The Schuylkill River Trail and some of the city’s transit shelters are slated for upgrades as a result of a funding infusion from state coffers.
The two projects will receive nearly $1.3 million, part of $47 million for 54 transportation projects across the commonwealth.
The state will provide $947,668 to the Philadelphia Department of Streets to obtain a right-of-way so that it can complete a gap in the Schuylkill River Trail, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said in a news release. The funding is for the city to acquire rights of way to construct a trail segment between Kelly Drive and Main Street, near the Pencoyd Bridge, according to a Streets Department spokesperson.
The city portion of the trail is an immensely popular thoroughfare for people walking, biking, and cycling, and offers views of the Art Museum, Boathouse Row, and Fairmount Park. The multiuse trail stretches out of the city into neighboring counties, with a plan to eventually connect 120 miles of trail from Philly to Frackville, Schuylkill County, according to the nonprofit Schuylkill River Greenways.
The state earmarked $328,295 for the Center City District to fix up transit shelters “in preparation for Philadelphia250,” according to the governor’s office.
America’s 250th birthday celebration, aka the Semiquincentennial, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists, with a long list of events scheduled. Philadelphia will also host the FIFA World Cup, NCAA March Madness games, the Major League Baseball All-Star game, and the PGA Championship next year.
A bus picks up riders at a bus shelter on JFK Boulevard at North 15th Street.
The money for the projects comes out of the state’s multimodal transportation fund, created in 2013 to provide investments for ports, rail freight, aviation, and “bicycle and pedestrian improvements,” according to a state website.
“Infrastructure is essential to Pennsylvania’s growth and to connecting people with opportunity,” Shapiro said in a Dec. 23 news release.
In Bucks County, Upper Makefield will get $250,000 for sidewalks, ramps, and features that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and other improvements including “decorative crosswalks” and pedestrian signals along Route 532.
Chester County is set to see $113,920 for trails and ADA-compliant improvements on Broad Run Road in West Bradford and $126,827 for storm sewer and pedestrian improvements in West Goshen.
Communities in Delaware County will get more than $1.4 million for three projects:
nearly $400,000 for an “emergency preemption system” in Aston to notify the fire department of incidents;
about $700,000 to realign roadways, providing safe areas for pedestrians in Springfield; and
$314,249 for safety and streetscape improvements on Myers Avenue in Swarthmore.
Recipients in Montgomery County are set to receive about $3.3 million for four projects:
$1,324,000 for safety improvements in Conshohocken;
$1,415,183 to Hopwood Homes, a business registered by real estate investor Arnold Galman, for road widening, drainage, and trail additions on Hopwood Road;
$3 million for intersection improvements in Towamencin ; and
$3 million to replace a bridge and build a roundabout in Upper Providence.
Projects were decided by PennDot based on “safety benefits, regional economic conditions, technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency, and operational sustainability,” the news release said.
The next application period for grants opens Jan. 5.
Michelin stars, oysters, coffee houses, food halls, and a billion-dollar newcomer shaped the 2025 Philadelphia restaurant scene.
The awards keep rolling in
As Philadelphia gears up to mark the Semiquincentennial, its restaurant scene sits squarely on the national radar.
Michelin inspectors seemed to have had a good first impression of Philadelphia’s dining scene. At the Nov. 18 ceremony, which attracted more than 500 culinary professionals from around the world to the Kimmel Center for the U.S. Northeast Cities awards, nearly three dozen Philadelphia restaurants earned recognition. Center City’s Friday Saturday Sunday and Her Place Supper Club, and Society Hill’s Provenance received a star, while 11 others were designated as “recommended.” Ten others were conferred Bib Gourmand selections for serving what Michelin calls “exceptional food at great value.”
Coffee houses became Philadelphia’s most important third spaces — places to sit, work, talk, and linger without alcohol or reservations. Yemeni coffee chains, in particular, expanded.
Oysters are everywhere as raw bars multiplied. Sao reimagines seafood through a Cambodian influence. Lauren Biederman (Biederman’s) is behind Tesiny, a South Philadelphia raw bar; restaurateur Felicia Wilson and chef Darryl Harmon offer bivalves at their First Daughter Oyster & Co. at the Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel; and chef George Sabatino and partners have put a raw bar front and center at Fleur’s, their French spot in Kensington.
Food halls grow up, and find their footing
You could describe Eataly, the Italian emporium that opened in October in King of Prussia, and the new Feed Mill Eatery in Medford as food halls because of their everything-under-one-roof setup. But they have common ownership. The new Gather Food Hall and Ridge Hall, however, are assemblages of local operators united for a common mission.
Gather Food Hall in the old Bulletin Building.
Gather, in the former Bulletin Building across from 30th Street Station, has not only gathered Mexican, Cambodian, Peruvian, Indian cuisine, and pizza in University City, it has created a model to combat food insecurity among college students. Gather’s operators partner with Believe in Students, a national nonprofit, and have pledged to give out5,000 low-cost meals in its first year, backed by a $250,000, 10-year commitment from developer Brandywine Realty Trust.
People dining in Ridge Hall in front of Mary’s Chicken Strip Club in Ambler.
Nothing in 2025 unsettled the local industry more than the rapid expansion of Wonder, going from zero to 20 locations in Philadelphia and South Jersey, with even more on the way.
Menus for various cuisines at the Wonder location in Media.
Wonder, backed by $1.5 billion in venture capital, sells food via walk-in, app, and delivery from a diverse lineup of menus by such chefs as Bobby Flay, José Andrés, and Marcus Samuelsson. Want a steak, a pizza, an order of nachos, and a grilled chicken sandwich from the same place, all delivered in 30 minutes? That’s the wonder of Wonder.
Wonder, based in the New York City area, calls itself a food hall. In reality, it’s a ghost kitchen. Food is prepared at a central kitchen and trucked down to each location, where workers (not actual cooks) set up and reheat the dishes in ventless kitchens.
For diners, the appeal is convenience and, for now, price. But as Wonder blankets the region with ads and offers of half-price orders and free delivery to gain a foothold, it is disrupting the industry.
Wonder steers diners away from local shops. It turns choosing a restaurant into scrolling menus on an app, not supporting places you may know. And by pushing everything toward delivery and pickup and by undercutting prices, it makes it harder for independent restaurants — especially neighborhood takeout spots — to survive on already thin margins.
In a year when so much of Philadelphia’s food culture emphasized independent owners and the importance of community, this contrast is striking.
What a year for the Philly-area pizza scene. To recap 2025’s newcomers, we saw full-service settings that treat pizza as one pillar of a modern Italian restaurant, such as Cerveau in Spring Arts, Corio in University City, Scusi in Northern Liberties, and the hypermart Eataly in King of Prussia. Fishtown’s roster expanded with Marina’s Pizza, from the grandson of a local pizza magnate. The late-night scene, moribund for the last five years, now has 15th Street Pizza & Cheesesteak in Rittenhouse. Other newcomers include Angelina’s in deep South Philly, Rhythm & Spirits in Suburban Station, Puglia on South Street, and Italian Family Pizza on the Parkway.
New social rooms treat pizza as an anchor for hanging out (the Borough in Downingtown, the Pizza Pit in Bensalem, and Gloria Sports & Spirits in Warrington). Expansion was also on the table: The Main Line hit Johnny’s Pizza opened an offshoot in Wayne, and Santucci’s tacked on new spots in University City and Deptford.
The burbs saw ambition from Anomalia in Fort Washington, Antica in Warrington, Barclay Pies in Cherry Hill, Classic Pizza in Bala Cynwyd, Not Like the Rest in Pine Hill, Taco-Yote in Moorestown, and Genova Pizza 2 Go in a Williamstown gas station. There was even a nerdy newcomer: Apizzeria 888 by Sebastian, a “pizza lab” in Elkins Park that feels like a cult favorite in the making.
Saloon alumnus Marty Angelina and Franco & Luigi veteran Brian Cunningham serve abundantly topped New York-style pizza along with a menu of sandwiches, chicken cutlets, pastas, and stuffed long hots wrapped in bacon from this Seventh and Oregon Avenue space, formerly the Pizza Shop and Ralph & Rickey’s. The pizza that gets the most attention is the Honeyroni, a mix of pepperoni, ricotta, and hot honey, available by the slice or the pie. Its location makes it an easy jump to the sports complex. (Bonus: John’s Water Ice has a pickup window here in season.)
Cerveau
Pizza Brain cofounder Joe Hunter is behind this neighborhood drop-in disguised as a colorful playground in the 990 Spring Garden building, with a cicchetteria menu (small plates and the mini-sandwiches known as tramezzini), plus a few large plates at dinnertime. The stars are the puffy-crusted, 16-inch Neapolitan-ish pizzas, which are on the cheffy side: The French Onion, with mornay, caramelized onions, and comte, is a winner of a white, and nostalgics should find a soft spot for the Crab Rangoon — a take on the Chinese takeout staple — topped with cream cheese and lump crab with a swirl of sweet chili.
Corio
They’re creating in University City these days, and not just at the high-tech “innovation district” that Drexel University and Wexford Science + Technology are putting together. Chef Dave Feola puts out some traditional, thin-crusted 14-inch pies at this comfortable Market Street bistro, such as a Margherita with a San Marzano base and buffalo mozzarella and a spicy sausage Bolognese. But the seasonal selections get wilder, like braised rabbit in a tomato sauce dotted with ricotta and Calabrian chili oil, or the hazelnut pesto with roasted poblano and pecorino over béchamel.
15th Street Pizza & Cheesesteak
When it’s creeping past 2 a.m. and the bars are letting out, you need a munchie run: That is what drove brothers Andrew and Michael Cappelli, who own Cappelli’s, a late-night pizzeria on 13th near Locust, to open this corner parlor and cafe in the former Starbucks at 15th and Latimer. It’s open till 3 nightly, with a case that’s stocked with slice options. The plain cheese and the pepperoni are the big sellers, as you’d imagine, but they sell plenty of the buffalo chicken ranch (rounds and Sicilians), broccoli spinach ricotta (rounds), and Margherita Sicilians. If pizza isn’t singing your song, they’ve got overloaded cheesesteaks coming off the flattop.
Italian Family Pizza
You may have to tilt the pizza box slightly to navigate the doorway of Steven Calozzi’s rustic parlor in the former Subway shop at 17th and the Parkway. Calozzi, a pizzeria lifer from Bucks County (by way of Seattle), is turning out whopping, 24-inch Trenton-style pies: cheese on the bottom, with a thin, crispy crust. (A 12-inch is available, too.) There’s a tomato pie drizzled with pecorino and olive oil, a sauceless white pizza, a cheese pie (heavy on the toppings), and a Sicilian. Dine-in on two levels is a plus when you have a family attending an event on the Parkway.
Marina’s Pizza
Mason Lesser is 24, but he’s been around the pizza world all his life through his maternal grandfather, Angelo Lancellotti, who owned dozens of local pizzerias over the decades. Lesser, who named his Fishtown storefront after his mother and grandmother, offers thin-crusted New York-style pies (18-inchers for whole, 20-inchers for slices) that meld both fresh and low-moisture mozzarella with minimal sauce (a simple combo of tomatoes, salt, basil, and olive oil); all pizzas get a finishing dusting of pecorino-romano and glug of EVOO. His upmarket pie is the Riviera, with pepperoni, creamy stracciatella, basil hot honey, and basil. It’s open for dine-in or pick-up.
Puglia Pizza
Cosimo Tricarico left Philly (and his Caffe Valentino in Pennsport) a few years ago for his native Puglia. In his Philly comeback, he’s set up Puglia at Ninth and South, turning out an assortment of football-shaped Romans, traditional rounds, plus sfilatini —thin, pressed baguette sandwiches with fillings like meatballs and vegetables. It’s open for dine-in.
Rhythm & Spirits
Lee Sanchez’s something-for-everyone menu at his mod bistro inside the Suburban Station building (aka One Penn Center) includes five pizzas — all thin-crusted 14-inch rounds with sturdy bottoms and good crunch. There’s plenty of heat from the Trevi, with spicy pepperoni cups, pickled serrano peppers, hot honey, and blobs of whipped ricotta. Also of note is the Funghi, whose wild-mushroom mix gets a topping of Dijonnaise, fresh mozzarella, and rosemary gremolata.
Santucci’s
It’s hip to be square at this old-Philly institution — now up to 14 locations (including new outposts in University City and Deptford) under one branch of Joseph Santucci’s family. The pan-baked square crusts envelop a firm, crackly bottom, and the sharp sauce stays bright, ladled on top of the cheese.
Scusi Pizza
Chef Laurent Tourondel, the New York restaurateur behind an international portfolio of steak houses, Italian restaurants, and pizza concepts, is behind this sophisticated pizzeria/cocktail bar in Northern Liberties’ Piazza Alta. For the French-born chef, pizza is personal. “I was telling my staff that I cooked for a living, but pizza for me was always a hobby.” Twenty years ago, after Michelin awarded a star to BLT Fish, Tourondel’s chef de cuisine announced that he was quitting to open a pizzeria, a growing category. Inspired, Tourondel trained in Naples and returned to New York to launch La Mico and later take over a longtime pizzeria on Long Island, where he refined a crispy, airy-crusted style. At Scusi, chef de cuisine Georgeann Leaming offers a by-the-slice pizza bar as well as two Sicilian pies, along with calzones, salads, sandwiches, and soft-serve for dessert. Tourondel is also behind Terra Grill, a wood-fired grill restaurant, planned next door for early 2026.
Pennsylvania Suburbs
Anomalia Pizza
The phrase that pays at this humble, stand-alone slice shop near the Fort Washington SEPTA station is “drunken grandma”: That’s Frank Innusa’s crispy, almost buttery-bottomed squares topped with fresh mozzarella and ribboned with a thick, creamy vodka sauce amped with pancetta. Other hits include the stromboli and the uncommon mozzarella in carrozza — basically, a mozzarella stick in sandwich form (cheese tucked inside bread, crusted with bread crumbs, and fried). There’s seating for dine-in.
Antica Pizza Co.
Whether you’re after thin or thick crusts, 12- or 16-inch, there’s something for everyone among the grandmas, Sicilians, and New York pizzas at this roomy, contemporary strip-mall spot in central Bucks County. If you’re indecisive, there is the capricciosa, which has a little bit of everything on top. The oven also turns out pinsa (the Roman-style flatbread) and schiacciata for Tuscan-style sandwiches.
Apizzeria 888 by Sebastian
Owner/pizzaiolo Sebastian Besiso is the first to say that you may not like his pizza, especially if you prefer more conventional New York or Neapolitan styles. His “Roma” — available in limited qualities at his one-man hole-in-the-wall takeout in Elkins Park — is built with two kinds of aged cheese, a smear of a slightly sweet tomato basil sauce, and an almost impossibly thin crust that shatters around the edges as you bite. There is no flop whatsoever. Apizzeria pies have the crunchy, cheese-on-the-bottom qualities of Chicago tavern-style, though Besiso slices them into conventional eighths, not party squares.
The Borough
This newcomer in Downingtown is many things: a family restaurant and sports bar downstairs, with a sushi bar and event space upstairs. It’s also a serious pizza destination thanks to consultant Ptah Akai, whose pies are puffy, neo-Neapolitan-ish, with sturdy crusts and a light char. The sliced garlic gave a subtle roast to a cheeseless tomato pie that he made for me off-menu. His Forager, with basil pesto and three kinds of mushrooms, was balanced and did not sink under the mozzarella. There’s also a plain cheese, pepperoni, and a Margherita. Important, non-pizza-related tip: The adjacent parking lot is not the restaurant’s, and tow trucks abound; park across the street in the municipal lot.
Classic Pizza
Staten Island-born pizzaiolo Paul Brancale has taken over the Bala Cynwyd location of EVO Pizza for a slice shop built around old-school New York styles, including thick, soft Sicilians; crispy-crusted, rectangular grandmas; and 18-inch round pies that are thin and crispy, in the Joe & Pat’s/Rubirosa tradition. He’s making his own fresh mozzarella from curds, and the sausage comes from Martin’s at Reading Terminal Market.
Eataly
Pizza at this massive Italian emporium in KoP Mall splits cleanly into two lanes. The full-service restaurant, La Pizza & La Pasta, serves classic, whole Neapolitan pies in a classy setting. For something faster, the marketplace counter sells Roman-style pizza by the slice; with a small seating area, it’s built for both lingering or grabbing a quick square mid-shop.
Gloria Sports & Spirits
It would be easy — and wrong — to write this place off as a sports bar. What matters is the pizza: light yet sturdy 13-inch pies from Vetri alum Brad Daniels, whose resumé also includes the high-end Tresini in Spring House. The toppings show real thought, from a saganaki-inspired pie with preserved lemon, feta, and oregano to the broccoli-forward “Brock Party” with ricotta sauce and roasted garlic. Even the red pies are dialed in, finished with restrained Bianco DiNapoli sauce and fior di latte instead of generic mozzarella.
Johnny’s Pizza
Having wowed our tasters for The Inquirer’s 76, John Bisceglie has added a Wayne outpost to his bustling Bryn Mawr pizzeria. Located in a strip center near the farmers market, it’s set up mostly for takeout, but there’s a comfy dining room to enjoy unforgettable pies both thick and thin(ish), rectangular and round, red and white. We’re particularly fond of the white pies, topped with fresh mozzarella, lemony ricotta, caramelized onions, pecorino-romano, and parsley and baked on a sesame-seed crust.
The Pizza Pit
The no-frills, 14-inch pies — especially the upside-down (with provolone on the bottom) and the cheeseless tomato — pair well with the brews on tap at this counter setup inside the industrial-looking “mixing room” at Bensalem’s Broken Goblet Brewing, run by veteran pizza man Bob Meadows and his business partner, Chris Margarite.
South Jersey
Barclay Pies
This cheery, spacious spot offers gluten-free crusts (using Caputo’s flour) along with a line of conventional pies, plus other foods (chicken tenders, wings, fries, cookies) that are gluten-free from inception. The lineup: five red pizzas (plain, pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, and a vegan Margherita featuring cashew milk mozzarella cheese by Miyoko’s Creamery) and four whites (arugula, mushroom, broccoli, and buffalo chicken). Allergen info and protocols are up on their Instagram. Plain and pepperoni slices are available over lunch.
Genova Pizza 2 Go
Come for a fill-up at this branch of Audubon’s Genova Pizza, tucked inside Marathon Gas. The grandma pies, with their crispy, olive oil-slicked crusts, the thicker-crusted Sicilians, and deep dish are the big draws. If you’re on your way somewhere, note that you can eat at the counter, if you’d care to spare your car’s interior.
Knot Like the Rest Pizzeria
Gary Lincoln’s latest South Jersey pizzeria is not like the rest: It’s all online for delivery, and walk-in customers must use kiosks for slices and pies, available also for dine-in. Highlights include the Pickle (pickles, bacon, cheddar, mozzarella, ranch dressing), Zinger (secret sauce, steak, banana peppers, mozz, American cheese), and Knotty Vodka, with its edges ringed with garlic knots.
Taco-Yote
There are seven Mexican pizzas on the menu at this vibrant taqueria in downtown Moorestown from Carlos Melendez of Conshohocken’s Coyote Crossing. The 16-inch rounds (not too thick or thin) aren’t just getting “taco toppings,” either; there’s mole poblano with pulled chicken, red onions, and toasted sesame seed; birria topped with guajillo and morita-seasoned brisket, with consommé on the side, and a sweet-and-savory al pastor with achiote and the kick of chile de árbol salsa.
The only time the Flyers did win — a 3-2 overtime victory — was on Dec. 29, 2021. It was the Kraken’s first NHL season.
Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Sunday’s loss.
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn passes the puck against the Flyers’ Carl Grundstrom on Sunday in Seattle.
The good: The fourth line
Coach Rick Tocchet likes rolling four lines consistently, and why not when you have a fourth line of Nikita Grebenkin, Carl Grundström, and Rodrigo Ābols that is showing speed, strength, defensive acumen, and a scoring touch?
“Well, some speed and possession,” Tocchet said during his pregame availability about the fourth line. “They’re holding on to pucks, and they’re making plays, you know? And I think that’s important. You wear other teams down.
“I haven’t been afraid to use them in D-zone faceoffs. They’re getting their minutes, but they’re earning it too, right? If we have a little bit of a lull in our game — and I’ve started them, actually, in some games too — I see some excitement. I see excitement from the other guys when they see the fourth line doing well. It’s really infectious.”
The line has been together for three games and almost 27 minutes at five-on-five, but while opponents have a 28-24 majority in chances, the Flyers trio is outscoring them, 3-0.
On Sunday, Grundström broke through on Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer late in the game to get the Flyers on the board. He sent a blistering wrister from just inside the left faceoff circle to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games.
Although the fourth line was on the ice for an empty-netter against, it controlled play for the most part, had nine shot attempts to 10 against, three scoring chances vs. two for the Kraken, and did not allow a high-danger chance.
The trio also drew a power play after it sustained a strong forecheck and pressured the Kraken in the first period.
Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak save a shot by the Flyers’ Bobby Brink.
The bad: The power play
There’s a reason the power play isn’t listed as ugly because, despite not scoring, it really wasn’t that dreadful. The two five-man units actually moved the puck well, especially Trevor Zegras, Noah Cates, Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale, and Travis Konecny.
But when you have three power-play opportunities against the league’s worst penalty kill (70.3% entering the game), you need to score.
“When we have shots from the point, or we go downhill in the shots, everybody’s on the perimeter,” Tocchet said. “Too perimeter tonight, that was the bottom line. That’s the only criticism for the team.
“… For most of the night, I thought we controlled a fair amount of the play, but you get three power plays, you’ve got to find a way, and you’ve got to find a way to score. That’s net-front goals, rebound goals. I don’t think we grabbed the rebound. So another learning thing that we’ve got to make sure.”
It’s true. The Flyers’ power play controlled play and had several good looks. Drysdale was stopped twice on point shots before Zegras sent a cross-crease pass to Konecny, who was robbed. Denver Barkey made a play after nice puck movement to set up Owen Tippett, and the youngster had a chance seconds after the final power play ended.
The Flyers have just 59.2% of offensive zone time on the power play, whereas the best team, the Vegas Golden Knights, has 62.3%. Based on Sunday’s power plays, there is a chance that they have jumped up. Now the Flyers have to score.
Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer stops a shot by the Flyers’ Bobby Brink during the third period on Sunday in Seattle.
The ugly: Lack of net presence
In the last two games before the holiday break, each a win, the Flyers scored a total of eight goals. According to Natural Stat Trick, six of those came right around the net.
Although the statistical site says that they had 4.17+ attempts around the net, it didn’t feel like they were able to take away the eyes of Grubauer.
“Yeah, thought we controlled most of the game and just couldn’t find a way to get one,” defenseman Travis Sanheim said. “We weren’t getting enough traffic when a goalie’s seeing it that well, got to get in front of them and deliver pucks, and then we make a couple mistakes, and unfortunate that we can’t come out with a win there.”
The Kraken goalie made several easy saves with his glove, as he was able to see the puck well. The Flyers had four rebound attempts, with Sean Couturier and Konecny leading the way with three high-danger chances each.
“Maybe we gave him some easy looks at times,“ Couturier said. ”This may be the only, I think, negative, maybe we can say. But overall, I thought we played a good game, just didn’t capitalize when we had chances, and they did. So it could have went one way or the other, if we score one or two goals there at some point in the game.”
Added defenseman Nick Seeler: “I think we need a little bit more traffic going to the net, get guys to the net when we’re trying to shoot from the points here, and hopefully get a few more deflection goals and things like that. But I think our forwards did a really good job forechecking tonight and hanging on to pucks, and so that’s a positive.”
An All-Star lineup of guests has joined The Inquirer’s baseball podcast since it launched in February. Because it’s the holiday season and the last Phillies Extra episode of the year, we’ve put together a “Best of 2025” show to revisit some of our favorite conversations, from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to Mike Schmidt and John Middleton, and many others. Watch here.
Nick Sirianni undecided on playing starters vs. Commanders
The Eagles still have something to play for against the Commanders on Sunday.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was — as expected — noncommittal about whether he will let his starters loose for Sunday’s season finale vs. the Washington Commanders.
“It’s not a decision I have to make today or even tomorrow,” Sirianni said Monday, a day after the Eagles’ 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills kept them alive for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The Eagles need to win, and have Chicago lose vs. Detroit, in order to get the No. 2 seed and a guarantee at a second home playoff game should they win their first. The second seed also presents a more favorable matchup vs. seventh-seeded Green Bay.
“Things are still up in the air as far as seeding goes,” Sirianni said. “It’s pretty similar to where we were last week.”
The Eagles, of course, played their starters Sunday.
“We’ve done it both ways,” Sirianni said. “We’ve had opportunities to rest; we’ve had opportunities to continue to get a better seed and played.
“You go through your process, but every season is a little bit different, every team is a little bit different. We’ll end up doing what we think is best for the team.”
The Eagles are trying to claim their second straight Vince Lombardi trophy.
The Eagles have fallen to the fourth spot in the race to win the NFC championship, according to both FanDuel and DraftKings. The Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks remain in the top two spots. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers have dethroned the Eagles for the third spot, making it an all NFC West top three.
Despite dropping one spot among NFC teams, the Eagles’ odds actually remained the same. The same cannot be said for their Super Bowl odds, which have fallen at both sportsbooks.
At FanDuel, the Birds remain in the top five — sitting below the Denver Broncos and tied with the 49ers. At DraftKings, they’re outside of the top five. The Rams and the Seahawks remain the favorites to win the big game.
Eagles stats: Dallas Goedert sets a franchise record, and other notable numbers
Dallas Goedert set a new Eagles record for tight end touchdown catches Sunday.
The final score in Orchard Park, N.Y., 13-12 Eagles, was an interesting one. It was no Scoragami, though. While Sunday was the first 13-12 game of the 2025 season, it marked the 22nd game in NFL history with a 13-12 final, according to The Football Database.
The Eagles previously won a game by the same score on Oct. 26, 1997 at home vs. Dallas.
While the score may not have been terribly unique, there were some pretty rare numerical occurrences to come from the Eagles’ victory.
Let’s start with the bad stuff (Why not? It’s a dreary Monday).
Here’s a funny one: The Eagles failed to complete a pass in the second half Sunday for the second time this season. Yet, somehow, the Eagles are 2-0 in those games. Hard to believe.
Here’s another one from Eagles numbers guru Deniz Selman: The Bills picked up the last 14 first downs of the game Sunday and still lost. It’s unclear how often that has happened in NFL history, if ever at all. The Eagles ran 17 plays for 17 yards in the second half before Jalen Hurts’ kneeldown.
“Hey,” Hurts said to Nick Sirianni after the game, “a win’s a win.”
The win was the Eagles’ 11th of the season, marking the fourth consecutive season the Eagles have reached 11 or more victories. That’s the second-longest streak in franchise history (they did it five consecutive times from 2000 to 2004).
Here are some other notable numbers from Sunday:
Sirianni earned his 65th win and moved past Greasy Neale into second place for wins by an Eagles head coach. He trails Andy Reid (140) and has a long way to go.
According to Elias, only three head coaches in NFL history have produced 11-plus wins in four of their first five seasons with a franchise: Sirianni, Reid, and Tony Dungy.
Dallas Goedert’s 11th touchdown of the season set a new franchise record for tight end touchdown catches.
Since Week 13, the Eagles lead the NFL with 20 sacks after they brought Josh Allen down for five on Sunday.
The Eagles have forced a turnover in eight consecutive games and are tied with Chicago for the longest active streak. It is the longest streak by the Eagles since they forced a turnover in 11 consecutive games in 2022.
A.J. Brown has a franchise-record fourth consecutive season with 1,000 or more receiving yards. Brown is one of four NFL players with 1,000-plus receiving yards every year since 2022 (Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown).
Jake Elliott became the second player in franchise history (David Akers) to reach the 1,000-point club.
How ESPN’s Joe Buck is keeping track of the playoff picture tonight
ESPN ‘Monday Night Football’ announcer Joe Buck.
It’s going to be a wild Week 18, with four divisions up for grabs (NFC West, NFC South, AFC North, AFC South) and both No. 1 seeds undecided.
Over at ESPN, Joe Buck is calling the Monday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, and shared his messy playoff cheatsheet for tonight’s game:
If anyone wants a clear view of the NFL playoff picture – here’s what I’ll have in front of me during the MNF game tonight in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/iG1AQjuYdw
Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt celebrates a fourth-quarter sack of Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The Eagles entered Sunday’s game as slight underdogs after coming off two wins over mediocre teams with losing records: the 2-14 Las Vegas Raiders and the 4-12 Washington Commanders. One of the biggest concerns heading into their Week 17 matchup was how they would the look against a playoff team, one with reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen at quarterback.
After the win, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy admitted that he liked what he saw from the Eagles as they prepare to head into the postseason.
“Everything favored the Buffalo Bills,” McCoy said on The Speakeasy podcast. “Who got dominated though, physically? If you watch the game, turn the volume down and just watch the game, we were beating the [expletive] out of them — physical, up front.
“On offense, I don’t like this though. I don’t like that once we get a lead, a comfortable lead, it’s like we put our foot off the gas. Why? It’s OK we’re blowing people out. It’s OK we’re putting 30 on their head. I think we get so conservative and the only thing [we focus on is] let’s get the win. … I’m happy, I think we can clean that stuff up. But, going into the playoffs, I like what I see.”
"Everything favored the Buffalo Bills, but [the Eagles] physically dominated"
– @CutonDime25 is undaunted by Jalen Hurts' poor second half performance
Dallas Goedert played FB on a couple of 2H runs. Not sure why Cam Latu wasn’t in there. Doesn’t seem to be best use of personnel. Goedert hardly does it and struggled. pic.twitter.com/HgmykZNgbB
Tonight’s Rams-Falcons game will help decide Eagles’ first playoff opponent
A loss by Matthew Stafford and the Rams tonight would eliminate one potential Birds’ first-round opponent.
Which team the Eagles face in the first round of the playoffs will ultimately be decided by what happens in Week 18. But a Los Angeles Rams loss Monday night to the Atlanta Falcons would eliminate the possibility the Eagles will face the Seattle Seahawks first in the postseason.
Here is a breakdown of the Eagles’ potential seeding and wild-card opponents, excluding ties:
No. 2 Eagles vs. No. 7 Packers: Eagles win vs. Commanders AND Bears loss to the Detroit Lions (8-8)
No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 Rams: Eagles loss or Bears win AND Rams lose one of their final two games
No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 49ers: Rams win vs. Cardinals AND Seahawks win vs. 49ers
No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 Seahawks: Eagles loss or Bears win ANDRams win their final two games AND 49ers win vs. Seahawks
The math in the NFC West is pretty easy. The winner of Week 18’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Seahawks Saturday night will end up claiming the NFC West crown and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Rams had an outside chance at claiming the division, but were officially eliminated from contention by the 49ers’ win Sunday night. Now the best Los Angeles can do is the No. 5 seed.
A win’s a win, but Jalen Hurts made a bit of history Sunday.
The Eagles were one Bills two-point conversion away of blowing a big win in Buffalo Sunday night.
That didn’t happen without some weird stuff occurring. Here are two wild stats from the Eagles’ win:
Jalen Hurts didn’t complete a pass in the second half: Hurts became the first NFL quarterback since 1978 to go 0-7 or worse in multiple games in a season, according to ESPN Research (the first was the Eagles narrow Week 4 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Amazingly, the Eagles won both games, becoming the first team since the 1987 New England Patriots to win multiple games in a season where they didn’t complete a single second-half pass.
The Bills got the final 14 first downs in the game and still lost:Flagged by Wharton professor Deniz Selman, the Bills offense dominated the Eagles in the second half, but came away with just 12 points, thanks to a failed two-point conversion and a blocked extra point that ultimately became the difference in the game. The Eagles ran 17 plays in the second half, gaining just 17 yards and punting on all four of their possessions.
Eagles made some ‘mind-boggling calls’ during second-half meltdown
Just watched the film of the #Eagles’ second half offense and “inexplicable” may be generous. Just some mind-boggling calls and runs into stacked boxes without an advantage in blocking numbers.
There has to be a better system for Jalen Hurts to check out of these dead runs. https://t.co/4CQFAduzAc
Britain Covey briefly left the game after getting hit on a punt return.
Defensive end Jaelan Phillips left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with what appeared to be a lower leg injury, but quickly returned to the field and ended up playing 87% of the defensive snaps.
Wide receiver Britain Covey also returned to the field after briefly being knocked out of Sunday’s game during a punt return, when a Bills player accidentally ran into his leg while attempting a fair catch.
Offensive tackle Lane Johnson (foot) and linebacker Nakobe Dean (hamstring) both sat out Sunday’s game. Johnson hasn’t played since Week 11, but likely won’t be back until the playoffs.
The inconsistency of the Eagles offense won’t be resolved until the offseason
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense showed some promise in the first half and was less than crisp in the second half against the Bills.
Jalen Hurts sat at his locker stall and nodded as Nick Sirianni spoke. The quarterback listened intently to his coach until he ended the conversation with an adage that summed up the Eagles’ defensive-minded 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“Hey,” Hurts said to a parting Sirianni, “a win’s a win.”
They mostly have defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit to thank. Special teams should get kudos as well. And lastly, they should give gratitude to Bills coach Sean McDermott, who shockingly went for two and the win despite the ineptitude of the Eagles offense in the second half.
The second half was that bad, especially when you consider the Bills’ suspect run defense. The Eagles ran 17 plays and gained just 17 yards before Hurts knelt in the victory formation. They produced one first down. Hurts didn’t complete any of his seven pass attempts.
In the first half, the offense seemed to build off the improvements shown in the previous two games. The offense wasn’t exactly high-powered, but it was effective as the Eagles took a 13-0 lead into halftime. But Sirianni and Patullo seemingly took their foot off the pedal.
“We weren’t in a mode of saying, ‘Hey, 13-0 is enough,” Sirianni said. “Not against this quarterback, not against this offense. And so I don’t think our mindset was ever that. But I got to do a better job there in that scenario. I’ll put that on myself.”
This wasn’t the first time this season that the Eagles have watched a double-digit lead evaporate, or the first time the offense has had disparate halves, or the first time the coach’s conservatism has come under question.
Sirianni can add another victory to a remarkable 43-2 record when the Eagles win the turnover margin during his five years at the helm. The offense didn’t give the ball away once, while the defense forced an Allen fumble.
But Hurts seems to be coached into doing anything to avoid turnovers. He had three throwaways and gave himself up for one sack on his eight drop backs in the second half.
“I don’t think it’s a conservative thing to have good ball security and be mindful that the turnover margin directly correlates with winning,” Hurts said. “That’s a truth of the game, and that’s a well-known fact of what we’ve been able to do and how we’ve been able to play over the last five years collectively.”
NFL playoff picture: Eagles still have a shot at the No. 2 seed
Jalen Hurts talks with cornerback Cooper DeJean during Sunday’s win against the Bills
The Eagles (11-5) still have a shot at landing the NFC’s No. 2 seed thanks to the Chicago Bears (11-5) loss to the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) Sunday night.
The math is pretty simple. An Eagles win against the Washington Commanders (4-12) and a Bears loss to the Detroit Lions (8-8) and the Birds would end the season with the No. 2 seed. Otherwise, the Eagles would enter the playoffs at the No. 3 seed.
It might not seem like a big difference from the No. 3 seed, but it would mean hosting at least two playoff games at the Linc if the Eagles win in the wild card round.
It also makes a big difference in who the Eagles would play during the wild card round. If they land the No. 2 seed, they would host the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers (9-6-1).
If the Eagles end up the No. 3 seed, they’d host the No. 6 seed, which could end up being the 49ers, Los Angeles Rams (11-4), or the Seattle Seahawks (13-3).
NFC playoff picture
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NFC West scenarios
The math is pretty easy here. The winner of Week 18’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) and the Seattle Seahawks (13-3) will end up deciding the NFC West champion and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Rams had an outside chance at claiming the division, but were officially eliminated from contention by the 49ers’ win Sunday night. Now the best Los Angeles can do is the No. 5 seed.
With both teams losing Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) and Carolina Panthers (8-8) will face off in Week 18 win-and-you’re-in game for the NFC South title.
The winner will claim the division crown and the NFC’s No. 4 seed, which means they’ll host a game against the No. 5 seed.
That is, unless the Atlanta Falcons (6-9) defeat the Rams Monday night. If that happens, a Falcons and Buccaneers win next week could force a three-way tie at 8-9 atop the NFC South.
In that unlikely case, the first tiebreaker would be head-to-head among the three teams, which the Panthers would win.
The move backfired. The Eagles went on to lose five of their next six games in an epic collapse that cost them an NFC East title, followed by an early playoff exit.
That trash-talking Sirianni was back following Sunday’s win against Buffalo, where the Birds head coach offered a similar-sounding taunt aimed at Bills fans.
“There was a lot of talking by those Buffalo fans coming in. Not so much anymore!” Sirianni shouted as he exited the field. “Not so much anymore.”
It’s unclear what Bills fans might’ve said prior to the game to get Sirianni so worked up. The Eagles coach wasn’t asked about the outburst by reporters following the game.
“They got really good fans,” Sirianni said. “Cool to get out of here with a win.”
“Can he just not help himself?” 94.1 WIP host Joe DeCamara asked during his show Monday morning. “I think he’s a great coach. This is an aspect of his thing I could do without.”
Thankfully, there’s no chance of a similar collapse this season. The Eagles have already clinched the NFC East and will likely enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, meaning they’ll host at least one game at the Linc.
Eagles to face the Commanders Sunday in final game of the season
Things got tense during the Eagles’ previous game against the Commanders in Week 16.
The Eagles will face the Washington Commanders for the second time in three weeks in their final game of the regular season.
The game will take place on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. and air on CBS, the NFL announced late Sunday night. With both the Eagles and Chicago Bears playing for the No. 2 seed, the NFL opted to schedule both teams concurrently so neither game would be irrelevant at kickoff.
If the Eagles win and the Bears lose to the Detroit Lions, the Birds would end up the No. 2 seed. Otherwise the Eagles will enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
“I can only answer for my side, what I would do,” Quinn told reporters. “Hey man, if that’s how they want to get down, then all good. We’ll play them again in two weeks.”
And at a South Jersey high school, students are harvesting 1,000 pounds of mushrooms annually while getting a civics lesson. Read on for these stories and more of the day’s news.
When you offer to host the entire country’s birthday party, you’d better plan a good one.
Ahead of the country’s Semiquincentennial, Philly cultural institutions are doing their part with a slew of programs to reflect on U.S. history. Among the big arts initiatives coming to the city in 2026:
🎨 The Philadelphia Art Museum and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will aim to tell the story of American creativity in an exhibit featuring works from Phillies owner John Middleton’s collection.
🎨 The African American Museum in Philadelphia — itself born out of the 1976 Bicentennial — will premiere the extension of its “Audacious Freedom” exhibit, a study of Black Philadelphians from 1776 to 1876.
🎨 Mural Arts is working on several public projects, including a tribute to Questlove and a refurbished mural in honor of the late Gloria Casarez.
In other 250th news: The Schuylkill River Trail and the city’s transit shelters are slated for upgrades thanks to state grants, including some earmarked for Philadelphia’s Semiquincentennial preparation.
(And on the subject of the trail: A segment that had beenclosed since October because of a sinkhole was repaired and reopened just in time for Christmas Eve.)
Students at Rancocas Valley Regional High School are learning how to cultivate mushrooms alongside the business of supply and demand.
Now in its third year, the classroom project produces more than 1,000 pounds of mushroom varieties annually. Most of the fungi are sold to South Jersey restaurants, and the profits are reinvested into the Mount Holly school’s environmental science and biology programs.
It’s real science, teacher Michael Green says. But the hands-on education is fun for students, too. It also provides a service to their community, with some of the harvest donated to a free lunch program.
Notable quote: “My goal is just to get the mushrooms out,” Green told The Inquirer. “The goal is to get mushrooms into people’s hands.”
While the city is on pace to record its fewest killings in 60 years, hundreds in recent years still remain unresolved. The 2024 murder of a young woman in Frankford offers a window into how a case can stall even when a detective puts dozens of hours into an investigation.
Atlantic City community members and leaders gathered last week to condemn recent “aggressive” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the resort town.
Some Delaware County residents could be given bottled water after a “significant” amount of gasoline leaked at a petroleum tank farm.
As a Philadelphia teen, her school’s leaders lifted her up. Now, Dr. Sonia Lewis is giving back to Bodine High School in a major way.
Quote of the day
Urban designer Daniel Rodriguez is what’s known as a super commuter — he travels by plane, train, and bus to make his commute to and from Philadelphia and Atlanta, several times per month. He plans to become a content creator full time to encourage viewers to travel without owning a vehicle.
🧠Trivia time
Philadelphia’s homeownership rate fell during the pandemic as rates grew nationally and in other big cities. About what percentage of city residents own their own home?
Cheers to Marilyn Wimp Paolino, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Martin Guitars. The world-renowned company first moved to Nazareth in 1839 and has crafted 2.5 million guitars.
Photo of the day
The kinara is lit during the candle lighting ceremony at Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. on Saturday in Philadelphia. The kinara is a seven-branched candleholder that symbolizes the seven principles of Kwanzaa.
About two dozen people gathered in Germantown this weekend to celebrate Kwanzaa by lighting candles and tending the flame of unity.
📬 Your ‘only in Philly’ story
Think back to the night that changed your life that could only happen in Philly, a true example of the Philly spirit, the time you finally felt like you belonged in Philly if you’re not a lifer, something that made you fall in love with Philly all over again — or proud to be from here if you are. Then email it to us for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
This “only in Philly” story comes from reader Deb Olsen, who describes a memorable New Year’s Eve:
My friends and I loved going down to Old City to have dinner on New Year’s Eve and then to Penn’s Landing to watch the fireworks every year in the ’80s.
One year we were a little late getting to Penn’s Landing and the crowds were thick — and drunk. There were so many people, we were stuck on the upper parapet and couldn’t get down to the water, which was the prime viewing spot. The crush was so heavy we were forced up against the wall of the Seaport Museum. It felt like a Who concert scenario.
I noticed an elevator door and wondered if it was working. I pushed the button and it opened. It was empty. We all looked at each other and piled in. Down we went, hoping we would be able to get out once we got to the lower level. When the doors opened, we were down at the river level where the crowds were not as dense. With a sigh of relief, we made our way to the water’s edge just in time for the countdown.
The fireworks were amazing; the Ben Franklin Bridge was lit up with a sparkling waterfall display. Colorful boats motored up and down the Delaware. Music was coordinated with the fireworks, and everybody sang along. It was a delight and a night to remember. Philly is the place to be at the New Year.
Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. I’ll be back to bring you more news tomorrow morning.
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.
Philly is a square kind of city. Plots and constructions fit between the perpendicular streets that form the blocks that feed the city’s grid.
Modern architecture reshaped some squares into rectangles. Nevertheless, the grid system persists, helping Philadelphians navigate.
But blocks aren’t an exact science, andsome don’t have an easily understandable name. Trying to figure out what areas encompass a block police and news outlets sometimes use to describe incidents, a reader asked Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions about the city and region: What makes something a unit block in Philadelphia?
For Jeffry Doshna, associate professor of city planning and community development at Temple University, a unit block is a term associated with cities that operate on a grid. It refers to a particular block where the house numbers are less than a 100.
“When we say the 900 block of Girard Avenue, that would be the buildings between Ninth and 10th Streets on Girard,” Doshna said. “It’s a way to designate which block it is based on the numbering.”
However, the words “unit block” stop being used when house numbers exceed 99, according to the professor.
“Unit block is 0 to 99; the 100 block is 100 to 199; the 200 block is 200 to 299. It goes up as high as we have street numbers in the city,” Doshna said.
In the past year, Philadelphians may have heard the phrase “unit block” on news stories, describing an area where an incident happened without providing the specific house number. In September, a man was shot in West Philadelphia, with police reporting the shooting location as the “unit block of North Frazier Street.”
This doesn’t apply just for cities with widespread grid systems like Philly. Right before Christmas, a Bucks County man was struck by a wood chipper in Lower Southampton Township. Authorities reported the incident as on “the unit block of Valley View Road.”
“It’s just a way for us to say ‘where,’ to let people know what block something happened on, without giving a specific address,” Doshna said.
EL PASO, Texas — I had barely been in the city for a few hours before I was asked the same question by two different people: Had I heard about the four panadería workers who were arrested by immigration agents?
It was a bit of a rhetorical question that led to similar expressions of sympathy for those detained, and it also underscored two distinct truths: 1) Without employees, the bakery owner would have to close, so this hurts people who just want to work. 2) Everyone knew what they were doing, and the law is the law.
Like most in the political middle, I agreed.
My conversations with people on both sides of the border reinforced something that should go without saying, yet here it is: There is a sensible middle ground between the Biden administration’s ill-advised border strategies and the Trump administration’s virulent anti-immigrant policies and dehumanizing rhetoric.
Over the years, polling has shown that commonsense immigration reform has broad support. Bipartisan bills have failed in the recent past, but perhaps something good can come out of the Trump administration’s cruel overreach on immigration enforcement.
The border is far away from most Americans. It’s easy to scapegoat and demonize. As one activist here told me, even Democrats have been fine with throwing money at the continued militarization of this part of the world in the name of “border security.” That militarization is now knocking at people’s doors in places like Chicago and New Orleans, and folks across the country don’t like what they see.
Jonathan Escalante stands over the broken window of his mother’s car, which was shattered by federal immigration agents who took her away, during a federal immigration crackdown in Kenner, La., on Dec. 9.
Most Americans want immigration control; they are not anti-immigrant. Let alone supporters of what’s becoming a “papers, please” society under Donald Trump, where simply having the wrong skin tone or speaking another language can put a target on your back.
As the outrages pile on and voters turn against the president’s tactics, it opens an opportunity. If Democrats capture the White House in 2028, they must make fixing our broken immigration system a priority — with public sentiment on their side.
In that vein, the United States needs a functioning immigration system that keeps people from coming illegally, allows immigrants to fill jobs U.S.-born workers won’t do, honors America’s commitment to protecting those seeking asylum, and creates that line immigrants are supposed to queue up in to come here “the right way.”
Broadly speaking, deterring people from crossing illegally should not depend on immigrants being afraid to die in the Arizona desert or be maimed by razor wire trying to ford the Rio Grande into Texas. Humane deterrence would involve not only expedited deportation if caught, but also holding employers accountable for hiring people who are not authorized to work.
While some immigrants are fleeing their country over safety concerns, economic migrants are looking for a better life. I hate to break it to you, but people come to the U.S. not because they admire Jeffersonian democracy, but because there are jobs here.
Brothers Leonardo Oviedo, 22, (right) and Angel Mota, 19, (left) swipe through photos of family they left behind in Venezuela. Both arrived in New York in 2020 with other asylum-seekers seeking refuge and spoke of plans to land jobs.
Many of those jobs are the kind that citizens will not do. Not because they’re lazy or afraid of hard work, but because they have other opportunities. For immigrants, it’s all relative. Monthly pay in Venezuela is roughly $130. In the U.S., you can make twice that in a week earning minimum wage.
Whether it’s picking fruits and vegetables, putting up houses, processing meat, taking care of the elderly, or other demanding and arduous tasks that are not going away, the U.S. needs immigrants for these jobs — ideally through a dynamic work visa system that responds to demand. We also need — and should welcome — specialized professionals, such as medical doctors or tech workers.
A potential pathway to permanent migration, if desired, could start with a work visa. I say “if desired” because many immigrants would love to come here to work temporarily and then return home. A side effect of stricter border controls after 9/11 was that immigrants no longer went back and forth as readily, and instead remained full time in the U.S.
For asylum-seekers, more immigration judges — under the judicial branch, instead of the U.S. Department of Justice — could speed up adjudication, granting protection to those who qualify and rejecting those who don’t.
A working immigration system also means hitting the reset button and adjusting the legal status of the 13 million or so immigrants who are currently in the country without authorization.
Undocumented immigrants who have been here for a determined amount of time and meet agreed-upon criteria (pay taxes and/or fines) should be able to earn permanent legal residency, known as a green card, and be able to eventually attain citizenship if they qualify. Worried Republicans need only look at the increased support Trump gained among naturalized Americans in the 2024 election if they think that being an immigrant means you automatically vote for Democrats.
Of course, there is still a long way to go before any of these proposals has a shot at being considered. And while there is still time for the president to change his approach, the $45 billion authorized for new immigration detention centers and almost $30 billion going toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement likely means there’s no turning back.
Things will get a lot worse before they get better. But as the new year approaches, there is at least some hope.
That’s what Temple men’s basketball coach Adam Fisher said he wanted his team’s identity to be when he spoke during media day on Oct. 27.
Those two facets of the game proved to be Temple’s Achilles’ heel last season, but with 11 new players, Fisher was out to avoid what prompted a collapse in the second half of last season.
With nonconference play finished and Temple (8-5) opening American Conference play at Charlotte on Tuesday, the Owls seemingly have accomplished what Fisher wanted. New faces have stepped up and their defense has improved.
Temple takes down Princeton 65-61, closing the non-conference slate on a four-game winning streak.
The Owls enter American Conference play with a 6-1 record in North Philadelphia.
“We know this is a challenging league. There [are] great coaches and there [are] fantastic players,” Fisher said. “There’s a reason why people pick from our league at the end of the year. We’ll probably have the lowest retention, because people see this league and they pull from it. So we know it’s a great challenge.”
Temple’s offense has seen an influx of depth that was evident during its current four-game winning streak. The Owls set a program record of 78.8 points per game last season and that has continued in 2025-26. They are averaging 77.8 points, the fifth-highest mark in the American.
Last season, the offense went through guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. and forward Steve Settle. While Zion Stanford was a viable third option, there was still a drastic drop-off and the offense was stuck.
Temple guard Aiden Tobiason is averaging 15.1 points a game.
This season, Temple’s best players have been able to coexist when the ball isn’t in their hands. Derrian Ford (17.8 points per game) and Aiden Tobiason (15.1) lead the team in scoring, becoming a one-two punch in the backcourt. Point guard Jordan Mason averages 11.2 points and 4.7 assists. Guard Gavin Griffiths has seen a career resurgence on North Broad Street, averaging 10 points. He leads the team with 27 three-pointers.
“We’ve got four guys that can space the floor and four guys that can shoot, dribble, and pass,” Griffiths said. “So it’s really fun to play when you have a team like that.”
Griffiths scores his points in bunches, often pulling the Owls out of a rut. He did so by knocking down three straight threes against Boston College on Nov. 15. On Dec. 14 against St. Francis (Pa.), 14 of his 17 points came in the first half to put the game out of reach.
Mason spearheads the offense, one of the reasons the Owls average just 9.8 turnovers, the fewest in the conference. He has added scoring to his prowess, being someone who steps up when Ford or Tobiason can’t get shots to fall. His presence gives the Owls offense something that it hasn’t had in Fisher’s tenure.
“He’s fantastic. I think he just makes the right reads,” Fisher said. “But we just have trust in him. … I think when your players know we have that belief in you, our guys know to always have their eyes on him.”
Temple’s defense looked like it was revamped after a string of good performances to start the season. That was quickly erased when the defense was exposed in a November tournament in Florida, when the Owls lost, 91-76, to UC San Diego and 90-75 to Rhode Island.
However, the last four opportunities have been different, and the Owls defense comes into conference play with momentum against a 6-7 Charlotte team that scores 72.1 points per game.
“Since we got back from Florida, I think we’ve guarded much better,” Fisher said. “I think that’s been a huge point of emphasis for us, defending and rebounding.”
Questions remain
After Tuesday’s matchup against the 49ers (7 p.m., ESPN+), Temple will face two more teams with losing records before a road game against reigning American champion Memphis on Jan. 14.
The Owls offense has been able to put up points, but many of them come in bunches as they go stretches of time without scoring, often looking lost. They typically resort to hero ball and isolation, with one player trying to end the drought himself.
Temple has taken a more collective approach to the season rather than building around top talent.
The abundance of Owls guards has also been an issue.
Masiah Gilyard was brought in for his defense and rebounding skills. Cam Wallace has shown he can be a future cornerstone, but he is still developing as a freshman. Former Alabama State star CJ Hines was brought in with the expectation to bring NCAA Tournament experience and be a three-point threat, but he hasn’t played yet while the NCAA reviews his eligibility.
AJ Smith has not played since the game against Villanova on Dec. 1 because of a shoulder injury; when he might return is unknown.
“It’s to a point now if there’s conversations with his family. We thought about having it,” Fisher said. “I said to him, ‘Go home for Christmas. Let’s talk to your family. Let’s jump on a call, see how you feel,’ and then we’ll probably make that decision on what he does from there.”
