🦅 What defense? | Sports Daily Newsletter

At first, it was a shootout, but the Eagles got little help from their defense, and eventually, the offense folded on Monday night.

Fans at Lincoln Financial Field headed toward the exits after running back Javonte Williams extended the Cowboys lead with a late fourth-quarter touchdown, which would eventually seal a 38–21 defeat.

Williams ran all over the Eagles. He finished with a career-high 155 rushing yards, while the Birds defense conceded a season-high 416 net yards to Dak Prescott and Co.

The Eagles have now dropped five straight games.

Quarterback Tanner McKee got off on a high note. He moved the ball well and took advantage of the Cowboys’ mistakes in the first half. He finished the night throwing 23-for-35 for 211 yards and a touchdown. Jeff McLane suggest maybe the 26-year-old should be on a short leash after his performance.

Saquon Barkley, in his first game back from injury, came out explosive. He added a 29-yard gain on the second play of the Eagles’ opening possession. However, immediately after, he pulled up on the sideline and wasn’t quite the same afterward.

The Eagles haven’t lost five straight games since 2016. Columnist Marcus Hayes questions if this is a disaster that could spell the beginning of the end of the Nick Sirianni era.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Tim Mayza signed a minor-league contract in January, went to spring training as a nonroster invitee, made the team out of camp with a restructured contract, and was the only reliever to remain on the Phillies’ active roster from opening day through the postseason.

It was one of most under-the-radar Phillies stories of 2026. The veteran lefty, who grew up in Lancaster County, joined Scott Lauber on The Inquirer’s baseball podcast to discuss his strong season.

Also, the Phillies intend to hire Peter Fatse as their hitting coach. Fatse was Alex Cora’s hitting coach with the Red Sox from 2022 through April 2026.

👏 Applauding: Tyrese Maxey was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after he emerged as the star through the first four games of the season.

👀 Seeing: During the Eagles-Cowboys game, it was announced that Jay-Z will headline the Super Bowl LXI halftime show.

🏈 Learning: K.C. Keeler is ‘trying to restart’ in Week 9. Will a new defensive voice and potential reinforcement be the answer?

💚 Highlighting: Students from Philly to Texas wrote get-well letters to Jalen Hurts to express their love and appreciation for the Eagles QB1

Hunter McDonald has made his presence felt. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound defenseman made two big — and clean — hits to go along with his total of 12 through three games. The 24-year-old is quietly building a reputation around the league as a heavy hitter. Although, he’s also been on the receiving end of a few heavy blows.

In other news, Rasmus Ristolainen is out for two weeks after reaggravating an upper-body injury.

And we’re 13 games into the Flyers’ season, which means it’s time to open up the mailbag. Jackie Spiegel answers your questions about the Flyers’ start to the season.

Nick Nurse did not sugarcoat the center conundrum facing the Sixers in Sunday night’s matchup against Detroit. Joel Embiid sat out to manage his health on the second night of a back-to-back. Dominick Barlow is still sidelined with a back issue, and Jabari Walker was a new addition to the injury report with knee soreness. “We’ve only got about three guys left,” Nurse said after a 106-93 defeat to Detroit. “This is what we’ve got.”

A backup center — and spot-starter when Embiid rests — could already be viewed as this loaded roster’s weakest entering the season, writes Gina Mizell.

The team’s halfcourt offense is also a work in progress. LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey believe that side of the game will improve as they learn individual tendencies of their new teammates.

Downingtown East’s Abraham Sesay is a 6-foot-5, 215-pound five-star edge rusher who is ranked as the No. 3 football recruit in Pennsylvania and No. 25 nationally. The star athlete received 36 scholarship offers. While he wants “a lot out of football,” he’s also committed to school and wants a great education.

Sesay, known as someone with charismatic energy of making those around him “a better person,” is heading to Notre Dame next fall.

We asked: What are your Eagles vs. Cowboys predictions? Among your responses:

In other years, this would be a marquee matchup for prime time. This year, it’s more like a Marx Brothers comedy of errors — except the joke is on the fans. Two relatively inept 2-4 teams trying to exercise damage control doesn’t yield good football. The Cowboys will be playing with house money: the road team wins maybe 43% of the time on Monday night. On the other hand the Eagles are playing their most hated rival at home and in prime time, so the pressure is definitely on them. It’s not a case of which team performs better. It’s which team makes fewer unforced errors and takes fewer penalties in a game that will be difficult to watch. Hoping for the Eagles to somehow put together an effort with duct tape and baling wire that allows Jake Elliott to kick the winner as time expires, 16-14. But don’t bet more than a 20 oz. Wawa coffee on that. — John B.

Based on what we have seen so far it would be very difficult to be overoptimistic and pick our Birds to win, but let’s hope for the best. Cowboys 24 Eagles 20. — Everett S.

It doesn’t matter what is going on in the outside world — the week when the Eagles play the Cowboys is always a thrill. Even at times when the Eagles were a mediocre franchise and Dallas was a powerhouse — the chance of Philly winning this game was like a playoff victory in January. Although the Eagles will fly to Dallas on Thanksgiving — the experience in South Philly at home and in-front of thousands of Eagles faithful — is an annual treat. — Michael L.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Scott Lauber, Chris Hine, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Ariel Simpson, DeAntae Prince, Faiyaad Kamal, Mia Messina, and Lauren Jones.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That’s it for me this week. Happy Halloween! Kerith will be in your inbox with Wednesday’s newsletter. — Bella