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.
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: 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.
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
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:
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.
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.
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).
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
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.”
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.
OKLAHOMA CITY — The 76ers must solve their third-quarter problem.
They also need to take better care of the ball.
And with the schedule getting tougher, the Sixers look like they blew golden opportunities to get much-needed victories against the struggling Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls.
These things stood out in Sunday’s 129-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center.
Another third-quarter struggle
The Sixers (16-14) are now riding their first three-game losing streak of the season. But for a half, they appeared capable of beating the defending NBA champion Thunder, who have the league’s best record (27-5).
The teams played through six lead changes and 12 ties before Oklahoma City took a 64-62 advantage into the intermission. Afterward, the Thunder ramped up their defense, taking the ball out of hands of Tyrese Maxey, who had 23 points on 8-for-10 shooting in the first half. The Sixers point guard was held scoreless on 0-for-3 shooting in the third quarter, while the Sixers were outscored 38-24. Maxey added five points in the fourth to finish with a team-high 28 points on 10-for-18 shooting — including missing five of seven three-pointers — to go with five assists and a game-high four steals.
But the damage was done in the third quarter as the Thunder stretched a two-point lead into an 18-point cushion. They extended their lead to 27 in the fourth.
Tyrese Maxey (left) had 23 of his 28 points in the first half to lead the Sixers in scoring.
“The last game [against the Bulls], I was really aggressive in the third, which kind of helped us a little bit,” Maxey said. “Tonight, I got in the paint and passed a few times, like they were collapsing. But you know, Joel [Embiid] was on me, third quarters you got to go out there and go for it every single time. I’m going to try to do that.”
But in Maxey’s defense, he made the right plays. He just didn’t get a lot of help.
Turnover woes
The Sixers were also doomed by turning the ball over.
They committed eight that turned into 14 points for the Thunder in the third quarter. And 14 of their 23 turnovers came in the second half.
“Just the whole second half was we were playing, obviously, the big amount of turnovers put us in trouble, getting our defense set up,” coach Nick Nurse said. “It’s obvious zero points per chance on 14 turnovers. It’s just way too many. I told the guys, the No. 1 key to the game. And a few of them, were like they are going to guard, they are going to pressure, they are going to deny, you know that. But there’s a good 10 of those are just our fault that we just didn’t make a strong enough play or the right read or whatever.”
Beating the Thunder was always going to be a tough task for the Sixers. But now, they take their longest losing streak of the season into Tuesday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
The Grizzlies were 15-16 heading into Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards. Memphis had won six of their last nine contests.
As a result, the Sixers are preparing for a tough test. Then their final two games of the road trip are against the Dallas Mavericks (Thursday) and the New York Knicks (Saturday) before hosting the Denver Nuggets (Jan. 5).
Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (right) had a game-high 29 points against the Sixers.
With that, the Sixers could be in a downward spiral on the heels of blown opportunities in losses to the Nets (on Tuesday) and Bulls (on Friday).
“I don’t really look at it in any of those ways,” Nurse said. “I mean, I thought we played well enough in Chicago to win. Just needed to play a little bit better down the stretch. Brooklyn, we didn’t play well enough to win. They had a big night. They continued that.
“I don’t think that who we’re playing and who we played matters that much, because certain teams get in hot streaks. Doesn’t really matter what their records are.”
Nurse added that teams with good records don’t always play well, either.
“So we just got to play what’s in front of us,” he said, “and try to bounce back.”
The Eagles pulled out a nail-biter in the rain in Buffalo, stopping the Bills’ final two-point conversion attempt to stave off a comeback and win, 13-12.
Here’s everything you might have missed from the broadcast:
Weather woes?
It poured all through Sunday’s game in Orchard Park, N.Y. Bills quarterback Josh Allen told sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi pregame that he’d actually rather it pour than drizzle.
“Drizzle is harder to control,” Rinaldi said. “He said if it’s going to rain, let it rain. I find the ball more tacky, and it’s easier to control the pass game.”
Analyst Tom Brady, for his part, shared that back when he was an NFL QB, he downloaded basically every weather app on his phone and checked Weather Channel “about 75 times a day” before a start, so he’d know how to prepare.
Fox got a ton of mileage out of shots of just how hard it was raining.
After the kickoff, the Birds took a 5-yard illegal formation penalty on the opening play because offensive lineman Fred Johnson came on the field for the first drive sans helmet.
“Then you have Fred Johnson, who went on the field without a helmet somehow,” play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt said.
“Felt the raindrops on his head and realized he made a mistake,” Brady said jokingly.
Facing Vic Fangio
Over the course of his decades-long NFL career, Brady faced Vic Fangio’s defenses a few times.
With the Eagles on pace for another elite season under Fangio, Brady shared his personal reaction to their defensive coordinator.
“Vic Fangio is the type of coordinator where, when you know you’re going up against him you go, ‘Ugh. Do we have to?’” Brady joked. “Such a talented coach; he’s been doing this for four decades. Pretty remarkable, his success.”
Bills running back James Cook is having the best year of his career, and entered Sunday’s game leading the NFL in rushing yards for the first time.
Barkley sent Cook a message on Instagram telling him to “go finish it,” and claim the NFL rushing title. But Barkley told sideline reporter Erin Andrews that he’s still extremely competitive and was looking to outplay Cook on Sunday.
He put up 68 yards on 19 carries, compared to Cook’s 74 yards on 20 carries.
Brady vs. Buffalo
There’s no love lost between Brady, a longtime New England Patriot, and the Bills fan base, which was at his mercy for nearly two decades. Even now, when Brady comes to Buffalo, he brings former teammate Rob Gronkowski, who’s from the Buffalo area, with him to serve as a bit of a human shield.
The former quarterback didn’t get a warm welcome on Sunday at Highmark Stadium, though.
“Warm embrace, a lot of people, that one-finger salute they were giving me as I looked down from the press box, reminding me how much they enjoyed me coming to town, I guess,” Brady said.
🤣 @TomBrady says he got a "warm" embrace from Bills fans today as they gave him a "one finger salute"
The Birds’ first turnover of the game came off a fumble by Allen that almost got ruled an incomplete forward pass.
With Brady on the call, you may have thought he would broach the subject. He’s famous for the controversial tuck rule play in an AFC divisional-round game during the 2001 season, in which he avoided a fumble because of his forward arm motion.
Unfortunately, he did not broach the subject. Rules expert Dean Blandino did, though.
“It was really close; I think that’s why they let it stand,” Blandino said. “To me, it looks like a pass because once that hand comes forward, until he brings it back toward his body, you know the old tuck rule, Tom, it remains a pass. They probably said it was too close to change.”
Mewing?
Bills coach Sean McDermott is from Lansdale and got his coaching start as an intern with the Birds under Andy Reid. In some ways, he and Nick Sirianni swapped places. Sirianni grew up in Jamestown, N.Y., in far Western New York.
“We knew he was a wideout at Mount Union when he went to college,” Burkhardt said. “How about Southwestern Central High, in Jamestown? Look at him, looking lean and mean.”
Tom, you’re in your 40s, you shouldn’t know what mewing is. But for those of you who don’t know, it’s a facial expression that’s become a popular TikTok trend.
The two-point conversion
The Bills battled all the way back in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns, including one in the final five seconds. McDermott elected to go for two to effectively end the game, and Allen’s pass missed receiver Khalil Shakir by several yards. Fox caught him looking visibly frustrated after the miss.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — O’Cyrus Torrence is a large human being. At 347 pounds, he is the heaviest member of the Bills offensive line and the roster as a whole. He is the kind of man who eats turkey wings instead of chicken wings, and even then he does so only after he has first rolled them in flour and fried them in oil and doused them in melted butter. In fact, Torrence recently did all of these things in a handy how-to video he recently posted to Instagram. His smothered turkey wings look like quite the treat, at least for anybody who expects to have easy access to indoor plumbing for the rest of the night.
Bear with me, Eagles fans. There is a relevant point in all of this. See, Torrence isn’t just the heaviest man on the Bills offensive line, or the heaviest on its roster. He also happens to be 33 pounds heavier than the man who, late in the second quarter of the Eagles’ 13-12 victory over the Bills on Sunday, pushed him 5 yards into his own backfield and then tossed him aside the way a baggage handler might a memory foam pillow. The resulting sack of Josh Allen was a big play for the Eagles in the sense that it forced the Bills into a third-and-18. Much bigger was what it signified. Jalen Carter is back, and the Eagles once again have a defense that can win a Super Bowl on its own.
“You guys see what he does for us,” said defensive end Jaelan Phillips, who added a sack for an Eagles defense that racked up five total. “He had a blocked extra point that basically won us the game, if you think about it. I thought that in his absence, we did a great job, but having him back is key. It’s huge.”
As Phillips noted, Carter and the Eagles defense had their fingerprints all over this one, right down to the blocked extra point with 5 minutes, 11 seconds remaining that left the Bills needing a two-point conversion to win after another Allen touchdown run with five seconds left. Until that frantic ending, which featured two touchdown drives totaling 137 yards, Vic Fangio’s unit looked plenty capable of winning three straight playoff games on its own. The Eagles battered Allen in the pocket and held James Cook, the NFL’s leading rusher, to 74 mostly harmless yards on 20 carries. For 55 minutes, a second shutout in three games looked like a distinct possibility, this time against a team that entered the weekend with the third-best odds to win the Super Bowl.
We can’t ignore the fact that the Eagles again came way too close to losing a game. In this case, they came within 2 yards, after Allen’s frantic last-minute touchdown drive ended with a missed two-point conversion. The greatest testament to the strength of the Eagles defense is just how bad their offense looked. All of the usual criticisms applied. The quarterback was adequate, at best, if you squinted. The running game wasn’t good enough to make up for it. The result was an offense that looked about as dynamic as a truck stuck in mud. The Eagles mustered just 190 total yards, 16 of them in the second half. Rarely do you watch them and think, Wow, this is an enjoyable thing to watch. That will be a difficult way to go through the postseason.
What warrants reconsideration is the conclusion that many folks have drawn. As lackluster as the offense has looked, as underwhelming as Jalen Hurts has played, the Eagles have a good enough defense to make them one of the small handful of teams that will have an even-or-better chance against any other team in the playoff field. Say what you will about the Rams or the Seahawks or the 49ers. The Eagles have as good a chance as any of them. Maybe even better.
“You’ve got to give yourself points when you win football games,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “There’s always things to clean up when you come out of a football game. But when you come out of a football game that you win on the road in a hostile environment against a really good football team that’s had the sustained success that we have, if you come out of this and think about all the negative things, that makes for a miserable existence. We’ll get there.”
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter sacks Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen during the second quarter.
With this defense, the Eagles may only need an offense that is on the lower end of functional. That’s what we saw against the Bills. Same as we saw against the Lions, and the Packers, and the Chargers. Against a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback, in a playoff-caliber environment, the Eagles defense was the best unit on the field for all but the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. The Bills gained just 12 first downs on their first nine possessions and did not score a point before Allen capped their last two drives of the game with short touchdown runs.
The story of the game was Carter, who returned after a four-game absence because of procedures on both shoulders. The third-year defensive tackle said earlier this week that he’d previously been in so much pain that he could not do a pushup. Against the Bills he looked as strong as anybody … not only with his manhandling of Torrence on his sack of Allen, but also on the blocked extra point that proved to be the difference in the game.
It’s funny how he always looks like the biggest player on the field, even when he isn’t. On a unit that is brimming with talent around him, Carter’s presence makes the Eagles the caliber of unit that can win a Super Bowl on its own.
