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  • Why wouldn’t the Eagles go for the No. 2 seed? Nick Sirianni pointed to the Super Bowl for some insight.

    Why wouldn’t the Eagles go for the No. 2 seed? Nick Sirianni pointed to the Super Bowl for some insight.

    If you were waiting with bated breath for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to appear in front of a camera Monday afternoon and reveal his exact plans for Sunday’s season finale vs. the Washington Commanders, you are probably new around here.

    Sirianni was unsurprisingly noncommittal when asked if he intended to roll out his starters for the final regular-season game or rest them with the No. 2 seed in the NFC — and a guaranteed home playoff game if you win your first one — still up for grabs.

    “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 coupled with Chicago’s loss kept the Eagles alive for the No. 2 seed in the conference.

    Eagles’ inexplicable second half offense nearly soils defensive gem vs. Josh Allen and the Bills

    The Eagles need to beat Washington at Lincoln Financial Field and hope the Bears lose at home to the Detroit Lions in order to leapfrog Chicago into second place in the NFC. Both games will kick off at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, so the Eagles won’t have any additional insight before kickoff. In addition to the possible second home playoff game, the second seed would mean hosting a banged-up Green Bay team in the wild-card round and avoiding a more difficult NFC West opponent.

    “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 as normal on Sunday following a week when resting and seeding were topics of conversation at the NovaCare Complex.

    Jalen Hurts and the Eagles can clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win over the Commanders on Sunday and a Bears loss to the Lions.

    “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.”

    Given the advantage the No. 2 spot provides, it’s fair to wonder why the Eagles wouldn’t pursue it vigorously.

    Sirianni pointed to the past when asked that question Monday. The Eagles rested their starters in the season finale last year, when they were locked into the No. 2 seed. When the Eagles reached the Super Bowl in the 2022 season, they played their starters in the finale to win, earn the top seed, and create a bye for themselves.

    Eagles favored over Commanders in Week 18; Super Bowl odds take a dip despite win

    Bye weeks and extended rests have gone pretty well for Sirianni’s teams. The Eagles are 11-4 in games that come at least 10 days after their previous contests (including playoff games). That’s a winning percentage of .733, which is more than Sirianni’s career winning percentage of .699 (including playoffs).

    “This is a marathon of a season,” Sirianni said. “Yes, your seeding is not locked down yet, but you are thinking, ‘Hey, can I put ourselves in the best position seeding-wise,’ while also you’re thinking to yourself how important byes are and creating them if you don’t earn the right for the first-round bye. Those are all things you got to think through and go through.

    “I think a lot of guys would say last year that that was a big deal, being able to have a built-in bye last year to set us up for what we ultimately did last year.”

    Time will tell how the Eagles decide to approach Sunday.

    The Eagles may believe they can have it both ways — resting some starters and playing others, while still being in a good position to beat Washington. The 4-12 Commanders are a weaker opponent that could be starting third-stringer Josh Johnson at quarterback.

    “You guys don’t know what we’re doing yet,” Sirianni joked. “We’re leaning and getting all the information.”

  • Strong winds are expected around Philly in the final days of 2025

    Strong winds are expected around Philly in the final days of 2025

    A soggy, gloomy Monday was expected to give way to a blusterous Tuesday that brings a wind advisory as gusts of up to 50 mph blow their way into the Philadelphia region ahead of the New Year.

    Strong winds arrived behind a cold front that descended upon the Philly area Monday afternoon, dropping temperatures from the 50s into the 30s. The gusts arrived amid a wind advisory issued by the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly in effect through 1 p.m. Tuesday, with sustained wind speeds of up to 25 mph expected.

    “There could be some lulls in the morning, but there is no clear signal as to when we will see the lowest lulls” in wind speed Tuesday, said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist with the weather service. “It will pretty much be windy all through the morning into midday.”

    With gusts potentially reaching into the 50-mph range, Johnson said, the primary concern for Philly-area residents was power outages caused by downed trees and broken tree limbs. That element will especially be a possibility following Monday’s rainy weather, which softened the ground in the area and primed it for potential treefall that could also bring down power lines.

    Peco, meanwhile, has said that it is aware of the wind advisory, and that its crews are actively monitoring weather conditions while remaining ready to respond to potential outages. The company on social media also advised residents to steer clear of downed power lines and report outages on its website.

    Johnson also noted that the high winds posed a risk to loose objects outdoors, such as holiday decorations and light furniture. Those items, she said, should be secured or taken indoors to keep them from potentially being lost or causing damage should they be taken away in a strong wind.

    Additionally, Tuesday’s forecast strong winds could create challenges for drivers — particularly those behind the wheels of “high-profile vehicles” like SUVs, trucks, and other large cars. Essentially, the larger a vehicle is, or the higher off the ground it sits, the more it is apt to be pushed around in high winds, she said.

    “The closer you are to the ground, the less likely you are to be impacted by high winds,” Johnson said.

    Tuesday’s windy weather, meanwhile, is not an uncommon occurrence for December in the Philadelphia region, Johnson added. Strong cold fronts are known to bring with them windy conditions as temperatures drop — and the cold is likely to remain throughout the week as New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day come and go.

    “It is normal for us to have the strongest temperature gradients — the biggest difference in temperature — in the winter seasons,” she said. “We tend to see those from late fall through early spring — pretty much prime season.”

    The strongest winds are likely to move out later Tuesday, but Wednesday is expected to remain somewhat breezy, with gusts possibly reaching up to 20 mph. Those winds, however, fall well short of the wind forecast for Tuesday.

    That may be welcome news for New Year’s Eve revelers set to ring in 2026 at Philadelphia’s first New Year’s Eve concert Wednesday. The concert, set to kick off at 8 p.m. on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, will feature performances by LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Los Angeles rock band Dorothy, and Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts graduate Adam Blackstone.

    Though Tuesday’s windy weather will likely abate in time for the holiday, colder temperatures with a high around 32 degrees are expected Wednesday, so attendees ought to bundle up. New Year’s Day on Thursday fits a similar description, with highs hovering near freezing and breezes up to 20 mph, Johnson said. There is only a slight chance of “lingering light snow or flurries,” according to weather service forecasts.

    “It’s likely to be dry, but cold and maybe breezy” the first day of 2026, Johnson said.

  • Collingswood is sued after mayor voted on ambulance deal despite conflict-of-interest warning

    Collingswood is sued after mayor voted on ambulance deal despite conflict-of-interest warning

    A Collingswood commissioner has sued the South Jersey borough, asking a judge to nullify an ambulance-services contract with Virtua Health because the mayor’s husband works for the health system.

    James Maley is accusing Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward, who is a member of the three-person commissioners board, of voting in favor of the contract despite an opinion from the borough’s solicitor saying she should not vote, according to the complaint, filed in Camden County Superior Court.

    The lawsuit was filed two weeks after the Dec. 1 meeting in which the board approved the contract in a 2-1 vote. A draft contract has not been made publicly available, and there was a dispute between Maley and Solano-Ward during the meeting about the exact parameters of the arrangement with Virtua.

    “It’s absurd, it is wrong, it’s unethical,” Maley said during the meeting.

    Solano-Ward did not respond to a request for comment. The attorney representing Collingswood in the lawsuit, Alexandra Jacobs, declined to comment.

    The Camden County borough has 14,000 residents. It is governed by a three-person board whose members are elected every four years in nonpartisan elections. The board then appoints a member as mayor.

    Maley has been a commissioner since 1989 and served as mayor from 1997 until May, after his running mates to fill the two other board seats lost. Solano-Ward and Amy Henderson Riley, running under the Collingswood Forward slate, took the board’s majority.

    The catalyst for the dispute was concerns that Solano-Ward heard from the borough’s fire chief over his department’s lack of capacity to respond to the 4,000 calls it receives annually, the mayor said in the meeting. The emergency medical services generate $450,000 a year, the lawsuit says.

    The mayor held a meeting with Collingswood’s fire chief in August, the suit says, and brought her husband, a Virtua critical-care physician, Jared Ward.

    Ward does not hold a leadership position in the South Jersey healthcare system. A spokesperson for Virtua declined to comment on the lawsuit.

    Virtua was one of two entities that responded to a request for proposals to provide ambulance services for the borough.

    At the Dec. 1 meeting, Solano-Ward defended her husband’s involvement, saying the borough does not have a medical officer and she wanted to be sure no question went unasked.

    She also addressed the potential conflict of interest, saying she wanted to be forthcoming to prevent any appearance of impropriety. But she refused to recuse herself, despite the solicitor’s recommendation.

    “We reached out to our attorney and he agreed that there could be a conflict of interest,” the mayor said in the meeting. “To which I respectfully disagree and I will be voting on the matter.”

    The lawsuit says that Solano-Ward involved her husband in the process while shunning Maley and Henderson Riley, who is the borough’s public safety chief.

    Henderson Riley, who has a doctoral degree in public health, declined to comment on the dispute. She voted in favor of the contract at the Dec. 1 meeting, telling the public that her review of the data led her to support a one-year trial.

    “To be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, I believe in my role as director of public safety, it’s what I was elected to do,” Henderson Riley said.

    Maley’s lawsuit is asking a judge to find that there was a conflict of interest and nullify the vote. A hearing is scheduled for January.

  • A couple told patients they’d created a breakthrough medical device. In a Philadelphia courtroom, they admitted it was all a lie.

    A couple told patients they’d created a breakthrough medical device. In a Philadelphia courtroom, they admitted it was all a lie.

    She went by Dr. Mary, and her promise was a tantalizing medical breakthrough.

    At clinics operated in Arizona and several other states, Mary Blakley and her husband, Fred, told patients that for just $300, they could provide a full-body scan that utilized a proprietary “smart chip” to detect a variety of potential illnesses, including cancer.

    In addition, the Blakleys boasted, their technology could actually help cure some patients’ maladies — blasting away kidney stones with a laser, killing cancer cells by injecting a special cream, or cleaning out lungs with a prototype “sweeper” approach.

    But in federal court in Philadelphia on Monday, the couple admitted that their clinics were a sham — that in reality, they only administered basic ultrasounds to patients while lying about the other fantastical benefits.

    Their guilty pleas were the latest development in a fraud prosecution with a variety of unusual elements. Mary Blakley, for example, had not only lied about being a doctor to build her clinics, prosecutors said — her background included a prior federal conviction for manufacturing methamphetamine.

    Fred Blakley, 61, meanwhile, also pleaded guilty Monday to a separate set of firearms charges, admitting that as he was perpetuating the healthcare fraud, he was also stockpiling dozens of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition for what he said was a forthcoming civil war against the U.S. government.

    Neither of the Blakleys said much in court Monday beyond responding to routine questions from U.S. District Judge Gerald McHugh. They pleaded guilty to counts including mail and wire fraud and conspiracy.

    Prosecutors said the couple — from Lake Havasu City, Ariz. — generated more than $2 million in fraudulent billings over the years. Their clinics operated in places including their home state, California, and Colorado, prosecutors said, and some of their patients had ties to Pennsylvania, which is where they were ultimately prosecuted.

    Their chief offering was a signature “full-body scan,” which they ran through a traditional ultrasound machine — but said had been enhanced with their proprietary smart chip technology. They told patients their machine could detect, treat, and cure a variety of illnesses, and also said the technology was a secret and should not be discussed with anyone.

    The Blakleys would often go on to prescribe various creams or drugs that had little to no benefit, prosecutors said, and sometimes said a patient would need to continue using the prescription for life. One of the substances, fenbendazole, was approved for use in animals by the Food and Drug Administration, prosecutors said, but was not approved for use in humans.

    To bolster her standing with clients, prosecutors said, Mary Blakley, now 66, lied about her background, falsely claiming she had worked at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; saying she had developed pharmaceuticals for Merck; and claiming she had received a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

    She hung a fake degree from the Swedish school on the wall of her clinic office, prosecutors said, along with others from Gatesville University and Almeda University — two online institutions that prosecutors described as “diploma mills.”

    To try to avoid detection, prosecutors said, the Blakleys asked their patients to pay with cash or check, refused to keep client records, and avoided keeping records of the full-body scans, which they sometimes described as “research.”

    They also sought to expand their empire, sometimes by selling their purported devices to others, or by charging trainees to open franchise branches of their clinics.

    In the meantime, court documents said, Fred Blakley was amassing a collection of more than two dozen guns and 30,000 rounds of ammunition, some of which he stored in the garage of his pastor. He was not allowed to own any firearms because he had been convicted alongside his wife in the prior methamphetamine case.

    As undercover FBI agents investigated the couple for their healthcare fraud, court documents said, Fred Blakley was captured on an audio recording in 2022 telling one of the agents he was “planning on shooting some humans.”

    “We’re gonna have to go to war with our own government … a civil war,” he said, according to court documents, later adding: “You better arm up good. I’ve got thousands of rounds of ammunition, and I’m ready to rock.”

    The couple’s downfall began several years ago, when local authorities in Arizona received complaints about the clinics, including from the couple’s estranged daughter.

    The FBI then began an extensive investigation, court documents said, and the couple were indicted in federal court in Philadelphia earlier this year.

    They are scheduled to be sentenced by McHugh in April. The couple are in custody at the federal detention center in Philadelphia. Each faces the possibility of being sentenced to more than 150 years behind bars.

  • Eagles favored over Commanders in Week 18; Super Bowl odds take a dip despite win

    Eagles favored over Commanders in Week 18; Super Bowl odds take a dip despite win

    The Eagles extended their winning streak and kept their chances at the No. 2 seed alive with a 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. This week, the final week of the NFL’s regular season, the Birds will host the Washington Commanders at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday.

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

    Eagles vs. Commanders odds

    These teams just met two weeks ago at Northwest Stadium, with the Eagles emerging with a 29-18 win and the first back-to-back NFC East titles in two decades.

    Now, the 11-5 Eagles will host the 4-12 Commanders in their regular-season finale, and the Birds still have something to play for. With a win Sunday and a Chicago Bears loss to the Detroit Lions, the Birds can secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Commanders will try to play spoiler 15 days after a dramatic end to their first matchup that featured a fight between players from both sides.

    Heading into the Week 18 matchup, the Eagles open as early favorites over their division opponents.

    FanDuel

    • Spread: Commanders +7.5 (-110); Eagles -7.5 (-110)
    • Moneyline: Commanders (+315); Eagles (-400)
    • Total: Over 41.5 (-110); Under 41.5 (-110)

    DraftKings

    • Spread: Commanders +8.5 (-120); Eagles -8.5 (+100)
    • Moneyline: Commanders (+310); Eagles (-395)
    • Total: Over 42.5 (-105); Under 42.5 (-115)
    Even Skip Bayless thinks Eagles are headed back to Super Bowl after ‘impressive’ win. Here’s what they’re saying.

    NFC odds update

    At both sportsbooks, the Eagles have fallen to the fourth spot in the race to win the NFC championship. The Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks remain in the top two spots. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers have overtaken the Eagles for the third spot, making it an all-NFC West top three.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Eagles’ inexplicable second half offense nearly soils defensive gem vs. Josh Allen and the Bills
    Matthew Stafford and the Rams remain the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

    Super Bowl odds

    Despite dropping to fourth in the NFC, the Eagles’ odds 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.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Eagles just might muddle their way to another Super Bowl, thanks to Jalen Carter and the NFL’s best defense | David Murphy

    MVP odds

    According to oddsmakers, it’s down to a two-man race between Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye for league MVP. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts continues to fall further in the odds.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

  • Reports: Penn State close to hiring USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn

    Reports: Penn State close to hiring USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn

    Penn State is closing in on hiring D’Anton Lynn as its defensive coordinator, according to several reports on Monday.

    Lynn, a former Penn State letterman, has spent the last two seasons leading Southern Cal’s defense. His hiring will make him the fourth defensive coordinator at Penn State in as many years.

    Jim Knowles, the Philadelphia native who served as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2025, was not retained on new coach Matt Campbell’s staff and left to take the same position at Tennessee. Jon Heacock, who was the defensive coordinator in every season Campbell served as head coach at Iowa State, was expected to follow the new Penn State coach to Happy Valley, but he opted to retire last week.

    Matt Campbell is flipping commits and building out his staff at Penn State

    The 36-year-old Lynn also spent a year as UCLA’s defensive coordinator and spent time as an assistant in the NFL for the Chargers, Texans, Bills, and Ravens.

    This season, USC’s defense ranked 45th nationally in passing yards allowed per game (203.3), 48th in total defense (348.8 yards), and 49th in points allowed (22.4).

    Lynn played defensive back at Penn State from 2008-11 and finished with 162 tackles (seven for losses), four interceptions, and a fumble recovery in 47 career games.

  • Delaware County woman accused of stabbing daughter to death days before Christmas charged with first-degree murder

    Delaware County woman accused of stabbing daughter to death days before Christmas charged with first-degree murder

    A Delaware County woman was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly stabbing her 23-year-old daughter to death in their Upper Darby Township home two days before Christmas, authorities say.

    Police found Diane Grovola, 57, naked, covered in blood, and suffering self-inflicted stab wounds when they responded to a 911 call at the family residence that morning, according to the affidavit of probable cause in her arrest.

    Grovola’s daughter was in an upstairs bedroom with knife wounds to her face, chest, legs, and back. Her eyes were open but she was unresponsive, the affidavit says. She was pronounced dead shortly after.

    “Sorry, I should have stabbed myself first,” Grovola told officers as they placed her in wrist restraints, according to the affidavit.

    Grovola’s husband, the young woman’s father, was first to discover the distressing scene.

    The man arrived at the home on South Bishop Avenue in the Secane section around 6:30 a.m. after returning from a shift at Philadelphia International Airport, the affidavit says. He had stopped at McDonald’s to get breakfast for his family.

    Once inside, the man was greeted by the family dog, which had suffered knife wounds to its abdomen and “got blood on his clothing,” according to the affidavit.

    He found his wife seated on the living room sofa with a knife in her hand.

    “I stabbed our daughter,” she told him, according to the affidavit.

    As her husband dialed 911, Diane Grovola told him she did not want to live anymore and began to stab herself in the chest, according to the affidavit.

    The operator told the man to flee the residence.

    During that time, Grovola stripped naked and began breaking items in the kitchen until police arrived. They eventually recovered a large stainless-steel knife that appeared to have blood on it, the affidavit says.

    In addition to first-degree murder, prosecutors charged Grovola with third-degree murder, possessing an instrument of a crime, and aggravated cruelty to an animal.

    She is being held in the George W. Hill Correctional Facility and was denied bail, court records show.

    Her arraignment is scheduled for Jan. 6 at 9 a.m.

  • These are the top searches by Zillow home shoppers in Pa., N.J., and beyond in 2025

    These are the top searches by Zillow home shoppers in Pa., N.J., and beyond in 2025

    This year, home shoppers on Zillow looked to make the most of spaces they could afford instead of looking for bigger and more luxurious homes, according to the company’s analysis of millions of searches.

    Zillow shoppers focused less on size than in the past and more on how flexible, comfortable, and livable a home would be, according to Zillow’s most popular search terms of 2025. Affordability likely helped drive this trend as homes have gotten more expensive.

    In 2025, Zillow saw fewer searches for mansions, acreage, and other terms tied to luxury living and more searches for smaller and cozy comforts, such as fireplaces, gardens, and fenced yards.

    Searches for accessory-dwelling units, guest houses, and in-law suites increased this year, reflecting buyers’ desire for properties that can meet evolving needs, including space for aging parents and potential for rental income.

    Zillow also saw more searches for outdoor features such as pools and yards and access to lakes and beaches.

    “2025 was the year people stopped searching for more home and started searching for more meaning at home,” Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trends expert, said in a statement. “Across the country, buyers want homes that can flex for family, offer access to nature, and deliver small daily comforts that make life feel easier and more joyful.”

    In other words, buyers are looking for homes “that work harder,” Zillow spokesperson Claire Carroll said in a statement.

    “That shows up in growing interest in adaptable layouts, multiuse spaces, and lifestyle-driven features that make a home feel more intentional and functional,” she said.

    Top local searches

    In Pennsylvania, the top-searched word on Zillow was historic. In New Jersey, it was patio.

    In addition to historic homes, shoppers looking for Pennsylvania properties in 2025 also most often searched for cabins and farms and properties with a fireplace or lake this year.

    Shoppers in the Garden State were focused on the outdoors this year. They most often searched not only for a patio but also for yard, ranch, pool, and waterfront. The number of waterfront searches grew nationally this year.

    New Jersey shoppers also were fans of brick.

    And they, along with shoppers in New York, were most likely to search for mother-daughter homes, which are single-family properties made for multigenerational living. These homes have separate living areas and often separate kitchens and bathrooms.

    The popularity of these homes among Zillow shoppers reflects “growing interest in living arrangements that support aging parents, adult children, or extended family while still allowing for privacy and independence,” Carroll said.

    Top home design features for 2026

    Zillow anticipates that cozy and personalized homes will continue to be in high demand next year.

    Reading nooks are on the rise in Zillow home listings, according to the company’s latest report on home trends. And so are wellness features and spalike bathrooms.

    Golf simulators and pickleball courts also have gotten more prevalent in home listings.

    More sellers also are mentioning features that make their homes resilient and sustainable, including flood protection, fire safety features, zero-energy capability, and electric-vehicle chargers.

    Zillow expects that one of the boldest trends of 2026 will be color drenching. Homeowners cover a space — including walls, ceilings, trims, and doors — with the same color to create spaces that are dramatic and immersive.

  • Even Skip Bayless thinks Eagles are headed back to Super Bowl after ‘impressive’ win. Here’s what they’re saying.

    Even Skip Bayless thinks Eagles are headed back to Super Bowl after ‘impressive’ win. Here’s what they’re saying.

    A silent second half from the Eagles offense, an outstanding effort from the Birds defensive line, and a failed two-point conversion in the final seconds. It all added up to the Eagles outlasting the Bills on the road in the Buffalo weather, securing a 13-12 win to extend their winning streak to three games.

    Now the Eagles will prepare to close out the regular season with a home game against the Washington Commanders, and the No. 2 seed in the NFC is still in play. As Week 18 gets underway, most of the Eagles discussion centered on their dominant defense and ongoing offensive struggles.

    Here’s what they’re saying about the Birds ahead of their game with the Commanders …

    Did the Eagles impress in Sunday’s win?

    The Eagles entered the game as slight underdogs after coming off two wins over teams with losing records: the 2-14 Las Vegas Raiders and the 4-12 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.

    Eagles’ inexplicable second half offense nearly soils defensive gem vs. Josh Allen and the Bills

    After the win, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy said 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.”

    Playing in the rain at Highmark Stadium and taking an early 13-0 lead was enough to impress McCoy’s co-host, former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho.

    “I think it was impressive,” Acho said. “You beat the Bills in terrible conditions and interesting terrain. People were slipping, people were sliding. You got the job done.

    “Reason it was impressive to me however, though, the Buffalo Bills are one of if not the best teams in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills have the most talented, healthy quarterback remaining in the AFC. The Eagles went to Buffalo and won a game that the Bills needed to win, desperately, because the Buffalo Bills are vying for the No. 1 seed in the AFC East. So, with all that being said, a win over Josh Allen when Josh Allen must win is always impressive.”

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles scenarios following Bills win; four divisions will be decided next week
    Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs with the ball during Sunday’s win over the Bills.

    ‘I’m giving both those quarterbacks the out’

    The Eagles struggled to find anything offensively in the second half. In the first half, Jalen Hurts passed for 110 yards, but he didn’t have a single completion in the second half while the offense as a whole recorded just 17 yards. Meanwhile, Allen passed for 262 yards but committed a costly turnover that led to the Eagles’ lone touchdown, and missed an open receiver in the end zone on the potential game-winning two-point conversion attempt.

    “I think Tom Brady kind of hit it on the head,” former Eagles defensive end Chris Long said on the Green Light podcast. “It was really hard to operate in that weather for both of those quarterbacks. Not just Josh [Allen], I’m giving Jalen [Hurts] the out.

    “You know I think the world of Josh, but I’m giving both those quarterbacks the out because — the thing Josh can’t do at the end of the game is choke off an easy crosser. That’s the problem I have. When for much of the game it was really hard to move the ball through the air even routine plays. And it’s not a monsoon at the end of the game.

    “I just don’t love the two-point call. I just don’t. Maybe I wanted some free football. Maybe that was a little close for comfort. But Eagles defense, they deserve all the credit in the world.”

    Monday’s Rams-Falcons game will help decide Eagles’ first playoff opponent

    ‘You can’t put all that pressure on the defense’

    As the Eagles offense continues to struggle, their defense continues to make up for it. The Birds defensive line limited NFL rushing leader James Cook to 74 yards on 20 carries, sacked Allen five times, and even made its presence known on special teams, with Jalen Carter blocking an extra point attempt.

    “The last three weeks the defense has played their behinds off, and today, magnificent,” former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner said on The Seth Joyner Show. “You couldn’t ask for a better performance by a defense. But you can’t put all that pressure on the defense when you got all the money on [the offensive] side of the football.

    “When you got all the great players, supposedly, on that side of the football, you mean to tell me that they couldn’t throw an out route to A.J. Brown in the second half on first down, come back on second down, throw another one and get a first down? One first down in the entire second half of a football game. Are you kidding me?”

    How the Eagles’ ‘sturdy’ defense weathered the storm in Buffalo to squeak by the Bills
    Nick Sirianni and the Eagles will host the Washington Commanders on Sunday in their regular-season finale.

    ‘The Eagles are better than people think’

    Despite any offensive inconsistencies, Rex Ryan believes this is a Super Bowl-caliber team heading into the postseason.

    “Final word is that the Eagles are a hell of a lot better than people think,” Ryan said on ESPN’s Get Up. “And I get it, the offense has struggled, but this is a championship caliber defense — again. Playing at home is going to be critical.”

    Eagles just might muddle their way to another Super Bowl, thanks to Jalen Carter and the NFL’s best defense | David Murphy

    Back-to-back Super Bowl champs?

    During the game, former NFL wide receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson made a quick comment about the team — writing “Eagles look good,” on X.

    But he wasn’t alone in being impressed by the Birds’ victory. Former Eagles safety Brian Dawkins posted that he’s looking forward to the postseason after the team’s big win over the Bills.

    “Tonight, playoff-ready defense, sound [special teams] with Jake [Elliott] kicking the laces off the ball, and an offense that capitalized on a turnover without turning the ball over,” Dawkins wrote. “Playoff prep course. Always better to correct after a hard-fought victory.”

    Other former players and analysts were already discussing the Eagles’ chances at another Super Bowl ring.

    Josh Allen’s interesting weather take, Tom Brady’s TikTok knowledge, and more from the Eagles-Bills broadcast

    “The Eagles have some absolutely incredible wins this year — but the Rams and Bills wins stand above the rest,” Acho posted just after the win. “This team is battle tested and equipped to win back-to-back Super Bowls.”

    Added McCoy: “This defense ain’t no joke. Super Bowl defense.”

    Even noted Cowboys fan Skip Bayless was impressed enough by the win to suggest the defending champs will be back in the Super Bowl.

    “This game is over,” Bayless wrote. “Congrats, Eagles. You got a gift, then you just took this game over with your physicality and Jalen Hurts’ deadly accuracy. Big impressive late-season win. Super Bowl here you come, again.”

  • Second pilot in Atlantic County crash dies; both pilots identified

    Second pilot in Atlantic County crash dies; both pilots identified

    Two men stopped by Apron Cafe, a breakfast spot overlooking Hammonton Municipal Airport’s runway, before they took off in separate helicopters late Sunday morning for what the restaurant owner described as one of their frequent flights together over the years.

    Minutes later, about 11:25 a.m., Apron Cafe patrons and staff could see one of the helicopters spiraling, engulfed in flames not far in the distance.

    “I looked up and I could see in the distance the one spiraling down and then I see the other one coming down,” said the cafe’s owner, Sal Silipino. “It was hard to believe that they were crashing.”

    Local authorities identified the pilots Monday as Kenneth Kirsch, a 65-year-old from Carneys Point, Salem County, and Michael Greenberg, a 71-year-old resident of Sewell, Gloucester County.

    Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said that Greenberg died at the scene. Kirsch died at an area hospital after being flown there.

    Just what led to the crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

    The parcel of land where the helicopters crashed was an open field amid a busy area. U.S. Routes 30 and 206 are nearby, as are Atlanticare Hammonton Health Park, an assisted living facility, and homes.

    “It was a miracle,” Silipino said. “There was so much in that area that they could have landed on top of.”

    Federal investigators remained on site Monday cataloging debris that spanned nearly the length of a football field and was “made up of parts of the main rotor and tail rotors,” according to the NTSB.

    The agency said the helicopters are slated to be taken from the crash site to a secure location Tuesday. The preliminary report is expected to be made available in about 30 days.

    This article contains information from the Associated Press.