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  • Philadelphia’s homeownership rate fell during the pandemic as rates grew nationally and in other big cities

    Philadelphia’s homeownership rate fell during the pandemic as rates grew nationally and in other big cities

    The homeownership rate in Philadelphia fell more than it did nationally and in other major East Coast cities over the last two decades, according to an analysis by researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

    Philadelphia’s homeownership rate fell by 5.1 percentage points — from 57.5% in 2005 to 52.4% in 2023, according to the report published this month. Over the same period, the national homeownership rate dropped 1.6 percentage points to 65.3%.

    Homeownership rates fell by less than 1 percentage point in Boston and New York and by 2.5 percentage points in Baltimore.

    Owning a home is how most U.S. families build wealth. Philadelphia has a relatively high homeownership rate among major U.S. cities and a tradition of homeownership among households with lower incomes.

    But affordability challenges in recent years have held Philadelphia back.

    The city’s homeownership rate did not rise during the pandemic as it did nationally and among other cities.

    The U.S. homeownership rate increased by 1.1 percentage points between 2019 and 2022. Rates in Boston and New York also rose slightly during this period. But the homeownership rate in Philadelphia fell by 1.1 percentage points.

    Many renters say they’ll never buy a home, according to a national survey

    Philadelphia Fed researchers had heard about homeownership rates increasing in many places during the pandemic, “so the big surprise was the extent to which Philadelphia was having a very different experience,” said Theresa Singleton, a coauthor of the report and senior vice president and community affairs officer at the Philadelphia Fed.

    “Philadelphia’s had this long history of having affordable homeownership for so much of the population for so long,” she said. “And so seeing these numbers decline was the issue that really brought us to this topic, to revisit what are the factors contributing to this decline.”

    Researchers found that owning a home has gotten more expensive, and households are increasingly burdened by debt.

    Homeownership has become less affordable

    “Homeownership affordability is deteriorating in Philadelphia,” said Sisi Zhang, a coauthor of the report and community development economic adviser at the Philadelphia Fed.

    More than 60% of Philadelphia home sales were affordable to households with median incomes a decade ago. Now, fewer than 40% are affordable.

    Home affordability varies by race and ethnicity. Philadelphia’s typical white households — those making the median income among white households — can afford up to roughly 60% of home sales. Typical Black households in Philadelphia can afford up to about 26%. And this affordability gap has widened over the last decade.

    The gap between how many homes households with two earners can afford and households with fewer than two earners can afford also has widened. Non-dual-earner households used to be able to afford more homes.

    In 2013, dual-earner households could afford about 90% of the homes for sale, and non-dual-earner households could afford just over 50%. In 2023, dual-earner households could afford just over 80% of homes for sale, and non-dual-earner households could afford a little more than 30%.

    Philadelphia’s housing market isn’t as accessible as it used to be

    The report considered homeownership to be affordable if a household making the median income spends no more than 28% of that income on a mortgage, property taxes, and home insurance.

    All together, these costs have more than doubled in the last decade. In 2014, the annual estimated median cost of owning a home in Philadelphia was about $8,000. That cost grew to about $21,000 in 2024.

    Singleton said she was surprised at how significant the cost increases have been.

    Rising home prices are pushing up costs overall, and mortgage interest rates remain elevated. Increases in household income have not kept up with rising prices.

    These affordability challenges exist in cities and towns across the country, but Philadelphia stands out because residents’ incomes are so low compared to other cities of similar size and economic status, Singleton said. That “brings a certain other nuance” to challenges the city faces.

    Low incomes make Philadelphia homes less affordable, Pew study finds

    Debt burdens

    Philadelphians’ debt increasingly is keeping them from buying homes or being able to comfortably afford homes, the Philadelphia Fed report found.

    High debt-to-income ratios have become the most common reason that aspiring homebuyers are denied mortgages.

    And even buyers who are approved for home loans have higher debt-to-income ratios than they did a few years ago.

    Debt and affordability trends highlighted in the report “suggest growing financial pressures on potential and actual homebuyers, particularly low- to moderate-income families,” the authors wrote.

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

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

    ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Jalen Hurts sat at his locker stall and nodded as Nick Sirianni spoke. The quarterback listened intently to his coach until he ended the conversation with an adage that summed up the Eagles’ defensive-minded 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

    “Hey,” Hurts said to a parting Sirianni, “a win’s a win.”

    They mostly have defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit to thank. Special teams should get kudos as well. And lastly, they should give gratitude to Bills coach Sean McDermott, who shockingly went for two and the win despite the ineptitude of the Eagles offense in the second half.

    Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts is silenced in second half; Jalyx Hunt’s breakout game helps beat the Bills

    For more than three quarters, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was rendered mortal by the Eagles defense. But he flipped a switch and drove the Bills to two touchdowns in the final frame as Hurts and Co. kept going three-and-out.

    McDermott’s team would have had all the momentum going into overtime. But Fangio’s group answered the bell once more and hurried Allen into throwing his two-point conversion attempt wide of receiver Khalil Shakir.

    It might have been the wind that followed a steady rain at Highmark Stadium, but a collective sigh of relief seemed to release from an Eagles sideline full of offensive players holding their breath. Namely, Sirianni, Hurts, and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

    The second half was that bad, especially when you consider the Bills’ suspect run defense. The Eagles ran 17 plays and gained just 17 yards before Hurts knelt in the victory formation. They produced one first down. Hurts didn’t complete any of his seven pass attempts.

    In the first half, the offense seemed to build off the improvements shown in the previous two games. The offense wasn’t exactly high-powered, but it was effective as the Eagles took a 13-0 lead into halftime. But Sirianni and Patullo seemingly took their foot off the pedal.

    “We weren’t in a mode of saying, ‘Hey, 13-0 is enough,” Sirianni said. “Not against this quarterback, not against this offense. And so I don’t think our mindset was ever that. But I’ve got to do a better job there in that scenario. I’ll put that on myself.”

    This wasn’t the first time this season that the Eagles have watched a double-digit lead evaporate, or the first time the offense has had disparate halves, or the first time the coach’s conservatism has come under question.

    Sirianni can add another victory to a remarkable 43-2 record when the Eagles win the turnover margin during his five years at the helm. The offense didn’t give the ball away once, while the defense forced an Allen fumble.

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles scenarios following Bills win; four divisions will be decided next week

    But Hurts seems to be coached into doing anything to avoid turnovers. He had four throwaways and gave himself up for one sack on his eight drop backs in the second half.

    “I don’t think it’s a conservative thing to have good ball security and be mindful that the turnover margin directly correlates with winning,” Hurts said. “That’s a truth of the game, and that’s a well-known fact of what we’ve been able to do and how we’ve been able to play over the last five years collectively.”

    But how can an offense that gained 174 yards — 110 of them through the air — look almost the polar opposite after a 15-minute break? The Bills made some adjustments in their run defense, according to guard Landon Dickerson. Tackle Fred Johnson said their defense became more “exotic.”

    The Eagles ran on first and second down on four of five drives, though. Hurts threw from under center only once — after Saquon Barkley ran for 5 and 10 yards on the first two plays of the second half. On the Eagles’ next 15 plays, they picked up just 2 yards.

    Barkley kept running into heavy lines and stacked boxes. Certain Eagles, notably center Cam Jurgens and tight end Dallas Goedert, couldn’t sustain blocks with Bills defenders flying downhill. This was a unit ranked 31st in run defense.

    “I don’t know if they had a bead on it, but we just didn’t take advantage of our situations well enough,” Jurgens said. “We can put that on our shoulders and do a little better, especially do better when we’re calling these runs, and we need to make things work.

    “And I know I missed a couple blocks I want back.”

    There were good moments on the ground through Barkley’s first two carries of the second half. He had 66 yards on 13 rushes up until that point. But he gained just 2 yards on his final six rushes. The Eagles just don’t have consistent enough blocking to run at will and there seemed to be times when Hurts needed to check out of calls against bad looks.

    Saquon Barkley fell short of the big game many expected of him against the porous Bills run defense.

    “We kind of went back to a consistent theme of playing really well one half and not well the other half, not putting a full game together,” Barkley said. “And, obviously, we know we’ve got to get better at that. Easier to get better from it when it’s a win.

    “But, personally, I feel like when it’s like six minutes left, you want to end the game with the ball in your hands and we didn’t do that, I didn’t do that. I take responsibility for that.”

    Barkley shouldn’t. He’s the least of the problems. But for all the positives in that realm since the Chargers game, the Eagles seem to be back to square one on the ground. And there’s obvious concern that the offense has regressed heading into the postseason.

    How the Eagles’ ‘sturdy’ defense weathered the storm in Buffalo to squeak by the Bills

    “We’ve got to mix in some of the play-action things that we’ve done so well in the last couple weeks and not wait there again. That’s on me,” Sirianni said. “You know, I know what the first play is going into every series.”

    Patullo’s first-half play calling had some rhythm. Receiver A.J. Brown was getting open and Hurts was finding him. The Eagles turned Allen’s fumble into seven points with another red zone conversion and a touchdown pass to Goedert.

    But there were some head-scratching moments as well, like the third-and-9 draw to Will Shipley or the third-and-8 screen to Goedert at the Bills’ 13-yard line. As Sirianni noted, Buffalo wasn’t going away. The Eagles needed to pounce when they had chances.

    And they needed to double down in the second half. How often was the defense expected to save the offense? Predictably, Fangio’s group relented — until it didn’t, thanks in part to McDermott, one of La Salle High School’s most esteemed alums, throwing caution to the wind.

    Wins don’t get asterisks, of course. That was a solid team the Eagles beat, a sort of litmus test for how they stack up against one of the AFC’s best. The Eagles have a defense that can match almost any offense, and a decent special teams.

    Nick Sirianni attempted to accentuate the positive after the win.

    But the Sirianni-Patullo-Hurts offense has been a running (pun intended) joke. After 16 games, it would be ridiculous to think it’ll finally find its way in the postseason. The Eagles can scrape by as long as they don’t turn the ball over, and that may be enough.

    “You’ve got to feel pretty good, right?” Sirianni said when asked about the state of the Eagles. “Three-game winning streak. In this league, three-game winning streaks are hard. Winning 11 games is hard. Winning the division is hard. And so, you feel really good about some of the things, but there’s also an opportunity to self-scout yourself and do some different things there.

    “We’ll see what we do this upcoming week. I think there’s still an opportunity for us to get the [No.] 2 seed.”

    There was at the time Sirianni spoke, and that possibility held up later in the evening, after the Chicago Bears lost to the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles’ only path to the No. 2 seed is to defeat the Washington Commanders while the Bears lose to the Detroit Lions. Both games will be played at 4:25 p.m. next Sunday. Sirianni may also want to play his starters to give his offense another outing against the Commanders’ subpar defense.

    But it seems like some issues won’t ever be properly resolved until the offseason.

  • The shooting at Brown haunts me. It should haunt us all.

    The shooting at Brown haunts me. It should haunt us all.

    Nearly two weeks after the shooting at Brown University, I still struggle to understand what happened on my campus.

    Since rushing back to Gettysburg the evening afterward, I’ve repeatedly sat down with myself and tried to come to grips with the fact that the community I treasure has been torn apart.

    Every description of that night and the following days feels cliché. Not because my feelings are simple, but because they’ve been reported hundreds of times. Everything I’ve ever read in the news about the aftermath of a shooting is true: the inability to comprehend what has happened, the feeling that this could never happen to you until it does, the anger toward political leaders who never act.

    But there is still no way to convey the heartbreak that underlies the anxiety and anger.

    Hundreds gathered in Providence, R.I.’s Lippitt Park on Dec. 14 to honor victims of the mass shooting at Brown University.

    The attack against our campus is an attack against the entire nation, one that prides itself on some of the best academic institutions in the world. The campus community is a sacred bond, something that has become even more apparent to me since Dec. 13. It extends beyond College Hill in Providence, R.I., throughout the United States and the world. And when one of these communities is ripped apart, they all are.

    We live in a country where active shooter drills are the norm. Those drills proved useful to me.

    When I barricaded myself into a conference room where I sat for nine hours, I operated on autopilot. I knew exactly what to do. At first, this was comforting. But as time has passed, it has haunted me more than anything.

    There is a weird sort of satisfaction in applying something you learned practically, but this skill is one I never wanted to have to learn, let alone take to college with me.

    During the entirety of my high school career, nothing was more exciting than the prospect of attending college. I dreamed of decorating my dorm room, attending classes, and forging a sense that I belonged to something bigger than myself. Brown has surpassed all of my expectations.

    But I’ve found it difficult to hold onto this dream since that Saturday afternoon. When I open Instagram to see that our local Indian restaurant is offering free meals to students, a little bit of my faith is restored. When my friends, professors, and colleagues text to check in on me, I still get the warm feeling of home. But it’s a home I know is forever changed, and perhaps that is the hardest part.

    Push for change

    When I received the alert reporting an active shooter, I was studying for a political theory class that discusses the philosophies of injustice and resistance. The most valuable thing I have learned is that change cannot come without active advocacy. I ask that, in the coming weeks and months, we all actively advocate for change, even when it is inconvenient and uncomfortable.

    When I call my elected representative, I get the common response: He is praying for me. This is a response I will no longer accept. None of us should. We must refuse to let our legislators sit in session without a substantive response to this tragedy — and the many thousands that came before it, hundreds of them just in the last year.

    Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, who were killed, deserve better. The nine others injured deserve better. Brown deserves better. Our nation deserves better.

    CJ Lair is a sophomore at Brown University and an opinions editor at the Brown Daily Herald. He studies political science and is from Gettysburg.

  • Letters to the Editor | Dec. 29, 2025

    Letters to the Editor | Dec. 29, 2025

    To ban or not to ban

    As a high school teacher of over 20 years, I read with great interest the opinions of State Rep. Mandy Steele and professor Christopher J. Ferguson about a possible cell phone ban in schools. While both raise valid points, each of their pieces reflects one of the biggest problems in education today. Like so many other articles and opinion pieces about education, there is a glaring lack of input from classroom teachers. More than anybody else in the field of education, teachers see and feel the impact of phones on students in the classroom. How refreshing it would be if policymakers and so-called experts started giving teachers more input into such important decisions. It never ceases to amaze me how many people suggest what is best for students, yet have little to no experience actually teaching in a K-12 classroom. Teachers do not all agree, and they are not always right, but they are certainly worth listening to. Classroom teachers are experts; it’s just a shame they aren’t treated as such.

    Patrick Oswald, Downingtown

    . . .

    In his recent op-ed, Christopher J. Ferguson argues against banning cell phones, characterizing them as “one-size-fits-all” approaches and suggesting that their efficacy is not supported by research. Ferguson maintains that “intuition” has motivated support for school cell phone restrictions, and notes that “intuition is often wrong, which is why we need good science studies.” As a retired clinical psychologist, I couldn’t agree with him more on that point; however, the evidence he cites to support his anti-ban position is thin and vague at best. In contrast, psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s widely acclaimed and meticulously researched 2024 book, The Anxious Generation, sets the gold standard for scientific analysis of this important topic. Haidt’s evidence-based documentation of smartphone harms clashes directly with several statements Ferguson makes without providing any specific supporting evidence. In the end, he jumps to his own conclusion, that “the problem with schools is schools, not cell phones,” and claims that “the data are already in,” showing that cell phone bans fail to produce benefits. Of course, we will need more data to conclusively demonstrate their effectiveness, because bell-to-bell bans are still in their infancy and have been enacted in a minority of states. In the meantime, however, the evidence of adverse social and emotional consequences associated with children’s access to smartphones is too compelling to casually dismiss.

    Marcie G. Lowe, Oreland

    Redacted Epstein files

    It’s the 18 and a half minute gap from the Watergate tapes all over again.

    Sam Goldwasser, Bala Cynwyd

    Join the conversation: Send letters to letters@inquirer.com. Limit length to 150 words and include home address and day and evening phone number. Letters run in The Inquirer six days a week on the editorial pages and online.

  • Horoscopes: Monday, Dec. 29, 2025

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). External praise can lift you, but it won’t create lasting self-worth. Get ready for a joyful awareness of what’s best in you. It won’t come from compliments but from inner knowing, self-respect and recognizing your own strength.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Today, it doesn’t matter which direction you choose, only that you choose one. You can make it easier by noticing what the people you admire have chosen and letting their paths inspire your next step. One decision moves everything forward.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Because you expect more of yourself than most people do, you can feel like you’re failing even when you’re doing great. Just know that you’re further along than you’d be without your big ambitions. Can you go easy on yourself today?

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). You glimpse a version of your future that seems so right and real. Indeed, it’s OK to take pleasure and pride in the fact that things seem to be shaping up right before your eyes.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). You may temporarily detach from the thing that’s not working with an instinctual and subtle step back. Someone may still try and pull your energy, but it’s easy to dodge the play. The escape brings a surprising rush of inner power.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There will be a pocket of time today where your creativity flickers awake. It won’t demand anything from you; it’ll just remind you that your inner world is fully alive and ready for you when you want to journey inward.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). When going too fast, it can be hard to keep control. But as any bicyclist knows, going too slow makes it impossible to balance. So go at a comfortable speed, and seek the people and situations that match your pace.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). There’s no need to apologize for needing rest. Those apologies dilute your power. Honor your capacity. Your body and mind have needs. You’re allowed to guard your energy without guilt or explanation.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’ll shake off some grogginess and notice your identity reassemble itself differently than yesterday. These adjustments — partly intentional, partly instinctive — are turning you into the person who gets the goal.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Today, you can relax knowing there’s no need to force yourself into a role, give a performance or be impressive in any way. Let your natural gifts and temperament speak for you. “The fragrance of flowers is their prayer.” — Peter Deunov

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Let your feelings be known. Your boldness tells people who you are, and they’ll trust you more when they understand you better. Your confidence inspires others to be forthright.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). You’re unsure whether you can do something. That doesn’t mean you’re incapable; it means you’re smart. You’re thinking, noticing variables and assessing risk, which is the realistic viewpoint that will ultimately help you succeed.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 29). Welcome to your Year of Paradoxical Leadership. You don’t have to strive for brilliant strategy, knowledge, authority or anything at all. You just show up with your true values and you’re wildly influential, often without detection. Sometimes you don’t even have the role, but you rule the room anyway. More highlights: Relationships deepen effortlessly. Money comes through a choice that once scared you. A creative experiment becomes your signature. Cancer and Sagittarius adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 3, 28, 9, 34 and 41.

  • Dear Abby | Demands of career have put a damper on dreams

    DEAR ABBY: I am in my early 30s and happy in certain aspects of my life: I recently moved to a house and married a man I love very much. I have friends, hobbies and dreams. One of these dreams is to be a novelist, although I do marketing for a tech company right now.

    This brings me to my problem: I have been feeling depressed by my job. Working in tech marketing is not something I enjoy; it’s something I have done in recent years to pay the bills. My job is high-stress and fast-moving, and people can be impatient.

    Typically, I keep any work-induced depression at bay by running, writing and spending time with loved ones. But lately, these things haven’t lessened the negative feelings I have from work as much. In fact, I have begun feeling less joy in the things I typically do with my free time.

    I feel like a failure for trying to write a novel in the midst of so much work. I am afraid if I quit my job, I won’t be able to make mortgage payments and will burden my husband with an unfair amount of stress. He is also unhappy at his tech job but doing it to help support us.

    Getting a new job won’t fix this, because I’ve felt down at other tech marketing jobs that pay me enough to afford our house and save up for having a child (another dream). How can I get out from under this rain cloud? Do I want too much out of life?

    — STYMIED IN CALIFORNIA

    DEAR STYMIED: A solution that might work for you would be a part-time job in tech that would help you to pay the mortgage, while affording you free time to pursue your writing. Give yourself a one-year deadline, see if there is any interest in what you have produced and proceed from there. I wish you luck.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: Should I change my financial arrangement with my husband? We have been married 18 years and have a joint checking account. He has a separate account for his side business that’s just for him. I have a separate account I use for my job to renew licenses and finance my continuing education. During the last few years, he has insisted I pay my own medical bills (which had always come out of our joint account before).

    I have a history of thyroid cancer, and my family has a history of more serious cancers. He tells me I go to the doctor too often. I typically go for an annual physical, annual thyroid exam and to the gynecologist. We have medical insurance.

    I’m starting to wonder if I should just ask for my paycheck to be deposited into my own account and then transfer money over to the joint account to cover our household bills, which he also pays. I don’t want to start a fight about it as he and I are quite traditional in most ways. Help! I feel like I have no money even though we both work full time.

    — DIVIDING IT UP IN INDIANA

    DEAR DIVIDING: You have a valid point. It’s time for you and your husband to sit down with a FINANCIAL ADVISER and work something out that is fair to both of you. Your CPA may be able to help you or recommend someone.

  • NFL playoff picture: Eagles scenarios following Bills win; four divisions will be decided next week

    NFL playoff picture: Eagles scenarios following Bills win; four divisions will be decided next week

    The Eagles are one of four teams in the NFL that have clinched their division, but could still move up in the playoff standings thanks to their 13-12 win against the Buffalo Bills Sunday.

    Unfortunately, it won’t be to the No. 1 seed. The Birds’ were mathematically eliminated from ending the season in the NFC’s top playoff spot by the San Francisco 49ers’ win last week against the Indianapolis Colts.

    But the 49ers helped the Eagles Sunday night by defeating the Chicago Bears in a high-scoring thriller, keeping the Birds’ hopes for the No. 2 seed alive.

    Thankfully, the Birds can’t drop below the No. 3 seed, because the Carolina Panthers lost to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.

    The big winner of Sunday’s games was the NFL. Thanks to losses by the Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the league will have two win-and-you’re-in games in Week 18: Panthers at Buccaneers for the NFC South and Ravens at Steelers for the AFC North.

    Two other divisions will also be decided in Week 18: The NFC West and AFC South.

    The Colts were officially eliminated from the playoffs by the Houston Texans’ win against the Los Angeles Chargers Saturday night. Thanks to the win, the Texans clinched a playoff spot and the Denver Broncos clinched the AFC West.

    And thanks to the Eagles win, the New England Patriots clinched the AFC East, ending the Bills five-year reign as division champions.

    Here are all the remaining NFL playoff scenarios and potential clinches:

    How the Eagles can get the No. 2 seed

    The Eagles are heading to the playoff for the fifth straight season under Nick Sirianni.

    The Eagles entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed last season, and ended up winning the Super Bowl.

    The Birds had two different paths to the No. 2 seed, but needed the Seattle Seahawks to lose their final two games of the season. But the Seahawks defeated the Carolina Panthers Sunday, leaving just one scenario remaining for the Eagles to end the season as the No. 2 seed:

    • Eagles win in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders AND the Bears lose to the Detroit Lions.

    Which team will the Eagles play in the playoffs?

    If the season were already over, the Eagles would host the Rams in a wild card game.

    While the Birds still have a path to the No. 2 seed, it’s far more likely they’ll end the season as the No. 3 seed.

    In that case, the Eagles would host a wild card game against the No. 6 seed at the Linc, currently against the Los Angeles Rams. But the Birds could also face the 49ers or Seahawks, depending how the NFC West shakes out.

    If the Eagles do end up the No. 2 seed, they’d host the Packers at the Linc during the first round of the playoffs.

    NFC playoff picture

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    The NFC playoff picture is pretty much set, with just two divisions and one postseason spot still up for grabs.

    The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers will face off in Week 18, with the winner claiming the NFC South title and moving forward to the playoffs.

    Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers

    The math is pretty easy here. The winner of Week 18’s matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks will end up deciding the NFC West champion and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

    The Rams had an outside chance at claiming the division, but were officially eliminated from contention by the 49ers’ win Sunday night. Now the best Los Angeles can do is the No. 5 seed.

    Chicago Bears

    Thanks to the Packers’ loss to the Ravens Saturday night, the Bears officially clinched their first NFC North title since 2018.

    Because of their loss to the 49ers, the Bears can no longer end the season as the No. 1 seed. But Chicago will end up the No. 2 seed with a win or an Eagles’ loss in Week 18.

    Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers

    The Panthers entered Sunday with a chance to clinch the NFC South, but let it slip away by losing to the Seahawks.

    Thankfully, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Miami Dolphins Sunday. That means the Panthers vs. Buccaneers game in Week 18 will decide who wins the NFC South and claims the NFC’s final playoff spot.

    That is, unless the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Rams Monday night. If that happens, a Falcons and Buccaneers win next week could force a three-way tie at 8-9 atop the NFC South. In that case, the first tiebreaker would be head-to-head among the three teams, which the Panthers would win.

    AFC playoff picture

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    Just like the NFC, just one playoff spot remains up for grabs in the AFC.

    The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will face off in Week 18 for the AFC North title. The winner will be the AFC’s No. 4 seed heading into the playoffs, while the loser will go home.

    Denver Broncos

    Thanks to the Chargers’ loss Saturday night, the Broncos clinched the AFC West for the first time since 2015. But they’ll have to wait until Week 18 before the could clinch the No. 1 seed.

    New England Patriots

    Thanks to the Bills loss to the Eagles, the Patriots have officially clinched the AFC East for the first time since 2019.

    To finish the season as the No. 1 seed, the Patriots need to defeat the Dolphins in Week 18 and have the Broncos lose to the Chargers.

    Jacksonville Jaguars

    Because of the Texans’ win Saturday night, the Jaguars missed out on a chance to clinch the AFC South in Week 17.

    But thanks to their win Sunday against the Colts, the Jaguars will clinch the AFC South with a win in Week 18 against the Tennessee Titans or a Texans’ loss to the Colts.

    Buffalo Bills

    Because of their loss to the Eagles, the Bills will enter the playoffs as a wildcard team. Which seed the Bills end up with will be determined by what happens in Week 18.

    Meaning the Bills game against the New York Jets last week could be the final game at Highmark Stadium, their home since 1973, when it was known as Rich Stadium.

    Pittsburgh Steelers

    The Steelers lost to the Cleveland Browns Sunday, which sets up a showdown against the Ravens for the AFC North in Week 18, with the winner advancing to the playoffs and ending the loser’s season.

    Houston Texans

    Not only did the Texans clinch a playoff spot with their win against the Chargers Saturday night, Houston remains alive in the hunt for an AFC South title.

    The Texans will need to beat the Colts in Week 18 and have the Jaguars lose one of their final games against the Titans to claim the division title.

    Baltimore Ravens

    The Ravens remain alive in the playoff hunt thanks to their win Saturday night against the Packers and the Steelers’ loss Sunday. The two teams would face off for the division title in Week 18.

    When do the NFL playoffs start?

    The first playoff game will take place on wild-card weekend, beginning Jan. 10.

    Six games will take place in the first round of the playoffs, airing across Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN/ABC. Amazon will also exclusively stream a wild-card game on Prime Video for the second straight season.

    Full 2025 NFL playoff schedule:

    • Wild-card round: Saturday, Jan. 10, to Monday, Jan. 12
    • Divisional round: Saturday, Jan. 17, to Sunday, Jan. 18
    • AFC and NFC championship games: Sunday, Jan. 25
    • Super Bowl LX: Sunday, Feb. 8

    Where is this year’s Super Bowl?

    Super Bowl LX (or 60, for those who don’t like Roman numerals) is being held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., home of the San Francisco 49ers. NBC will broadcast this year’s Super Bowl, with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on the call.

    Here are the sites announced for future Super Bowls:

    • Super Bowl LXI: Feb. 14., 2027, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN, ABC)
    • Super Bowl LXII: Feb. 2028, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. (CBS)
  • Flyers avoid getting shut out in 4-1 loss to Kraken after three-day holiday break

    Flyers avoid getting shut out in 4-1 loss to Kraken after three-day holiday break

    SEATTLE ― The Flyers won’t want to throw it away, all right, but there are parts of this game they’ll prefer not to see again.

    In their first game after the NHL’s mandatory three-day holiday break, they fell to the Seattle Kraken, 4-1 on Sunday. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak and is Philly’s third loss in its past five games. They are 5-4-4 in December.

    Carl Grundström scored with less than two minutes left in regulation to help the Flyers avoid getting shut out for the second time this season. He beat Philipp Grubauer short-side to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games.

    Jordan Eberle gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead 3 minutes, 48 seconds into the second period. The Kraken’s captain snuck down the middle and was left untouched as he received a pass from Kaapo Kakko. A former New York Islander, Eberle now has 12 goals and 30 points in 37 regular-season games against the Flyers.

    Owen Tippett has been streaky. Rick Tocchet wants to see more consistency from the Flyers winger.

    Seattle’s Chandler Stephenson made it 2-0 in the third period as he crashed the net. Flyers goalie Dan Vladař played the puck behind the net, and Eeli Tolvanen got it from Travis Sanheim. The Finnish forward sent it to Stephenson in front for the easy tally.

    Entering the night, the Flyers’ power play was ranked 24th in the NHL, and it had chances to tie things up. They were facing the league’s worst penalty kill (70.3%), but despite having three-man advantages, they were unable to get on the board with extended offensive zone time.

    Across the power plays, Philly had nine shot attempts, with six needing Grubauer to make the save.

    Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is defended by Flyers forward Carl Grundstrom during the first period of Sunday’s game.

    On the first one, drawn by Nikita Grebenkin, Jamie Drysdale had a pair of shots off setups from Trevor Zegras. Seconds after Drysdale’s second shot, Travis Konecny received a cross-crease pass from Zegras and was stoned by a sliding Grubauer. That power play started to even the ice as the Kraken came out with their legs.

    And then Denver Barkey continued to prove he is an NHLer as he used his motor to drive past Ryan Lindgren for a breakaway. The Seattle defenseman wrapped up Barkey, who still got a shot on goal as he drew the holding penalty.

    The best chance on that power play was by Noah Cates from the middle of the ice after good puck movement. And on the final man advantage of the night, thanks to a too many men penalty against the Kraken, the best chance was by Owen Tippett after Barkey made a strong play to get him the puck

    The Flyers put 32 shots on goal, including 14 in the third period. The biggest issue for the Flyers on Sunday was the fact that Grubauer was able to see the puck well. Compared to their past two wins, the Flyers weren’t going to the net often enough and even when they did, the Kraken blocked 17 shots — several from atop the crease.

    Flyers ready to return to full strength as a grueling stretch awaits ahead of the Winter Olympics

    Breakaways

    The Kraken added two empty-netters by Tolvanen. … Zegras had his point streak end at 10 games (five goals, six assists). … Forwards Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers, and defenseman Noah Juulsen were healthy scratches.

    Up next

    The Flyers head a few short hours north to Rick Tocchet and Juulsen’s old stamping ground to take on the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday (10 p.m., NBCSP).

  • How the Eagles’ ‘sturdy’ defense weathered the storm in Buffalo to squeak by the Bills

    How the Eagles’ ‘sturdy’ defense weathered the storm in Buffalo to squeak by the Bills

    ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Jordan Davis considers the Eagles’ defensive line the “eye of the storm.” And there was a storm here.

    It rained for most of the game, and conditions were only set to get worse after the Eagles escaped Western New York with a one-point victory over the Buffalo Bills.

    On the field, though, the Bills were storming back. A 13-0 Eagles lead had nearly evaporated. The Bills scored a touchdown with Josh Allen on a Tush Push to cut the deficit to one. Sean McDermott opted to go for two. Enter the eye.

    “While everything else is swirling around us, we’re in the middle,” Davis said. “We’re calm. Everything can be messy as hell, but when we’re in the eye of the storm, everything is calm. We have to keep ourselves composed, can’t let the moment get too big.

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    “It comes down to that one play. What are you going to do then? It’s not like you’re out there and playing a whole drive. You’ve got one more play to play.”

    Davis felt the calmness from the sideline. Then he watched his teammates execute. Vic Fangio called a simulated pressure. Cooper DeJean rushed off the left side, but Jalyx Hunt dropped into coverage from the right side of the line. Jalen Carter, whose hands were all over the end of Sunday’s game, ran a stunt with Jaelan Phillips, who got past right tackle Spencer Brown and into the backfield.

    Allen had an open receiver, but the pressure made him backpedal and throw off-balance. The ball bounced in front of Khalil Shakir and out of the end zone.

    “It was like slo-mo turning my head to see what happened,” Phillips said.

    “It’s what we play the game for. In clutch moments like that, it’s what all the preparation, all the conditioning, all the hard work, it’s for moments like that.”

    The Eagles bent but didn’t break. It was why they won Sunday. It is why they’ve won a chunk of their 11 victories this season. It’s why they won’t be a desirable opponent in January. The failed two-point conversion sealed the game, but the Eagles also had a fourth-down stop near the goal line. They allowed 120 rushing yards to the top rushing offense in the NFL, but they were good enough when it mattered. Buffalo was just 6-for-15 on third down.

    “I think that’s just the character of our defense,” Phillips said. “We’re just sturdy, in any situation.

    “I think it doesn’t fluster us when things like this happen. I think that’s crucial. The moment you start panicking, good offenses are going to take advantage of it.”

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    Phillips credited the pass rush being disciplined in its rushing lanes with making sure Allen wasn’t able to beat the Eagles with his legs. Allen rushed seven times for 27 yards. He had one 17-yard rush and 10 yards on his other six attempts.

    “We got after him and made him one-dimensional,” Phillips said.

    Get after him, they did.

    Carter’s return had an instant impact. He had one of the five Eagles sacks and also deflected a pass. Jalyx Hunt had two sacks, and Moro Ojomo and Phillips each had one.

    The Bills wouldn’t have had a reason to go for two and the win if not for Carter’s earlier heroics. Allen’s 2-yard touchdown put the Bills on the board with more than five minutes left on the clock. But there was Carter leaping to block Michael Badgley’s point-after attempt. Nick Sirianni said the Eagles knew he had a lower trajectory. It was a similar story when Carter and Davis each blocked Joshua Karty in the fourth quarter of the Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

    Carter, like he did in September, credited assistant special teams coach Joe Pannunzio with identifying the opposing team’s “fish,” or the player to target. The fish, Carter said, was on his side of the line, and the Eagles made the Bills pay.

    Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) flexes at the Buffalo Bills offense late in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

    “I guess that shot really did its thing,” Carter joked about the shots he had in both of his shoulders that sidelined him for three games.

    Carter is back, and a defense that has returned to championship-level form appears to be more than ready for postseason football.

    “We’re getting better every week, every day,” Carter said. “I don’t want to throw that out there, Super Bowl this, Super Bowl that. We’re playing a game at a time. When we get to the playoffs it’s all restarted. Win or go home.”

    Said Phillips: “Gritty games like that are things you need to have to prepare yourself for the long haul.”

    In other words, to get through the storm, whatever it may look like.

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    The Eagles offense provided little help for its defense in the second half. That inconsistency may matter at some point, but it didn’t in the end on Sunday.

    “We say on defense, we want to have one more point than the other team,” Davis said. “It’s on us. Whether they score a billion or they score two. It doesn’t matter. We just want to go out there and have one more point than the other team, and we went out there and we did that.”

  • 25 years after Philly’s largest mass murder, a community reflects

    25 years after Philly’s largest mass murder, a community reflects

    Twenty-five years after Calvin Helton was killed in what remains the deadliest mass shooting in Philadelphia history, his mother, Veronica Conyers, feels frozen in time.

    Her son, forever 19 in the West Philly rowhouse where he was killed execution-style with six other people ranging from 15 to 54 years old. And Conyers, left to spend the years since fighting to keep his memory alive.

    “I’m not healed,” she said of losing her firstborn, who had dreamed of being a Navy SEAL. “I want everybody to know the truth behind this massacre.”

    These days, that truth is shared with anyone who will listen and at annual vigils that celebrate the victims’ lives. There are Samuel “Malik” Harris Jr., 15; Tyrone Long, 18; George “Jig” Porter, 18; Ronnette Abrams, 33; Edward Sudler, 44; and Alfred Goodwin, 54.

    Despite the notoriety of what came to be known as the Lex Street massacre, Conyers remains hurt by how the deaths never garnered protests, and how the interest in the homicides came in the form of sensational headlines.

    The shooting, after all, took place in a house known for drug activity during a turbulent period in the neighborhood, when residents complained of rampant drug dealing and concerns over safety.

    Coverage of the Lex St. Massacre in Jan. 2001.

    Conyers felt public sentiment regarding the homicide was sealed, doomed to be forgotten, once police and prosecutors attributed the shooting to a drug-turf dispute.

    It would later turn out the killings stemmed from a dispute over the trade of a car and a broken clutch. But Conyers felt the damage had been done by police and media reports.

    “They slandered my son’s name, saying he a kingpin and he was drug dealer,” she said, adding he was a good student and never gave her any trouble.

    Coverage of Lex St. case in 2002.

    The initial bungle in the investigation, which involved allegations of coerced confessions by police, also stunned legal minds at the time. Four men spent 18 months in jail and faced a possible death sentence, only for charges to begin to be dropped just as the first trial was set to begin. Those men would go on to successfully sue the city for $1.9 million over their imprisonment.

    Police arrested brothers Dawud Faruqi and Khalid Faruqi in late 2002, as well as Shihean Black and getaway driver Bruce Veney, in connection to the killings.

    In the various trials, it was revealed Black traded his Chevrolet Corsica for Porter’s Dodge Intrepid. But Porter blew the Corsica’s clutch, and when Black would not trade the cars back, Porter used his spare key and took back the Intrepid.

    Black found Porter on the 800 block of North Lex Street and an argument escalated into a shooting.

    Black pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and the brothers were convicted of seven counts of that charge. All three received seven consecutive life sentences. Veney, the getaway driver, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, receiving 15 to 30 years in prison.

    Tameka Porter, George’s sister, has led the vigils that take place every Dec. 28. She feels a lot of hurt from how public sentiment placed blame on the victims for being in that house.

    Coverage of the Lex Street massacre in 2002.

    “No one is at fault but the killers,” she said.

    Even so, Porter tries not to think about what people might say. “It doesn’t matter how he died or who did it, he’s gone.”

    Her brother and Helton were best friends, she said, recalling that both were smart and charming, and loved to flirt with girls. Her brother never got in trouble or was arrested for drugs, she said. That’s what she wants people to know.

    On Sunday, Porter held the annual vigil at the Lucien Blackwell Community Center. The neighborhood looks drastically different after a Philadelphia Housing Authority effort in the aughts to revitalize the area, building 18 new homes.

    It was an intimate affair, though it did not set out to be so.

    Porter and one of Helton’s cousins talked about how they wanted to celebrate all that the victims meant to them. Councilmember Jamie Gauthier echoed the sentiment.

    “Today is about honoring them,” she said. “It is about holding space for the survivors, and it is about standing with families and with our community members here in Mill Creek and across our city who continue to carry the weight of gun violence.”

    Conyers stayed quiet, holding back tears. She wore a sweatshirt that read “Lex St. Fallen Soldiers.” On it was the now-very faded photo of her son.