doogan. Expect the Lions to be more dangerous in February.

    Central Bucks East

    The Patriots have four of five starters from last season’s team that went 22-8 overall, won the Suburban One League Colonial Division, and reached the District 1 Class 6A semifinals, where they lost to eventual state champion Perkiomen Valley. Seniors Jess Lockwood, Natalie Berndt, and Emma Penecale, and junior point guard Haley Moran lead CB East, which lost to O’Hara in the first round of the PIAA 6A playoffs.

    Downingtown East

    This is a team that coach Darren Domsohn has been cultivating for the last few years. The Cougars went 24-6 last season and return every significant player from a team that reached the District 1 6A quarterfinals and the second round of the state playoffs. With a core group consisting of seniors in UTEP-bound Charlotte Aldridge, point guard Chloe Hunold, sharpshooter Grace Hodges, and talented 5-9 junior guard Kendall Chiavelli, the Cougars may be good enough to play into March.

    Top high school girls’ basketball players to watch out for in the 2025-26 season

    Friends’ Central

    The Phoenix are one of the best teams in the state, led by two national-level juniors in Zya Small, a 6-1 guard/forward, and Ryan Carter, a gifted 5-11 guard who transferred from Archbishop Wood after averaging 17 points last season. The problem Friends’ Central faces is that it also happens to be in the same Friends Schools League as Westtown, the best team in the state and among the top teams in the country. The Phoenix finished 21-9 last season and reached the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) state championship, where they lost to rival Westtown.

    Imhotep Charter

    The Panthers went 23-7 overall before losing in the state semifinals, 65-46, to eventual PIAA Class 3A champion Loyalsock. Like Audenried, they, too, are aiming for history this season as the first girls’ Public League team to reach and win a state championship. They have some talent to do it in 5-11 senior twins Geren and Crystal Hawthorne and 5-7 sophomore guard Taylor Linton. Imhotep has been to the Public League finals the last 13 years — the last 10 under coach David Hargrove — with its last league title coming in 2022.

    Neumann Goretti

    The Saints are the defending Catholic League and PIAA Class 4A champions. They went 26-3 last season and will be moving forward without two generational players in four-year starters Carryn Easley (Fordham) and Amya Scott (Delaware State). Neumann Goretti does have a talented group back for coach Andrea Peterson, who has won six state titles and three Catholic League championships in 11 years. In 5-8 junior guard Reginna Baker, Peterson has one of the best players in the PCL, back with senior guards Kamora Berry and Zion Coston. The Saints also feature 6-foot sophomore forward Chrisette King, and 5-7 freshman guard Azzure O’Connor, the daughter of former Simon Gratz star Marvin O’Connor.

    Neumann Goretti’s Kamora Berry shoots during the ’ Catholic League semifinal against Cardinal O’Hara on Feb. 17, 2025.

    Upper Dublin

    The Cardinals are one of the more dynamic teams to watch in District 1 6A. They finished 24-6 overall last season, reaching the district semifinals, before they were ousted in the opening round of the state playoffs. Upper Dublin is led by 5-4 Fairleigh Dickinson-bound Megan Ngo, La Salle-bound Emilia Coleman, and stellar 5-9 junior guard Tamia Clark. The Cardinals are among the favorites in District 1 and may arguably be the fastest team in the area.

    Westtown School

    The Moose are the area’s most dominant team, going 27-4 last year and winners of five straight Friends Schools League titles and four straight PAISAA championships. They are riding a five-year winning streak in the Friends Schools League. It is a fun, star-studded team led by Jordyn Palmer, a 6-1 junior guard, 6-foot Ohio State-bound point guard Atlee Vanesko, and 6-foot junior guard Jada Lynch. Inside help comes from a pair of 6-2 forwards, Lara Csaplár-Nagy, a junior, and senior Venessa Kaukenas.

  • Flyers fans still don’t like Cutter Gauthier. Trevor Zegras has made it sting a little less.

    Flyers fans still don’t like Cutter Gauthier. Trevor Zegras has made it sting a little less.

    Cutter who?

    That was the message from Flyers fans for former top prospect Cutter Gauthier on Tuesday in his second career game in Philadelphia — at least on some of the pregame signs.

    If fans had somewhat gotten over the whole ordeal in warmups, Tuesday’s game — a 5-2 Flyers win over the Anaheim Ducks — unfolded perfectly to hook them back in.

    “The crowd was outstanding,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “I remember the days when I played, that’s a loud building tonight. They were awesome. I think they really gave our team some juice. Even when they scored the first goal, they didn’t let up.”

    Trevor Zegras scored twice against his old team in the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Ducks

    Colin Meehan, a 19-year-old St. Joseph’s student, came armed with a sign he made with a picture of Jamie Drysdale and a picture of Gauthier to support the player the Flyers received in the trade out of Philly that Gauthier forced nearly two years ago.

    Drysdale is having the best season of his young career, but Meehan still wondered pregame what could have been if Gauthier hadn’t asked out.

    “Imagine if we had Trevor Zegras, [Matvei] Michkov, Cutter, [Travis] Konecny, we would have been unstoppable,” Meehan said. “I feel like we would have been first in the league.

    “Jamie, he’s not a quitter,” Meehan added. “I’ll tell you that. He tried with the Ducks. The Ducks didn’t want him. We’ll happily take him.”

    St. Joseph’s student Colin Meehan yells at Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier as he skates by during warmups before Tuesday’s game.

    While Gauthier still got a healthy round of boos as the Ducks took the ice for warmups, most of the signs lining the glass weren’t about him at all. Many celebrated the addition of former Duck Trevor Zegras, who was playing his first game against his old team.

    Gauthier did have a small group of supporters in the form of two Boston College students from Philadelphia who, for the second year in a row, made a sign supporting the player who’d brought their college hockey team to the national championship game.

    “I think it’s a lot to put on someone who’s 21, 22 years old,” one of the students said. “It might be really loud in here and people are rooting against you, but there is someone in the building who’s rooting for you.”

    Flyers’ Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale exit Ducks game early with injuries

    Compared to his first game here last year, the proceedings in warmups were civil. Instead of a raucous crowd shouting expletives the entire warmup, fans mostly stayed quiet after the Ducks had taken the ice.

    When the puck dropped, though, fans started chanting “We want Cutter!” Once Gauthier was on the ice, he was greeted by a loud chorus of boos.

    But Gauthier quieted the crowd by scoring the first goal of the game to give Anaheim an early lead, and he gave it back to the crowd.

    Not to be outdone, Zegras scored against his former team to tie it at 1 later in the first, and then hung up the phone on the Ducks, which he said postgame was meant to mimic the length of the phone call he got when he found out he was getting traded.

    Zegras scored his second goal of the game from the same spot a few minutes later, pumping up the already-juiced crowd even more.

    “This is home for me,” Zegras said. “I love being here. These guys are amazing. I’m having a blast, but it’s always going to feel good playing them for sure.”

    But the game took a more somber turn after Ross Johnston checked Drysdale behind the play. Drysdale was down on the ice for a long time and nearly left the game on a stretcher, but he ultimately stood up and left the ice on his skates with assistance. The crowd rang out with a supportive “Jamie’s better” chant.

    Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier carries the puck during second period while facing the Flyers on Tuesday.

    Drysdale’s injury took some of the bite out of the crowd, but, as the game continued, Flyers fans got back in the hating spirit.

    As the Flyers closed out their win, chants cursing Gauthier continued to ring out, and the team left the ice to a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd.

    It wasn’t quite as raucous as a year ago, but the crowd still created a playoff-type atmosphere. Cam York said postgame that what’s important now is continuing to play meaningful games so that Xfinity Mobile Arena doesn’t get loud only once a year.

    “Pretty crazy, great atmosphere, felt like a playoff game,” York said. “It was really cool, a little bit different when there’s so much noise during the play, but I think I’d probably rather have it that way.”

  • Brenden Aaronson is on a hot streak with Leeds United at an ideal time for his World Cup hopes

    Brenden Aaronson is on a hot streak with Leeds United at an ideal time for his World Cup hopes

    LEEDS, England — When Brenden Aaronson joined Leeds United in 2022, the fans welcomed him in their traditional way: They wrote him a song.

    Come to Elland Road and you will see him play.

    Signed from Red Bull Salzburg and he’s here to stay.

    I really want to live in Beeston with you.

    You’ll be my American boy, American boy.

    Since then, relations between Leeds fans and the Medford native haven’t always been so warm. In Beeston, the Leeds suburb near the club’s Elland Road stadium, they remain scarred by his season-long loan to Germany’s Union Berlin after the Peacocks were relegated from the Premier League in 2023.

    A giant banner on the outside of Elland Road’s main stand proclaims “Side before self,” a quote from Leeds legend Billy Bremner. He captained the team during its most famous era, including league championships in 1969 and ’74, the 1972 FA Cup title and three more finals, and the 1975 European Cup final. Every player who has entered the gates since then has been held to his words.

    The banner with Billy Bremner’s famous “Side before self” quote at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium.

    Aaronson is also chased by a criticism he gets from U.S. men’s national team fans, too: He doesn’t score enough goals as an attacking midfielder. That one carries more weight at the moment.

    Lately, though, the tides on both sides of the Atlantic have turned back in Aaronson’s favor.

    In the U.S., his high energy and pressing have earned Mauricio Pochettino’s respect. In Leeds, he had two assists and many more plays that could have added more as the club went seven games unbeaten from Dec. 3 through New Year’s Day.

    A look back at Brenden Aaronson’s early days at Leeds United

    Then came this past Sunday, and perhaps the most famous game of all in these parts. Elland Road is an electric venue on any day, but it goes to another level when Manchester United visits from across the Pennine Hills.

    It was the 114th clash between the clubs, the modern version of a regional rivalry between Leeds’ Yorkshire and Manchester’s Lancashire that dates back to the 15th century. Though it was a 7:30 a.m. kickoff in Philadelphia, if you woke up in time, you’d have been jolted out of bed by Leeds’ fans singing their club anthem, “Marching On Together.”

    Scarves for sale from a street vendor near Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium on Sunday, including one with Brenden Aaronson’s name and face in the middle.

    Flying Philly’s flag worldwide

    With that as the backdrop, where better to start this World Cup year than at the home of the most successful men’s soccer player from the Philadelphia area?

    Yes, Aaronson has earned that title now. Though other local products have played on big stages, none has his trifecta of Premier League, Champions League, and World Cup experience. And if Aaronson makes this year’s World Cup squad, it will be his second — a feat Peter Vermes, Bobby Convey, and Chris Albright did not achieve.

    Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie relished their USMNT homecoming on the Union’s turf in November

    That counts for something, just like the ability to watch a hometown hero play on the Premier League stage on TV every week. Leeds might not be as big of a club in Philadelphia as longtime powers like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, but children can grow up now wanting to emulate the 25-year-old whom Union fans once called “the Medford Messi.”

    “It means the world,” Aaronson told The Inquirer. “When I’m able to see young kids back home — it’s possible to get over here, you know. It might not be easy sometimes to get to Europe being an American, but it’s always possible to play in the best leagues in the world. And for the kids, just keep believing in themselves and keep chasing their dreams.”

    To some U.S. national team observers, Aaronson gets credit simply for being a regular player in the Premier League. Just four men have that status right now: he, Tyler Adams (Bournemouth), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), and Antonee Robinson (Fulham).

    But if goals are what you care about most, you got what you asked for on Sunday. Aaronson scored his second of the season, sprinting past Ayden Heaven in the 62nd minute to grab a loose ball and slot it to the far corner. Elland Road roared as Aaronson sprinted to a corner of the Norman Hunter Stand, mock-shrugging in celebration then getting a hoist in the air from teammate Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

    Folarin Balogun is living up to the hype as a long-awaited top striker for the USMNT

    “That one felt really good, to be honest with you,” Aaronson said. “Of course, to score against your rival is huge, and I’m really proud of it. And keep going from here.”

    Alas, Manchester United equalized just three minutes later, jumping on Leeds’ own defensive error. That was it for the day’s scoring, though Leeds had a few shots at a late winner that it couldn’t finish.

    Winning over critics in Leeds

    Aaronson had a strong day all over the field, throwing himself into eight defensive recoveries along with his attacking play. When he was subbed out in the 87th minute, the jam-packed crowd of 36,909 gave him a warm ovation.

    Asked if he noticed the fans’ change of mood, Aaronson said, “For sure — I think it’s really good. But for myself, I’ve kind of kept this mentality of just staying straight and not letting myself get too high, not letting myself to get too low.”

    Projecting the USMNT’s World Cup roster

    Views on him have changed in the media, too. Graham Smyth, a veteran Leeds United beat reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper, noted how Leeds manager Daniel Farke recently said Aaronson “polarizes opinion.” But Smyth’s player ratings for games show Aaronson’s rise in form and popularity. Aaronson earned an 8 out of 10 on Sunday, a level he has reached a few times recently.

    “Right now, I don’t think anyone would disagree that he’s probably in his best moment as a Leeds player,” Smyth said. “The performances he’s managed to put in over the last couple of weeks, the end product that he’s managed to add to it as well — I don’t think I can remember a period where he has silenced his critics quite as effectively as this last little period.”

    A moment later, he added something that would sound as familiar in Haddonfield as it does in Harrogate.

    “Leeds fans have very long memories, and they don’t forgive easily,” Smyth said. “They don’t suffer fools lightly, and they don’t forgive easily. But there is always a route back to popularity if you’re an attacker, and it’s very simple: Score goals, make goals, because everyone celebrates them. And that’s the way for Aaronson.”

    What to know about the USMNT’s World Cup group stage opponents

    As coincidental as it was that Aaronson’s hometown newspaper watched him score, it also happened that some of his family were in attendance: father Rusty, mother Janell, sister Jaden (who just finished her freshman season on Villanova’s women’s soccer team), and fiancée Milana D’Ambra. While D’Ambra is able to spend a decent amount of time in England, Aaronson said his immediate family comes over “once or twice a year.”

    They picked a good one.

    Brenden Aaronson celebrates with the crowd after scoring his goal.

    “I think when they come out, to be honest, I probably have some of my best performances, so it was good,” Aaronson said. “It’s really good to have them out, always. It’s like home coming to you.”

    The race for the World Cup

    With six months to go until kickoff, the World Cup is also on his mind. There’s a big step to take before then, as he aims to make the squad for the U.S. team’s high-profile March friendlies against Portugal and Belgium. Those will be the last games before the tournament roster is named in late May.

    To kick-start a generation of city kids playing soccer, it will take more than just a place to play

    Aaronson politely said making the team is “out of my control, so [I] just keep trying to perform the best on the field and I just go from there.” He also has plenty on his plate right now as Leeds try to avoid relegation from the Premier League, after having returned this season. In the previous two campaigns, the three teams that came up went straight down again, so Leeds has to buck a trend.

    But he can hear two clocks ticking: the 154-year-old one on the Time Ball Buildings in Leeds’ city center, and the brand-new one at U.S. Soccer’s national training center in suburban Atlanta. The Premier League season ends on May 24, and the World Cup team will begin assembling the next day.

    Brenden Aaronson (right) in action for the U.S. men’s soccer team against Paraguay at Subaru Park in November.

    Pochettino and his staff will have noticed not just Aaronson’s good play lately, but how a tactical shift by Leeds manager Daniel Farke has helped. The 3-5-2 formation that Farke switched to recently puts Aaronson in a midfield spot that’s similar to where he plays for the U.S. — perhaps slightly deeper to start, but with latitude to press, get forward, and push the attack.

    “It’s nice when you can play three in the back, because you have a little more freedom as an attacking player where you’re not having to defend as much,” Aaronson said. “So you kind of have the energy and you kind of have the legs to then, with the ball, do things. I really like playing the position when we play in a three-back [setup].”

    The USMNT, USWNT, and your kid’s youth team are all different. U.S. Soccer is fine with that.

    On Sunday, Farke tweaked it a little, withdrawing one of the forwards to make it even more like Pochettino’s 3-4-2-1.

    “I think for Brenden, it’s just important that you use him where he can play to his strengths,” Farke said. “I would never use him as a winger who just runs to the corner flag and puts some crosses in. So if he plays as a winger, then he has to have license to move into the pocket, to play closer to the striker, to play give-and-goes, and to use his mobility, and also that he likes to open up between the lines.”

    Brenden Aaronson (right) on the ball against Liverpool on Jan. 4.

    He also said that Aaronson “deserves all the plaudits at the moment, because his work rate is and was never in doubt. He always works his socks off for the team.”

    It was not the first time Farke praised Aaronson publicly, and some of the past times were when the player wasn’t doing so well. Aaronson gave his boss thanks for the support.

    “It’s always great to know that the coach has your back, and for him to say the things that he’s said about me, it’s huge,” he said. “I think he really believes in me, he believes in my quality, and it means a lot when you’re a player because you feel like you can go out there and do your thing.”

    Brazil and France headline the teams coming to Philadelphia for next year’s World Cup
  • Eagles-49ers is really a matchup of Nick Sirianni and Kyle Shanahan, savants in their own ways

    Eagles-49ers is really a matchup of Nick Sirianni and Kyle Shanahan, savants in their own ways

    For most of professional football’s history, few people among the millions who tuned in every Sunday and every Monday night actually understood what was happening on the field. There was a quarterback, of course, dashing and rugged, the clear leader. There were collisions of giant bodies. There were smaller, faster men with a ballet dancer’s flexibility and a sprinter’s speed who made breathtaking plays. But no one really knew how those men freed themselves, or were freed, to make those plays. How did anyone get open? Who was supposed to block that blitzing linebacker?

    This is a newer, more informed era. This is the era of All-22 film, available to everyone, showing everything. This is the era of the next-level analyst, the football-aholic who grinds tape, the mind who can demystify an entire sport for you. Which means that, when it comes to NFL coaches, this is the era of the great play-caller, the great play-designer, the great scheme-creator, the brilliant and beautiful brain. The players are more than just athletes with distinct strengths and roles and personalities. They are clusters of pixels on a screen, moving as if drawn by a magnet on a particular route to a particular spot on the field.

    Nick Sirianni did the smart thing by resting his starters. Now the Eagles have to show he was right.

    Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, whom the Eagles face Sunday in the NFC wild-card round, is considered one of these savants. He is a terrific coach in just about every regard, having guided the 49ers to two Super Bowls and two other appearances in the NFC championship game. But it is in his creativity and orchestration of the team’s offense where he is truly elite.

    San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has had his share of success, but a Super Bowl title has eluded him.

    Shanahan calls all the 49ers’ plays, and his offense is so quarterback-friendly that the team has reached those two Super Bowls and four NFC title games with Jimmy Garoppolo, who backed up Tom Brady in New England, and Brock Purdy, who was the last player picked in the 2022 draft, as its starters at the position. Loaded with motion and deception, based on a zone-running attack that features Christian McCaffrey, Shanahan runs as close to a plug-and-play system for a quarterback as it gets in the NFL, and it works. San Francisco has finished among the top 10 teams in scoring in four of the last seven years.

    “They have a really good scheme,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday. “It’s all packaged together very nicely. They give you a lot of good motions. Everything they do is with a purpose and they do a really good job of it.”

    Nick Sirianni, the Eagles’ head coach, and Kevin Patullo, their offensive coordinator, are not considered the same kinds of coaches that Shanahan is. Say what you want about them — and a lot of what is said about them around here, especially about Patullo, can’t be repeated in decent company — but generally they are not among the first names mentioned when anyone starts listing the top offensive minds in the NFL. Sirianni stopped calling plays, for instance, in 2021, his first season as a head coach. Patullo had never been an NFL coordinator or play-caller before this season, and the Eagles’ up-and-down (to put it kindly) performance has made him a convenient and oft-deserved target of criticism.

    Nick Sirianni has yet to have a losing season or miss the playoffs in his five years with the Eagles.

    NFL coaching, though, is about more than being an offensive wizard. Shanahan hasn’t won a Super Bowl in his career yet, and one of the reasons is that, when he and his teams have had opportunities to bury their opponents, they’ve failed to do it. He was the offensive coordinator of the 2016 Atlanta Falcons, who infamously blew a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI to the Patriots in part because Shanahan got too aggressive in his late-game play selection. Under him, the 49ers had double-digit fourth-quarter leads in Super Bowl LIV and in the 2021 season’s NFC title game … and lost both. And in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs, Shanahan took the ball first in overtime, opted to kick a field goal on fourth-and-4 from the Chiefs’ 9-yard line, and handed the ball back to Patrick Mahomes with a chance to win the game. Patrick Mahomes, to no one’s surprise, won the game.

    Sirianni, meanwhile, has won a Super Bowl, has reached another, and has yet to have a losing season or miss the playoffs in his five years with the Eagles. Does he need a Shanahan-like or Shane Steichen-style play-caller to make his offense go? The presence of such an assistant certainly helps. But by all indications, he makes up for whatever shortcomings his coordinators — or, in fairness, his quarterback, Jalen Hurts — might have with his abilities as a culture-builder.

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

    “Week-to-week, day-to-day, his energy, his passion, everything you want in a leader who stands in front of this team in team meetings and at practice, he gives you,” Patullo said. “His attention to detail — we talk about core values all the time: toughness, together, detailed, all that stuff. And when we look at those things, that’s what he embodies and brings that to the team. Every day, he’s consistent in who he is. You’re not going to get somebody who goes back and forth on what they say, and I think when he speaks, everybody receives it and they’re ready to go.”

    There’s more than one way to be an excellent head coach, even if one of those ways gets a little more attention, a little more scrutiny, a little more credit these days. The film can tell you how good a coach Kyle Shanahan is. What Nick Sirianni does well sometimes isn’t so easy to see. Come Sunday, may the best savant win.

  • ⚽ Pitch perfect | Sports Daily Newsletter

    ⚽ Pitch perfect | Sports Daily Newsletter

    Medford’s Brenden Aaronson joined Leeds United in 2022. His time with the club hasn’t always been greeted with a warm welcome, especially when he went on a season-long loan to Germany’s Union Berlin after the Peacocks were relegated from the Premier League in 2023.

    Aaronson is chased by criticism from U.S. men’s national team fans, too: He doesn’t score enough goals as an attacking midfielder. Lately, though, the tides on both sides of the Atlantic have turned back in Aaronson’s favor.

    In Leeds, he has become a key contributor as the club went seven games unbeaten from Dec. 3 through New Year’s Day. Then came this past Sunday, and perhaps the most famous game of all.

    Aaronson scored a big goal against Manchester United in a 1-1 draw. Leeds might not be as big of a club in Philadelphia as United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool, but children can grow up now wanting to emulate the 25-year-old whom Union fans once called “the Medford Messi.”

    No other local product has Aaronson’s trifecta of Premier League, Champions League, and World Cup experience, either. If he makes this year’s World Cup squad, it will be his second — a feat other area soccer greats Peter Vermes, Bobby Convey, and Chris Albright did not achieve.

    For now, he’s got his hands full as Leeds tries to avoid relegation from the Premier League again. He’s also enjoying each minute on the pitch, since it’s not easy getting to Europe, but he’s proving that Americans can play in the best leagues, too.

    — Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    ❓Which matchups are you most looking forward to in the World Cup? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

    Dean likely to return

    Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean has made an impact when available amid an injury-plagued 2025 season.

    Nakobe Dean is expected to return in the Eagles’ wild-card game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The linebacker has been inactive for the last two weeks while recovering from a hamstring injury. With the stakes higher entering the postseason, the Eagles could certainly use Dean against a strong 49ers offense.

    Dean will be tasked with helping keep George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey in check. Vic Fangio acknowledged what it means to have Dean back in a critical matchup: “You play an offense this good and this diverse, all 11 got to be cooking.”

    This is the second time in four seasons that the Eagles and 49ers will meet at Lincoln Financial Field in the playoffs. While some things have changed since that NFC championship game won by the Eagles in January 2023, other things remain the same. Here are the numbers and trends that could be the difference maker on Sunday.

    Zegras shows out

    Flyers’ Trevor Zegras celebrates his second goal of the game Tuesday night against the Ducks.

    In a matchup against his former team, Trevor Zegras scored twice in the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Ducks. Former Flyer Cutter Gauthier opened the scoring for Anaheim.

    Gauthier played his second game in Philadelphia since being traded nearly two years ago to Anaheim. Fans still don’t like their former prospect and let him hear it with boos, but Zegras’ emergence has helped eased the pain.

    Speaking of offseason signings, goalie Dan Vladař has been a godsend for the Flyers. On Tuesday, his breakout season earned him a spot on Czechia’s Olympic team.

    A work in progress

    Tyrese Maxey has received increased scrutiny as the Sixers’ go-to option in clutch situations.

    Tyrese Maxey’s NBA ascension has known no bounds in recent years, with the 25-year-old swiftly jumping from reserve to starter to star. That rise has been on display more than ever this season, with Maxey landing among the league’s top scorers and receiving the fifth-most All-Star votes in the most recent fan returns.

    But Maxey still needs to smooth out a few rough edges, including his ability to close out games as the Sixers franchise player and focal point in the clutch. Maxey missed shots at the end of regulation and overtime of the Sixers’ 125-124 loss to the depleted Nuggets.

    That’s been true across the 2025-26 season as Maxey’s shotmaking in the clutch remains a work in progress. Maxey is shooting 39.7% from the floor, including 22.7% from three-point range in those minutes, significant dips from his overall shooting numbers (47.5% from the field, 40.5% from long range).

    Sports snapshot

    Isabeau Levito performs her free skate in the Grand Prix of France in October in Angers.
    • Olympic dreams: South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito looks to vault onto the Olympic team, and this year Games are especially meaningful.
    • Seeking redemption: Penn came up short to longtime rival Princeton in the Ivy League opener. It’s a loss the Quakers might be wishing they got back.
    • Sudden departure: Villanova announced that forward Tafara Gapare is no longer with the program. The senior played under Kevin Willard at Maryland last season.
    • ‘Progressing positively’: Brewers pitching prospect Frank Cairone, a Gloucester County native, remained in the hospital as of Tuesday after a serious car accident.

    Mike Sielski’s take

    49ers coach Kyle Shanahan (left) and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni are revered in the NFL for different reasons.

    When it comes to NFL coaches, this is the era of the great play-caller, the great play-designer, the great scheme-creator, the brilliant and beautiful brain. The matchup between the Eagles and 49ers is really Nick Sirianni vs. Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan is a terrific coach in just about every regard, having guided the 49ers to two Super Bowls and two other appearances in the NFC championship game. Sirianni and Kevin Patullo are not considered the same kinds of coaches that Shanahan is. But Shanahan has yet to win a Super Bowl. What Sirianni does well sometimes isn’t so easy to see. Come Sunday, may the best savant win, writes columnist Mike Sielski.

    🧠 Trivia time answer

    Which Eagle had the most career Pro Bowl selections with eight?

    B) Chuck Bednarik

    What you’re saying about Eagles’ contributors

    We asked: Which Eagle do you expect to come up big against the 49ers? Among your responses:

    It’s now or never to show us what you’ve got left in the tank. Looking for Cooooooper DeJean to have 2 INTs and 8 tackles with BG having 2½ sacks. On the other side of the ball, Barkley rushing for 100+ yards and AJ playing out of his mind with 7 receptions and 2 TDs. Hurts will pay no mind to the play calling and call his own plays. The impossible just takes a little longer to figure out! — Ronald R.

    I think Dallas Goedert will come up big against the 49ers. Earlier in the season I wrote on SD that the Eagles really needed to use him more and soon after they did and he was very effective. Dallas ended up with 60 receptions 3rd behind Smith and Brown and lead the team in TD’s with 11 and was tied for 2nd with most tight end TD receptions in the NFL. — Everett S.

    Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert celebrates his touchdown with quarterback Jalen Hurts on Dec. 20.

    It’s playoff time, so I’m looking for Jalen Hurts to come up big and do what he needs to do to win. Eagles win and Jake Elliott is the man in the final seconds of the game, but Hurts put them in that position. — Tom G.

    I’d like to think it would be the entire roster between now and Super Bowl Sunday! Inconsistencies have marred the regular season and now is the time for professional players to show their individual talents and complete their responsibilities. — Bill B.

    We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jackie Spiegel, Gabriela Carroll, Isabella DiAmore, Mike Sielski, Jeff Neiburg, Ellen Dunkel, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, and Sean McKeown.

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    As always, thanks for reading. Kerith will catch back up with you on Thursday with the latest sports stories, till then! — Bella

  • Eagles vs. 49ers: These numbers and trends could impact Sunday’s result

    Eagles vs. 49ers: These numbers and trends could impact Sunday’s result

    The Eagles and San Francisco 49ers meet at Lincoln Financial Field in the playoffs Sunday for the second time in four seasons.

    And while some things have changed since that NFC championship game won by the Eagles in January 2023, others remain the same.

    It’s a high-powered 49ers offense against a pretty good Eagles defense, and a fairly average Eagles offense against a pretty unremarkable 49ers defense.

    Who has the edge? Oddsmakers say the Eagles. But here’s a look at some numbers and trends that could play a part in the final result Sunday:

    2.93

    This isn’t a shocking development, but news flash: Hall of Fame tackles are a big deal.

    The Eagles sorely miss right tackle Lane Johnson whenever he’s not in the lineup. (Luckily for them, he’s on track to return Sunday.) Likewise, the 49ers operate their offense at a different level when Trent Williams is starting at left tackle compared to when they’re forced to plug in a 28-year-old journeyman who made his first NFL start last week. All due respect to Austen Pleasants.

    Brock Purdy entered last week as one of only two quarterbacks in the NFL (the other being Caleb Williams) to average a time to throw of more than three seconds. But without Williams, who missed Week 18 with a hamstring injury, Purdy’s average time to throw was 2.93 seconds — his second-lowest number in nine games this season, according to Next Gen Stats.

    49ers quarterback Brock Purdy passes against the Eagles in 2023.

    Williams will be evaluated throughout the week, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday, and his absence obviously was a big one.

    The caveat here is that Seattle has one of the best defenses in the NFL, but without Williams, Purdy was pressured on 34.1% of his drop backs Saturday. That’s slightly above the 49ers’ average pressure rate allowed of 31.9% and much higher than San Francisco’s previous two contests (23.7%, 22.2%). Only nine teams protect the quarterback at a better rate than San Francisco does.

    The Eagles, meanwhile, have a 35% pressure rate on opposing quarterbacks. Their ability to disrupt the pocket for Purdy, and make him get rid of the ball quicker than he likes, will be a key factor.

    What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering the wild-card round vs. the 49ers

    70.45%

    The Eagles might have the 24th-ranked offense in yards per game, but they are the best in the NFL at converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns. It’s getting to the red zone that has been a problem.

    The Eagles score touchdowns on 70.45% of their red zone trips. Cincinnati ranked second during the regular season at 66.67%. The difference between the Eagles and some of the teams at the bottom is drastic. Houston, for example, had the worst conversion rate for a playoff team at 46.3%, 30th in the league.

    There are a lot of things that have gone wrong in Kevin Patullo’s first season as Eagles offensive coordinator, but his red zone designs are something to hang his hat on. He probably helped Dallas Goedert earn some extra money in his next contract, too, since Goedert is up to a career-high 11 touchdowns and all but one of them were in the red zone (many of them in the deep red zone).

    Dallas Goedert is having a career year at age 31 thanks to his usage in the red zone.

    The Eagles’ ability to move the ball against a defensive unit that has struggled and is a bit banged-up will be a big factor, but once they get in the red zone, San Francisco’s ability to hold the Eagles to field goals will be critical. The 49ers have the 12th-ranked red zone defense and allow touchdowns on 53.85% of red zone trips.

    413

    And you thought Saquon Barkley had too many touches during his record-breaking 2024 season with the Eagles?

    Christian McCaffrey played in all 17 of the 49ers’ games this season and finished with 311 carries and 102 receptions. His 413 touches during the regular season were 44 more than the next player on the list (Jonathan Taylor).

    That’s a lot of work, and maybe it’s not such a coincidence that Saturday was one of the least productive games of McCaffrey’s NFL career. Again, Seattle’s defense is elite, but McCaffrey still managed 142 all-purpose yards when they met in Week 1. He struggled to get anything going on Saturday with just 23 yards on eight carries and six catches for 34 yards.

    Eagles safety Sydney Brown tackles 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in a 2023 meeting.

    Purdy had trouble moving the ball down the field, and once he checked down to McCaffrey, the running back who was second in the league in yards from scrimmage didn’t find a whole lot of room to run.

    The Eagles certainly will be studying the film to see what Seattle did well and try to emulate it. Slowing McCaffrey down and keeping San Francisco in third-and-long scenarios will make everything easier for Vic Fangio’s defense.

    Nakobe Dean’s expected return from injury could be critical against 49ers ground attack

    1

    For the first time all season, the Eagles will have a second consecutive home game. Hard to believe. How did the NFL treat its Super Bowl champion from a season ago? It made the Eagles the first champion in league history to not have back-to-back home games on the schedule.

    Eagles fans cheer as players take the field for warmups at Lincoln Financial Field last Sunday.

    Home field for the Eagles has been a big deal in the playoffs, which may sting come next week if the Eagles advance and have to travel to Chicago for a road divisional-round matchup.

    The Eagles, with Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts in charge, are 5-0 with a plus-105 point differential in home playoff games. The 31-7 NFC title game victory over the 49ers during the 2022 playoffs helped pad that differential.

  • How Bo Bichette could wind up with the Phillies

    How Bo Bichette could wind up with the Phillies

    There is a long list of reasons that you shouldn’t waste your daydreams on visions of Bo Bichette wearing red pinstripes and hitting behind Bryce Harper. The Phillies’ reported interest in the Blue Jays star only barely distinguishes them from the 29 other major league teams that likewise are interested in signing very good baseball players at the right price. Interest is not a differentiator. You can’t buy a Bentley with affection.

    Circumstance, context, and logic suggest that Bichette will end up signing elsewhere. And that’s great if you’re into those things. The rest of us will be over here indulging ourselves. On the 12th day of Christmas, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman gave to us a vaguely worded, thinly sourced report connecting the Phillies to a big-ticket free agent. What are we supposed to do? Underreact?

    The least we can do is try to proceed with some level of dignity and decorum. This often is easiest to do under the guise of asking questions. There are no dumb questions, only dumb questioners, right? So let’s fire away.

    The Phillies already have a shortstop in Trea Turner. Presumably, Bo Bichette would move to second base in any scenario that brought him to Philadelphia.

    Only a few weeks ago, Dave Dombrowski sounded like a man who didn’t expect any more major additions to his roster. What would have caused that to change? Is Bitcoin about to spike again?

    This is the however-many-million-dollar question. Five weeks out from pitchers and catchers reporting, the roster looks pretty close to set. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Monday that the Phillies still were in the market for another right-handed-hitting outfielder, which is encouraging, because they really could use a viable Plan B in case Justin Crawford turns out to be late-stage Juan Pierre or Ben Revere. They don’t need anything major. Veteran Randal Grichuk, whom the report mentioned specifically, would make a lot of sense. Otherwise, there isn’t an obvious opening that would compel the Phillies to make an offer with the sort of necessity premium that often distinguishes a winning bid from the rest.

    One thing that may have changed is Dombrowski’s evaluation of the market. Not much has happened since the last time he spoke. Not only do most of the major free agents remain unsigned, we aren’t even seeing smoke. Bichette, Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker, Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suárez, not to mention Ranger Suárez and the rest of the starting pitchers … the complete lack of movement at the top of the market is abnormal.

    We’ve seen slow-moving markets before. But there is some reason to believe that this one is reaching a point of collapse. The money may not be out there this year. Virtually all of the big-market teams already are at or above the luxury tax threshold with the money on their books. Last year, the Phillies were at a disadvantage because teams like the Mets, Red Sox, and Cubs were in payroll expansion mode. Other teams simply had more money to spend than they did. That may not be the case this year.

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    The Cubs still are a potential market maker, with roughly $80 million in space before the first luxury tax threshold. It shouldn’t surprise anybody if they make a flurry of moves that alters the current narrative about the NL landscape. Same goes for the Mets, who presumably have whatever money they would have paid to Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz before both signed elsewhere. The Orioles are always lingering. The Blue Jays are pushing $300 million but seem to be operating with the taste of blood in their mouths. So there still is plenty of reason to doubt that the Phillies can win via aggression.

    But there are a lot of players out there. And there don’t seem to be the usual dark-horse lurkers among the midmarket clubs. It’s worth noting the situation in Minnesota, where the Twins are shedding payroll as if they need to make rent. The middle class might be content to sit this one out, especially with next year’s labor talks looming.

    Bo Bichette was an MVP-level hitter after he broke out of an extended slump last season.

    So Bichette might be more affordable than the Phillies thought?

    Yes and no. It’s awfully hard to project a contract for a player who is an anomaly in terms of his age (only 28 this season), career production (24 home runs per 162 games and 121 OPS+) and pedigree (Dante Bichette’s kid), but who also is less than a year removed from a brutal 18-month stretch in which he posted a .651 OPS in 651 plate appearances. Trea Turner’s career numbers were nearly identical (minus the steals) when the Phillies signed him to an 11-year, $300 million contract heading into his 30-year-old season. FanGraphs had Bichette projected at seven years and $189 million entering the offseason. ESPN recently updated its projection to five years and $150 million. If that second number is close to reality, the Phillies may well readjust their expectations.

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    What’s this about Bichette posting a .651 OPS in 651 plate appearances? Isn’t that a concern?

    It is. But it also might be an opportunity, if other teams are worried. Once he snapped out of his funk early last season, Bichette was an MVP-level hitter. In his last 102 games, he hit .325/.372/.528 with 17 home runs. From the right side of the plate. While playing middle infield. He has always had the kind of skill set scouts drool over. Bichette’s contact rate ranked in the top 20% of qualified hitters last season. At 83.2%, it would have ranked third among Phillies regulars, behind Alec Bohm (87%) and Bryson Stott (86.1%). His chase rate also ranked at the high end of the spectrum — in a bad way. Only 18 qualified hitters chased more often: Bichette’s 37.9% ranked just behind Bryce Harper (38.1%).

    That said, Bichette did make some steady progress last season. It’s fair to wonder if he emerged from his slump as a different hitter. Only 10 hitters in baseball had a lower strikeout rate after the All-Star Break — his 11.1% was a dramatic improvement over an already-solid roughly 15%. He coupled that with a huge boost in his walk rate, from an anemic 5.5% to a slightly-better-than-average 8.8%. If the Phillies think they can get a $250 million player for $175 million, that might change things.

    Bo Bichette scoring a run for the Blue Jays in June as Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto tries to catch the throw.

    Why wouldn’t the Blue Jays just match any offer?

    I guess Christmas is over, isn’t it? Assuming Bichette likes Toronto, which seems to be the case, and the Blue Jays are willing to spend, which seems to be the case, the Phillies presumably would need to land Bichette the old-fashioned way: by guaranteeing him more than anybody else is willing to guarantee him. They have close to $60 million coming off the books next season and theoretically would be able to accommodate another big deal, biting the bullet on the luxury tax this season while freeing up $15 million to $20 million by trading Bohm and Edmundo Sosa and finding someone to pay a little bit of Nick Castellanos’ salary.

    But, then, we’d be back where we started. Realizing that Bichette probably won’t be here.