Max’s Steaks — the North Philadelphia sandwich shop known for its 2-foot sirloin cheesesteaks, quirky next-door bar advertising “the largest drink in Philly,” and star turn in the Creed movies — is being sold after three decades.
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board records show a recent license transfer application from corporations controlled by longtime bar owner Chuck Weiner to veteran restaurateur Rob LaScala, whose diverse holdings include the fast-growing LaScala’s Fire Italian restaurants as well as numerous steak shops and pizzerias in Philadelphia and South Jersey.
Weiner, who also owns Chuck’s Alibi at the Five Points intersection in Northeast Philadelphia, did not return a message seeking comment that was left with a family member last week.
Rob LaScala of LaScala Restaurant Group.
LaScala, who has been managing Max’s under a contract, said he also was Weiner’s longtime tenant at Chubby’s, his popular Roxborough steak shop. “He’s always been a good landlord to me,” LaScala said Friday. “Max’s is exactly like Chubby’s — right up my alley. I love those kinds of places.”
“We bought it because it’s a staple in the community, and I love high-volume places,” LaScala said. “I want to get it back to the volume it used to have.”
A cheesesteak with onions and peppers at Max’s Steaks in 2018.
LaScala said his company was rebranding Max’s. “We already renovated the place and we’re doing a bigger renovation over the next six months,” he said. “We’re doing brand recognition — shirts, hats, logos. Menu-wise, we’re expanding a little. Before, it was mostly cheesesteaks and hoagies. We added fries, wings, specialty sandwiches, and some bar food since there’s a bar. We’re not changing what it is — we’re just making it better, more efficient, and better quality.”
Weiner told Philly Voice in a 2016 interview that he got the idea for Max’s after watching the crowds at Jim’s South Street circa 1990 while eating across the street at Lickety Split, then a popular restaurant where MilkBoy is now. Max’s — named after Weiner’s son — opened in 1994 at 3653 Germantown Ave. in Nicetown, at the busy Broad Street-Erie Avenue hub. The adjacent Eagle Bar, with its Naugahyde booths, oversized cocktails, and neon signs, is Max’s de facto seating area.
LaScala said he was not involved with the neighboring Clock Bar, also part of Weiner’s holdings.
Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson at Max’s Steaks in “Creed.”
In part because of its location far from tourist hubs, Max’s reputation spread primarily by word of mouth rather than guidebooks.
That changed dramatically in 2015, when Max’s appeared in the Rocky sequel Creed. This is where Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) ate his first Philly cheesesteak under the adoring eye of Bianca Porter (Tessa Thompson) and learned that he would box Viktor Drago. The shop also had a cameo in Creed II, the 2018 sequel.
In 2017, Philadelphia marked Kevin Hart Day with a party at Max’s, located a block from the comedian’s childhood home.
But Zillow’s ranking of the country’s 50 most-populous metros is based on housing market fundamentals that have nothing to do with one-off events. The company examined markets’ home value growth and competitiveness.
“Competition among buyers will be stiff, and sellers will have the upper hand in this year’s hottest markets,” Mischa Fisher, Zillow’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Shoppers will need to tap all the resources they can muster in these fast-moving markets, from their team of experts to tech aids to financial assistance, but successful buyers will quickly gain equity.”
In the Philadelphia area, the number of homes for sale last year was about 40% lower than the average pre-pandemic. And demand is outpacing supply. That has made local housing markets more competitive.
Two in five homes sold for more than the asking price from September 2024 to September 2025. And homes typically spent just 13 days on the market in the year ending in October 2025.
During that same period, 22% of listings had a price cut on Zillow. Among the 50 most-populous metros, this share ranged from 13.5% to 33%.
And Zillow estimates that Philadelphia-area home values grew by 3%. It forecasts that values will grow by another 1.7% over the next year.
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This is Zillow’s second recent recognition of the strength of local housing markets. Last month, the company revealed that Philadelphia was the only large city that made its list of the 20 most popular housing markets of 2025. That analysis included many more markets — not just the largest ones — and the list was dominated by midsize cities in the Midwest.
On Zillow’s list of the predicted hottest major metros of 2026, Hartford, Conn., knocked Buffalo, N.Y., from the No. 1 spot. Zillow had ranked Buffalo as the hottest metro two years in a row.
In Hartford, more than two-thirds of homes sold above the listing price on average between September 2024 and September 2025. That’s the largest share among major metros. The typical home for sale spent about a week on the market. And Zillow expects home values to grow by about 4% from October 2025 to October 2026.
The New York metro area, which includes parts of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, ranked third-hottest for 2026. Among major metros, it had the lowest share of listings with a price cut: 13.5%.
While the postponement of the Mummers’ string band competition could have put a damper on an otherwise joyous New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, the string bands may have gotten a sweeter prize out of the ordeal.
The annual competition is still open to the public, with tickets available on Ticketmaster for $12 to $25, and will be broadcast on the same channel as the parade, on WFMZ-TV. WFMZ has not announced a time for the television broadcast but said it will be later in the day on Jan. 31.
City officials and parade organizers decided to postpone the competition once extreme wind and unexpected snow damaged several performance props and contributed to a few minor injuries, according to the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association (PMSBA).
Despite the postponement of the competition, string bands continued to perform for paradegoers in full costume and makeup, honoring the parade’s historic milestone of 125 years, said Sam Regalbuto, PMSBA president, in a statement.
How to watch
The Mummers’ rescheduled string band competition can be watched in person, online, or on television.
Free agent Jaelen Phillips hopes to return to Eagles
Eagles linebacker Jaelan Phillips, left, was acquired by Howie Roseman at the trade deadline.
Like Nakobe Dean, Jaelan Phillips is hitting free agency for the first time.
Unlike with Dean, the Eagles don’t have a clear answer to slot in for Phillips if he were to depart for another team, making Phillips a much more likely candidate to return to the Eagles.
Phillips made an immediate impact after the Eagles acquired him before the trade deadline from Miami for a third-round pick. He tallied 44 pressures and two sacks in nine games, including Sunday’s playoff game, according to Pro Football Focus, while playing 78% of the defensive snaps. That’s a lot of production to try to replace.
Phillips is one of five free-agent edge rushers. The Eagles have just two edge rushers under contract for 2026: Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. The draft will be a place the Eagles likely look to add talent to the room, but they could use a top-end talent like Phillips at the top of the depth chart.
Phillips, 26, said he felt like he fit in well with the defense. He had familiarity with Vic Fangio from their time in Miami together. Phillips is excited for his future, he said, and for his first experience with free agency.
“I would love to have that future be here,” he said. “It’s up to my agent and ultimately up to me, too. This is my first experience with it, so I’m not really sure how it plays out. We’ll see.”
Phillips said he has a child on the way and his family’s future will be a consideration in free agency, but the other things he wants he already has in Philadelphia.
“I want to be on a competitive team and in an environment where I love the guys I’m around and love the organization I’m playing for,” he said. “I feel that here. So we’ll see.”
A.J. Brown hasn’t spoken with reporters in more than a month.
Reporters spent more than an hour inside the Eagles’ locker room at the NovaCare Complex Monday afternoon before the Eagles closed the doors to media for the day.
During that span, A.J. Brown was not seen in the room. His locker hadn’t yet been cleaned out, but Brown was not going to be made available to talk to reporters. He declined to be interviewed after the game on Sunday and left the locker room shortly after it opened to media.
It was an interesting year for Brown with the Eagles. The receiver wasn’t shy about his feelings on the direction of the offense, especially early in the season. He expressed himself both in the forms of cryptic social media posts and post-game interviews, like when he pleaded for the Eagles to “let their killers do their thing” after a Week 3 win over the Rams.
Brown finished the season with 78 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.
What happens next with Brown will certainly be the subject of much speculation in the coming days and weeks and even months. Brown remains under contract through the 2029 season and has $113 million remaining on his deal. Trading him would be costly for the Eagles, who would be on the hook for $43.5 million in dead cap if they traded him before June 1, according to Spotrac.
Waiting until after June 1 would free up $7 million in cap space. But any trade of Brown would have the Eagles taking on the fourth-largest single-season dead cap hit in NFL history, according to Spotrac.
Brown’s relationship with Jalen Hurts also has been the subject of speculation.
“A.J. and I will talk,” Hurts said Monday. “We’re in a good, great place. Maybe y’all can talk to him and ask.”
Jalen Hurts is ready if Eagles change offensive coordinators (again)
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is Jalen Hurts’ fourth offensive coordinator in the last four years.
Jalen Hurts is no stranger to change. He has had six different offensive play-callers in his NFL career, including Doug Pederson, Nick Sirianni, Shane Steichen, Brian Johnson, Kellen Moore, and now Kevin Patullo. In the aftermath of Johnson’s 2024 firing, Hurts said that he longed for continuity at the position.
But he acknowledged on Monday that he has embraced the revolving door of offensive coordinators and translated those changes into postseason appearances. After all, the Eagles won a Super Bowl in Moore’s lone year as the offensive coordinator.
“The changes have not prevented us from having an opportunity to go on championship runs, and so with all the changes and with all the things that have gone and have changed over time, we still found ourselves in the playoffs, and we still found ourselves in positions to be in the tournament and play in the tournament,” Hurts said. “I don’t like the trend of wild-card [loss], big-time [Super Bowl appearance], wild-card [loss], big-time [Super Bowl win], and wild-card [loss]. […] So competitively as a quarterback, as a leader, that’s a big focus of mine, trying to break that.”
Hurts will look to break that cycle next season, when he embarks upon his sixth year as the full-time starting quarterback. Given his track record and his importance to the team, he said he has a degree of influence in important matters concerning the offense.
“I think overall, my line is always open, and so however involved or whatever level inquiry I am, I’ll definitely be available,” Hurts said.
Jordan Mailata expects Lane Johnson to be back next season
Jordan Mailata said he is expecting Lane Johnson, who missed the last eight games with a foot injury, to be back next season. He added, “Whatever happens, happens.”
Mailata shed a little light on what Johnson was like behind the scenes the last couple months:
“Ultimate pro. I think what upsets him the most — I don’t want to put words in his mouth — but he does everything he can to be available. But it’s not even when he’s hurt. It’s just even when he’s starting, his routine is so meticulous. Every minute is planned out, from the moment he wakes up to the minute he goes to bed. And so I think, for him, it irks him a little more, you know?
“He’s just done a fantastic job of being there for us, even when he wasn’t playing, just being supportive of especially me and Fred [Johnson]. … He’s concerned about what Fred and I are doing, the timing of our hands, our set lines, what we’re thinking on first and second down. Are we more aggressive? Or he’ll watch something on film. He was still watching film for us. And he’ll come, like, ‘Hey, I saw that this guy, second step, he likes to do a little shake and bake inside. So that experience that we get from him being a total pro is very invaluable. And I’m gonna thank him for that.”
Eagles safeties Drew Mukuba and Sydney Brown chase down Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.
Rookie safety Drew Mukuba was in the locker room Monday sporting a walking boot on his right foot. Mukuba fractured his fibula near the end of the Eagles’ Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Mukuba said he should be out of the boot soon but did not have a firm timeline on the next steps in his recovery. He’s hoping to be ready for spring workouts, but said “late summer” was also a possibility.
“I’m walking, so I can’t complain,” he said.
He had a lot to complain about early after the injury. He couldn’t walk and had trouble getting comfortable, which led to some sleepless nights.
Mukuba said “I wasn’t where I needed to be” when the season first started, but he was more comfortable as the season wore on.
“I feel like I kind of got over the hump after the first time we played the Giants,” Mukuba said. “Once I got over that, I feel like I was just stacking days.
“I hate that [the injury] happened, but that’s the game and I can’t control it.”
Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean came on strong after missing the first five games of the season.
Nakobe Dean feels like questions about his durability have been hanging over his head like a “black cloud” since the 2022 NFL draft.
The linebacker out of Georgia, drafted 83rd overall by the Eagles that year, played 39 of a possible 39 college games, but concerns about a pectoral injury he suffered while training helped cause his slide on draft weekend.
“The two injuries didn’t help me, but you got guys going through free agency who didn’t play this year who have had multiple injuries,” Dean said Monday as the Eagles cleaned out their lockers a day after their 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. “It’s just a looming thing over me.”
That is what Dean is carrying with him into free agency, a recent injury history that will likely impact his market. A Lisfranc injury that required surgery cut his 2023 season short after five games. Then, Dean suffered a torn left patellar tendon injury in the first round of the playoffs last year. The injury and rehabilitation caused him to miss the first five games of this season.
Dean, to his credit, looked like he didn’t miss a beat. He supplanted rookie Jihaad Campbell in the starting lineup by Week 8 and provided a big boost to the Eagles’ defense. He became one of the most productive blitzing linebackers this season and was solid in coverage. He had four sacks in 10 regular season games after having three sacks in 15 games last season.
But Dean’s future with the Eagles is unclear. Campbell was drafted in the first round last season and played well before Dean returned. The Eagles said they liked Campbell’s versatility to play both linebacker and line up at edge rusher when they drafted him, but he spent most of the season and played his best as an off-ball linebacker. In theory, there would be room to bring Dean back if Campbell was going to transition to the edge full time, but that doesn’t necessarily seem like the most likely path forward, and it remains to be seen what kind of value Dean may be able to find on the open market.
The Eagles, who have more than $20 million in cap space for 2026, have decisions to make.
An Eagles fan hits a golf ball at an image of Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo at The Golf Place in Langhorne.
Immediately following the Eagles’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a somber feeling started to take over The Golf Place. Those gathered at the Bucks County golf simulator facility to watch the Eagles while working on their swings began to pack up and go home, and co-owners Justin Hepler and Killian Lennon began to close up shop.
But in a brief moment, an idea was developed to help Birds fans release their anger after a disappointing loss: letting them hit golf balls at offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s face — or at least an image of it.
Earlier in the season, some fans broke the law by egging Patullo’s Moorestown home after the Eagles’ Black Friday loss to the Bears. The Golf Place’s idea keeps the flying objects far from the real Patullo, and within legal bounds.
“It was a fun way to let off some steam, but also make it fun for everybody involved,” Hepler, 24, said. “And obviously Killian in the video is a diehard Eagles fan, so he was pretty upset. But, everybody in here has gotten a kick out it.”
Andrew Mukuba hopes to be back in time for spring workouts
#Eagles S Andrew Mukuba said he should be out of the boot soon after fracturing his fibula. Said he wouldn’t have been ready if the team reached the Super Bowl.
Questions surround the future of wide receiver A.J. Brown.
The most action wide receiver A.J. Brown saw Sunday night was when the broadcast caught Nick Sirianni yelling at him on the sideline.
The receiver recorded just three receptions for 25 yards; he missed a potentially big first-half reception and had a costly third-down drop later in the game. After the loss, Brown didn’t speak to media.
A pair of former NFL pass catchers — tight end Shannon Sharpe and wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson — believe it’s time for the Eagles to move on.
“Me, personally, I think it’s the best if the Eagles just go their separate ways,” Sharpe said on the Nightcap podcast. “He needs to go somewhere where he feels like he’s going to get — he’s looking at it, Ocho, like I need to be getting the Puka Nacua type targets.”
Former NFL safety Ryan Clark also believes Brown won’t be in Philly next season.
“A.J. Brown is getting traded,” Clark said on First Take Monday. “He wants out and they need to want him out. That relationship is over. That relationship is done and part of it is the Philadelphia Eagles, but a lot of it is on A.J. Brown. … A.J. Brown this year was more problems than he was worth.”
Trading Brown away will be tough due to his contract. According to Sportrac, the Eagles would take a $20 million cap hit if they traded Brown ahead of April’s draft and before June 1.
“If the Eagles were to bite the bullet and trade Brown early this offseason, they’d be taking on the 4th largest single season dead cap hit in NFL history (and making a heck of a lot more financial trouble for themselves as well),” Sportrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote.
Jordan Davis on pending free agent Nakobe Dean: "I know he's going to be a great player for somebody, whether that's here or not." pic.twitter.com/GvZZRDhSNr
Which personnel groups will the Eagles target for upgrades?
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has a lot of work to do this offseason.
Where to begin? The Eagles still have a pretty solid roster, but they do have some flaws and are set to have a few holes.
They have no tight ends. They have no obvious answer yet for a Lane Johnson replacement. How long is Landon Dickerson going to hold up? They went heavy at offensive line toward the end of the draft last season, but they could very soon need top-end talent.
They are in the market for wide receiver help regardless of where the A.J. Brown saga leads them. They need edge rushers. They need cornerbacks. They might need a kicker.
A high-impact edge rusher, like Jaelan Phillips, should be high on the list of most important personnel groups to upgrade the talent level, and it will be interesting to see how the Eagles go about addressing tight end. They will obviously sign a few in free agency and could draft one. Could Dallas Goedert return?
There are a lot of unanswered questions right now. It’s that time of year.
The Johnson replacement is a tricky one, too. He is still very good when he’s on the field, but the clock is ticking. Just like it is for Dickerson, who has had multiple surgeries and has played through plenty of pain.
The one word Eagles players kept repeating after Sunday’s loss
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith walks off after losing to the 49ers Sunday.
The word that the Eagles kept repeating in the locker room after Sunday night’s loss was “execution.” The players should have executed better all season. “If there are multiple players saying that,” Jordan Mailata said, “why don’t you believe us?” Here’s why …
All elite athletes think this way: “It doesn’t matter what the coach calls. It doesn’t matter if my opponent knows what’s coming. If I do exactly what I’m supposed to do exactly when I’m supposed to do it, nothing can stop me, and nothing can stop us.”
Sounds great.
In reality, when everyone in the stadium knows you’re likely to call a particular play in a particular situation, you had better be perfect in every aspect of that sequence. But when you catch an opponent off guard, your execution can be less than ideal, and you’ll still succeed.
Look at the double-wing reverse pass that Kyle Shanahan called on the first play of the 4th quarter. He made the Eagles defense look like a bunch of suckers. Christian McCaffrey didn’t have a defender within 5 yards of him.
ESPN Adam Schefter: Eagles expected to replace Kevin Patullo
Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo ahead of Sunday’s wild-card game.
Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up Monday morning, NFL insider Adam Schefter said he expects the Eagles will replace offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo in at attempt to jump start the Birds’ lackluster offense.
“I think we start with the assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball,” Schefter said. “So you’re looking at a new offense coordinator next year, that’s the expectation there across the league.”
“They’re going to go through some changes. I think it starts with the coaching staff on the offensive side,” Schefter added. “Question is how soon those changes will happen. Is it today or is it tomorrow?”
“Maybe Sirianni has built up enough clout to hold off Lurie/Roseman,” McLane wrote. “But precedent suggests the Eagles will move fast, and that they already have possible replacements lined up.”
Eagles have among the easiest strength of schedules in 2026
The long wait until next season begins for Eagles fans.
Despite facing the every team in the NFC West, the Eagles have one of the easiest schedules next season.
The collective winning percentage of the Eagles’ 17 2026 opponents in 2025 was 0.481, the tenth-weakest schedule in the NFL next season. The Chicago Bears have the toughest strength of schedule, facing teams with a 0.550 winning percentage.
That’s on paper, of course. As the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars showed, a lot can change from one season to the next.
The Birds will face a total of eight playoff teams, six of which are still alive in this year’s playoffs: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears.
Despite finishing in first place in the NFC East, the Eagles’ two first-place opponents next season are teams that barely made the playoffs – the Carolina Panthers (7-9) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7).
The Birds are scheduled to play nine home games next season, which increases the likelihood we’ll see the Eagles in an international game. That could include a return to Brazil or hosting a game in Munich, Mexico City, or London.
Home games: Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers
Away games: Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears
Eagles cornerback Quinton Mitchell speaks to reporters at his locker Monday.
Eagles fans will get to see the players one final time before the skip town for the NFL offseason.
Birds players have begun to clear out their lockers and speak to reporters.
The Eagles are also required to hold a season-ending news conference at some point this week, which could include head coach Nick Sirianni, general manager Howie Roseman, or both. The Eagles have yet to announce when that will happen.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman at Sunday’s wild-card game.
The Eagles and their forward-looking fans will learn tonight where the Birds are picking in the draft order.
If the Steelers beat the Texans, the Eagles will pick 22nd. If the Texans beat the Steelers, the Eagles will pick 23rd (the Texans had a better regular season record than the Eagles).
It remains to be seen what position groups make the most sense for the Eagles to target. Free agency happens before the draft, of course. But the Eagles will be in the market for offensive line help as well as at edge rusher and potentially wide receiver (among others).
As of now, here are the Eagles’ picks in the 2026 draft, which will take place in Pittsburgh beginning April 23.
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3 (from the New York Jets in the Haason Reddick trade)
According to the NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Graham said his 37-year-old body “responded well and he felt he was just getting into a groove down the stretch.”
Despite being on the field for just seven defensive plays (12% of the snaps), Graham still made his presence felt Sunday, mostly by trash-talking the entire 49ers team, including former Birds defender Bryce Huff.
Brandon Graham talking trash to all the Niners as they head to the locker room. He REALLY gave Bryce Huff the business. BG and Trent Williams shared a big hug. pic.twitter.com/cf9dDx7Gvl
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is under fire following this season’s offensive struggles.
Kevin Patullo is as good as done. A.J. Brown’s future is murkier.
But whatever happens to the offensive coordinator and the team’s top receiver, some form of significant change is coming to the Eagles offense after a season of frustration ended fittingly with another bipolar performance on Sunday.
Patullo will be the easiest to cut off, not because he was solely responsible for the regression or even for the substandard play calling that doomed the Eagles in their 23-19 loss to the 49ers in the playoffs, just as it had throughout most of the 2025 regular season.
Most players, including tackle Jordan Mailata, publicly supported the first-year coordinator on Sunday. They pointed the finger at themselves and their execution, or lack thereof. But the powers-that-be, as Mailata noted, can’t just wipe out the bulk of the highest-paid offense in the NFL.
“It’s easier to blame somebody who gets paid less than your starting people, right?” Mailata said. “And everybody knows that. Everyone in this [bleeping] locker room — even you [reporters] know that. But the story makes better sense if we’re pointing to somebody else than not the players.”
Brown might seem the logical piece to move considering how his drops against San Francisco seemed indicative of an apathetic season by his standards. General manager Howie Roseman isn’t normally fond of trading Hall of Fame talent, and Brown’s contract may make it difficult to move the 28-year old.
But the Eagles will need to find ways to clear salary cap space with salaries for quarterback Jalen Hurts and others on offense increasing and young homegrown players on defense, including defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, slated for extensions.
Mike McDaniel was fired by the Dolphins after four seasons.
Lots of Eagles fans are calling on the team to replace offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo with recently-fired Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. But he may have a better job soon.
McDaniel is scheduled to interview with four teams about their head coaching vacancies, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero – the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, and Baltimore Ravens.
He’ll also sit down for an interview with the Detroit Lions about their vacant offensive coordinator position,” Pelissero reported.
McDaniel spent the past four seasons as the Dolphins’ head coach, and prior to that he was Kyle Shanahan’s offensive coordinator and run game coordinator in San Francisco.
Drake Maye won Sunday night in his playoff debut with the Patriots.
With one wild-card game left to play – tonight’s matchup between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers (8 p.m., ESPN/ABC) – the NFL announced part of next weekend’s divisional round playoff schedule.
While we know which teams will play which days, the NFL is waiting to announce the times and networks. Saturday’s games will take place at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern, while Sunday’s game will happen at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Here’s what we know about the divisional round’s schedule:
Saturday
No. 6 Bills at No. 1 Broncos
No. 6 49ers at No. 1 Seahawks
Sunday
No. 5 Rams at No. 2 Bears
No. 5 Texans or No. 4 Steelers at No. 2 Patriots
Full 2025 NFL playoff schedule
Wild-card round: Saturday, Jan. 10, to Monday, Jan. 12
Divisional round: Saturday, Jan. 17, to Sunday, Jan. 18
“I just don’t think you can expect everyone to be super balanced and chill,” Brady said. “You’re a warrior, you’re a gladiator down on the field. Emotions are running high every single play.”
Fox NFL analyst and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan had a different perspective on the exchange.
“I don’t understand why Sirianni is running down there yelling at one of his star players,” Strahan said at halftime. “I don’t think that brings out the best in your player… In my opinion as a player, I wouldn’t have taken very well from my coach on the sideline.”
‘Just too basic’: Eagles’ final play draws criticism
In a season where the Eagles’ offense left a lot to be desired, the offense’s final play of the season is drawing criticism.
Facing fourth down and needing 11 yards, Jalen Hurts failed to connect with a triple-covered A.J. Brown, allowing the 49ers to run out the clock. But a second look at the play – dubbed “4 Verticals” – shows it had little chance to succeed, with receivers simply running down the field and the 49ers covering everyone.
Head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters the Eagles called a timeout before the final play and took a picture of how the 49ers defense lined up “to give ourselves some information.” Hurts said the 49ers didn’t change what they were doing.
“They played ‘Cover 4 structure’ and I just didn’t make the play,” Hurts told reporters following the game. “I own it. I own it all.”
“On 4th-and-11, we need your best play. All they did was say to the four guys out there, ‘Just run straight down the field,’” said NBC analyst and former Patriots defender Devin McCourty. “The 49ers… banged up and a bunch of guys just thrown in there together, they’re all over that play. Just too basic, and now who knows what the city of Philadelphia is going to do.”
On 94.1 WIP, former Eagles fullback turned sports talker Jon Ritchie said the Eagles ran exactly what the 49ers were expecting, and against that defense Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo had options to convert.
“Against quarters coverage, the flats are open,” Ritchie said. “It’s fourth and eleven. What are you doing?”
Dallas Goedert among Eagles set to become free agents
Dallas Goedert’s contact expires at the end of the season.
Did we just watch Dallas Goedert’s final game with the Eagles?
The Birds’ tight end, who scored two touchdowns in Sunday night’s loss to the San Francisco, is among a handful of players who are set to become free agents.
Here is a list of notable players whose contracts expire following this season:
Offense: WR Jahan Dotson, TE Kylen Granson, RG Matt Pryor, RB A.J. Dillon, RG Fred Johnson, LT Brett Toth, QB Sam Howell, TE Grant Calcaterra, LT Luke Felix-Fualalo
Defense: LB Azeez Ojulari, LB Joshua Uche, CB Adoree Jackson, LB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, S Marcus Epps, LB Ben VanSumeren
Driving to visit a friend, a Philadelphia woman had time to mull her recent breakup. She thought about all the things her ex hated: spiders, moth-bitten sweaters, overly soft avocados. She typed them on her phone, as curses.
It became a flier: “Seeking: Experienced Witch to Curse My Ex.” She set up an email — for serious inquiries only.
You may have seen her handiwork. The fliers dot telephone poles, originating in downtown Phoenixville, around where our witch-seeker was visiting family for the holidays. They now paper neighborhoods across Philadelphia — hung with a staple gun on New Year’s Eve while barhopping. (The 29-year-old asked to remain nameless for this story, so as to not affect future job prospects.It also, in a way, protects her ex.)
And though it might seem a bit out of the ordinary, it’s part of a great tradition of cursing your ex that goes back to antiquity. Plus, it’s a way to regain a sense of power, experts say.
So, it’s no surprise that the fliers have seeped online, circulating neighborhood groups and on socials, striking a chord. When the fliers appeared in Chester County, a Phoenixville community group sounded off: “I hope she gets him. Good for her,” one commenter wrote under a Facebook post about it. “I think I know the ex,” said another. “It’s a great idea,” writes another. (The witch-seeker also has her detractors: “That man dodged a bullet!” one commenter wrote.)
The flier lays out her desired curses: his hair thinning, house plants withering, his bus seats feeling damp, his Wi-Fi buffering during video games, shoe pebbles remaining unshakeable — and the aforementioned too-ripe avocados, copious spiders, and hole-y sweaters (among other ill wishes).
But, the flier requests no hexes on his well-being or romantic life.
Across relationship research, one of the most consistent findings is that breakups produce a “profound sense of powerlessness,” said Jenn Pollitt, a professor of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at Temple University.
But how do you get from a list on your phone to asking witches to please curse your ex-boyfriend?
It’s not that far a leap.
“Witchcraft has become a more socially legible way to express rage,” Pollitt said. “If you’ve got someone who wants to curse their ex, really what they want to be able to say is, ‘I was harmed. I’m allowed to be angry about this, and my anger deserves to be acknowledged.’ The public posting of this is really like a deep desire and craving to have that person’s hurt and heartbreak be born witness to.”
The witch-seeker said she needed a place to put her pent-up anger and frustration.
It’s not all maliciousness to her ex, she said. It’s mostly catharsis: She thinks of her ex as a lovely person in a lot of ways. But she said when she expressed her emotional needs, he’d withhold affection, he’d disappear for a few days or block her number. Then he would return, with words of affirmation and promises of marriage. It became cyclical over the two-year relationship. She swallowed up her frustrations. But several months ago, they parted ways. And despite the turbulence, it was pretty amicable, she recalls.
She grieved. She went to therapy. She journaled. She meditated.
And then she logged on to social media, and saw he was in a new serious relationship that had started within weeks of them breaking up.
“It felt like a slap in the face, and that was my impetus for doing this,” she said. “I couldn’t yell at him, and I didn’t want to yell at him, but I had to yell at someone.”
She’s not alone. For millennia, people have pursued love magic, said Kristine Rabberman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania who teaches about witchcraft and sexuality. Roughly 600 Latin curse tablets have survived from the Roman empire, with both men and women calling on various deities to curse their close relations, she said.
These mystical beliefs served social functions, too, she said, addressing people’s lack of agency and control. They channel deep wells of emotion: anger, longing, frustration, hatred.
“Having recourse to love magic could be one approach somebody could take to try to both find expression for those feelings and to also have a sense of agency and being able to act on them,” she said.
Dating culture has changedrapidly, Pollitt added. There’s now a digital component: blocked numbers, social media handles unfollowed. A breakup by a thousand cuts, she noted.
“Breakups often can be intensely private and deeply isolating. Any public display, even this — which is a little bit out of the ordinary — function as a way to reinsert personal pain into a shared social space,” Pollitt said.
The community came fast. As the witch-seeker hung the fliers in Phoenixville, several people high-fived her, she said. Then the emails rolled in: A Caribbean witch who offered a hex. A bruja. A kitchen witch who practices herbalism and herbal manifestations. A helper who sent along a few shops and books, so she could do the curse herself (so it carries the appropriate “oomph”).
But to her surprise, beyond the witches, there were others: People who wanted to know how the story would end. Someone boldly asking her out on a date. And the women who simply could relate.
They wished her a happy new year, they told her they’d also had messy breakups, they told her they supported her.
She did not expect the outpouring of support, or the attention. As a writer and a creative person, it was mostly a way to tap into that, in a way that felt a little more empowering.
“It has made me feel so much better,” she said.
She is thankful for the witches who offered their services, though she feels conflicted about going through with a hex. She won’t be papering the city with more witch requests, either, she said.
The process has let her accept some of her bad, not totally socially acceptable feelings — and create something positive with it, by connecting with others, she said — as people reeling from heartbreak have done for centuries before her.
The two Atlantic Division foes will meet again on Monday in the second game of the back-to-back series in Toronto.
That means we’ll learn more about where the Sixers stand shortly. In the meantime, I’ll answer a few of your mailbag questions.
Missed out on the party? No worries. Submit questions for next time by tweeting @PompeyOnSixers on X with the hashtag #PompeysMailbagFlow.
Q: When Kelly Oubre Jr. gets healthy, should he be starting over Dom Barlow, or should we stick with Barlow, who we have found success with recently? — @Carter80113612
A: Thanks for starting the mailbag, Carter. We know both were in the starting lineup on Sunday because Paul George was a late scratch due to left knee soreness. But it will be different moving forward.
As a result, this is a great question that keeps coming up. I also keep going back and forth between Oubre and Barlow as the fifth starter. Both deserve to be in the lineup. I initially said Oubre, George, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe, and Tyrese Maxey would make up my starting lineup once he returned.
In that scenario, Barlow would be my seventh man behind Quentin Grimes.
But then I changed my mind, because Barlow, being a true power forward, takes pressure off George to play that position. George has an easier time guarding small forwards on the perimeter than power forwards in the post. I also appreciate that Barlow doesn’t need the ball to make an impact.
Dominick Barlow can remain in the Sixers’ starting lineup and be this season’s version of Marc Iavaroni.
For me, he can be this season’s version of Marc Iavaroni, who started 77 games on the Sixers’ 1983 NBA championship team.
The power forward averaged 5.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 20.2 minutes at power forward while starting alongside Hall of Famers Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Mo Cheeks, along with Andrew Toney. Meanwhile, Hall of Famer Bobby Jones averaged 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 23.6 minutes off the bench as the sixth man.
I think Oubre, who had been the Sixers’ X factor before his injury, can thrive in Jones’ role. He would thrive as the sixth man while playing a starter’s minutes.
While his shots didn’t fall, Oubre made a significant impact in a reserve role during his first two games back from injury. With all things considered, I would keep him in that role.
Q: Will Jared McCain be on the team after the trade deadline? And what is his current trade value? — @MediumBall02
A: He needs to be on the team. I know some people have soured on McCain due to his shooting slump and defensive shortcomings. The second-year guard was averaging 2.8 points on 25% shooting in the six games heading into Sunday’s contest against the Raptors.
For the season, the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder averaged 6.6 points on 34.8% shooting — including making 31.9% of his three-pointers. He definitely needs to improve.
But we shouldn’t forget that McCain had his rookie season cut short because of a torn meniscus in his left knee. In addition to the December 2024 injury, he had the start of this season delayed after suffering a torn ligament in his right thumb in September.
Sixers guard Jared McCain averaged just 2.8 points on 25% shooting in the six games heading into Sunday’s contest against the Raptors
Yes, he’s back on the court, but it usually takes 15 months postsurgery to fully get back to yourself following major knee injuries. In addition to that, McCain was the NBA rookie of the year front-runner last season before his injury. He’s not expected to fully regain his true form until late this season or next season.
Sure, he has trade value due to being on a rookie deal that’s paying him $4.1 million this season, $4.4 million next season, and a potential club option for $6.7 million in 2027-28. But the Sixers have time to thoroughly evaluate what they have in him before deciding on his future.
Plus, keeping him could be insurance just in case they lose Quentin Grimes in free agency this summer.
Q: Do you think Nick Nurse is being extra cautious with Trendon Watford? — @botman02_
A: What’s up, Botman? It’s not a matter of being extra cautious. The coach said on Dec. 30 that the jury is still out on Watford regarding playing time. That’s because the coaching staff hasn’t seen much of him, due to injuries limiting the free-agent acquisition to just 15 games heading into Sunday’s contest. The power forward missed the preseason and the first three games of the season with a left hamstring issue. Watford returned on Wednesday after missing 17 consecutive games with a strained left thigh muscle suffered against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 25.
During that time, Barlow has excelled in his role as the starting power forward. Meanwhile, Jabari Walker has also been a solid backup for the Sixers.
“Where he would slot back in, he’s going to probably have to earn that back in there, not unlike the other guys coming back off injury,” Nurse said of Watford. “I think it’s a bit of a process, usually.”
Could New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32)and Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0), a former Roman Catholic standout, both get the nod over Joel Embiid in All-Star voting by Eastern Conference coaches?
Q: Can Joel Embiid make the All-Star Game? Will the coaches vote him in? — @_long_live_jai
A: Great question, Jai. Anything is possible. The 2023 league MVP and seven-time All-Star has actually shown glimpses of his former dominant self. He scored a season-high 39 points against the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 12. He scored at least 30 points in three other games. And he’s averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in his last six games.
The problem is Embiid has missed 18 games. He’s also had a tough time moving and struggled mightily on defense early in the season. In the second round of fan voting, Embiid was 17th among conference All-Star votes. Unless he dominates the media and player voting, he won’t make the All-Star Game as a starter.
So the coaches will have to decide whether he deserves the nod over players who have been more deserving in terms of availability and consistency.
Embiid’s statistics don’t count regarding season rankings due to not playing in at least 70% of the Sixers’ games. However, his scoring average of 23.5 points would rank first among Eastern Conference centers if he played enough games.
Right now, New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, Cleveland Cavs center/power forward Evan Mobley, and Miami Heat power forward/center Bam Adebayo might be the leading candidates to receive the coaches’ nod if not selected as starters.
I know one thing. Embiid definitely has an opinion.
“Am I going to make it? I think I should,” he said to the media following Friday’s road victory over the Orlando Magic. “I don’t think we’re pushing it enough. I think I got pretty good stats. So, maybe you guys should put the word out that Joel Embiid is back.”
In Pennsylvania — Penn’s Woods — centuries after settlers began cutting native forests, decades after once-thriving furniture makers like Pennsylvania House and Home Line shut or moved away — lumber remains a basic industry. Upstate sawmills send logging crews to buy and cut walnut, cherry, and other hardwoods to export to global flooring and furniture enterprises.
But dozens of the state’s remaining mills, loggers, and industry groups, long accustomed to blights and other natural disasters, say they now face a plague made in Washington, D.C. — and would welcome a government bailout.
Some 48 of the state’s surviving mills, lumber companies, and industry groups joined 400 other U.S. forest-based businesses last month to ask President Donald Trump for relief payments to ease the impact of his U.S. import taxes and foreign retaliatory tariffs, which they say have slowed export demand for their products, while boosting the cost of buying and operating their machinery.
These and other “rural, almost entirely family-owned businesses” and the workers and contractors who depend on them want to be included alongside farmers, whom Trump has promised a $12 billion tariff bailout, according to a statement by the Heartwood Heartland coalition formed to make their case. The U.S. Census counts more than 10,000 logging and sawmill firms, not counting lumber truckers and other related businesses.
Earlier tariffs and foreign competition had already hurt U.S. hardwood exporters, who were excluded from a farm tariff compensation program in the previous Trump administration, according to the coalition.
U.S. hardwood lumber sales dropped 20%, to around $2.7 billion, in 2022-2024, according to the coalition. Log sales fell 11% to around $1.8 billion, and employment in U.S. woods shrunk 10%, to around 360,000, as more sawmills closed, over the same period.
The U.S. remains a leading exporter of hardwoods, but its share of the China market shriveled, from $1.5 billion or a third of the market in 2017, to around $700 million or one-fifth of the market in 2024, since the “trade war” during Trump’s first term drove importers to rival nations.
Chinese manufacturers are buying more wood from Russia, Southeast Asia, and other regions. This threatens a collapse in the U.S. forest industry echoing the earlier “collapse of the U.S. furniture sector,” the coalition said in a December letter to the president and cabinet members.
Further sales losses will result in the U.S. “losing the skilled workforce” and relying on more imports, predicts Dana Lee Cole, the federation’s executive director. That’s the opposite of the president’s stated goal in boosting protective tariffs.
Among the signers were several businesses in Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Stoltzfus Forest Products LLC in Lancaster County. Philip Smith, chief operating officer of business and its affiliate, Stoltzfus Hardwoods, agreed to answer questions about his enterprise and the impact of tariffs. Edited for brevity and clarity.
How old is your company and who works there?
The parent company built a sawmill in 1990. We moved the location when we had a large expansion in 2016. We employ about 65 people at the two companies. We have three of our own logging crews, two mechanized and one that’s hand cutters. We use a subcontractor logger and trucker as well.The owners and a majority of the workers are Amish.
What do you harvest and where?
We take Appalachian hardwoods from up to about 175 miles of our location — white oak, poplar, walnut, hickory, a little soft maple, and cherry. We go down to the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake, out toward Chambersburg, up into the Lehigh Valley and Schuylkill County.
And the Philadelphia area, we just did a golf course. It got bought [by a developer], and we ended up harvesting the trees.
We bring the trees to the mill [and make boards and trim-sized pieces]. We sell to molding companies, flooring companies, and to companies that make furniture and cabinets.
What would be affecting us with the tariffs, we have material that will go to China and to Germany and [other] EU countries.
Why don’t foreign importers pay the tariffs?
To get an order, we have to agree, if the tariff went above a level, we pay part of the cost.
In China, they made temporary agreements for when our lumber got ready. If it was on the ocean before the tariff dates, we weren’t affected.
So we had a scare last spring [when Trump proposed punishing increases to wood tariffs]. And we had a scare again in the fall.
So the full tariffs haven’t actually been implemented?
The biggest thing we notice with tariffs is the uncertainty. The economy was already crappy. Now the tariffs bring another factor into the way people interpret [costs].
For some reason, the U.S. sells logs to Vietnam, and then Vietnam is [milling] American walnut, selling it as American walnut, and undercutting finished American walnut [from the U.S.]. Vietnam is paying their people almost nothing. Add the tariffs, we are less competitive.
Has that uncertainty cost you orders?
It has affected how people perceive costs. It has affected cash flow. Some items are moving slower.
There’s another thing: Equipment in the forest industry, a lot of it comes out of Canada. Log trucks. Specialty trailers.
With the uncertainty, truckers that focus on logging tell us they have canceled stuff on order.
And we use Leadermac wood-moulder machines that come out of Taiwan. There’s a tariff there, too. We were told there’s a 24% increase in price.
Have you canceled equipment orders as a result?
We have put the brakes on making some decisions.
Despite the squeeze you are in today, can tariffs help move wood industry to the U.S. over time?
With the tariffs, it’s not so much we are against the idea of leveling the playing field. There’s definitely countries abusing America. We are pro trying to fix this stuff.
But there is pain in doing it. We are paying the tariff on equipment, but I don’t see any tax break. They are just adding another tax on us. You need to give us a break that we can recoup that money.
Several weeks ago, I watched a family lose their young child to bacterial meningitis — an infection of the tissues around the brain and spinal cord. By the time the child reached the hospital, the infection had progressed too far; our treatments could not stop or reverse the damage to the child’s brain. He died within a few hours.
The bacteria we found growing in this child’s bloodstream was one that could be prevented with vaccination. This child was unvaccinated. As we cared for him in his last moments of life, many care team members echoed the same thought.
“This is going to keep happening.”
On Jan. 5, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated vaccine recommendations that decreased the recommended number of childhood vaccines. Based on this new schedule, children would receive routine vaccinations for 11 diseases instead of the previous schedule that protected against 18 ailments. The vaccinations no longer recommended include those for the flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitides A and B (which cause liver disease), rotavirus (a gastrointestinal illness), and meningococcus (a cause of bacterial meningitis).
The data is clear: Childhood vaccination saves lives, and we have seen increased morbidity as vaccination rates decline. But as a pediatrician, this also goes beyond the data.
When I think about vaccines, I think about that young boy in the ICU. I think about how, if the circumstances were different, he might have lived. I think about his siblings, the ones who will no longer get to play in the yard with their younger brother. I think about his parents and how they will no longer get to hold their son or hear his voice. I think about what could have been.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s radical overhaul of established health practices has included reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccinations from 18 to 11.
While I do my best to uphold the doctrine of shared decision-making with the families I see in practice, we must also acknowledge that the decision of whether to vaccinate ultimately impacts others.
Eroding herd immunity
For decades, we have relied on herd immunity to protect vulnerable patients — such as those too young to receive certain vaccines or those who are immunocompromised. With declining vaccine rates, herd immunity has been diminished, leading to outbreaks of preventable diseases. With fewer recommended vaccinations, our vulnerable patients will continue to suffer.
Pediatricians are grieving the children we have already lost to vaccine-preventable illnesses, and we are grieving the losses that will come from these new recommendations.
We urge parents to have open conversations with their pediatricians, look to verified sources such as the American Academy of Pediatrics for information, and trust that we pediatricians do have your child’s best interests in mind. We may be grieving, but we will never stop advocating for your children.
Frances Avila-Soto is a pediatric resident in Philadelphia.
The Defender Association of Philadelphia has launched a new initiative to help people facing immigration consequences both inside and outside the criminal-justice system.
The move comes as the Trump administration pursues aggressive new enforcement, where even minor legal cases can put undocumented city residents at risk of detention, family separation, or deportation.
The agency’s Immigration Law Practice is expected to grow to up to 11 staff members. Its creation is to be officially announced at a news conference on Wednesday.
“This is necessary right now,” Chief Defender Keisha Hudson said in an interview. “We’re going to have to sustain this work and expand this work if we’re going to meet the moment.”
The practice will be led by veteran immigration attorney Lilah Thompson, who often represents migrants facing complex legal challenges. She said the work would be done in collaboration with trial attorneys, social workers, and mitigation specialists to shape defense strategies that protect clients and their families.
One area of concentration will be on clients who are in immigration detention despite having no criminal charges, another on people who could face serious immigration repercussions because of what are often minor offenses.
In Philadelphia, attorneys say, people have been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as they’re enrolling in diversionary programs or heading to court to plead not guilty.
The Trump administration maintains it is arresting dangerous immigrants, though figures show 74% of all those held in detention have no criminal convictions.
A challenge is that those cases must be filed individually, and many of those in detention have neither a lawyer nor the money to hire one.
The new practice consolidates and builds on work that was done at the Nationalities Service Center and the Pennsylvania Immigrant Family Unity Project, or PAIFUP.
Thompson said the immigration practice will make sure that clients have accurate information, strong advocacy, and a chance to protect their futures.
“The work changes every day, with the twists and turns of this administration, and the cruelty it inflicts on noncitizens,” she said. “We have to respond to the moment.”
