Dinged-up on ‘D’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

We are looking ahead, Eagles fans, and trying to look past that 40-0 beating that the hated Cowboys put on the Giants on Sunday night (but we digress.).

And Eagles fans must look ahead quickly. The home opener against the Minnesota Vikings is fast approaching (8:15 p.m. Thursday, Prime Video, Fox29), and the Birds’ defense is dinged-up already.

The big news, of course, is that linebacker Nakobe Dean is expected to be sidelined for several weeks with a foot injury he suffered in the opening win against the Patriots. Another blow: Cornerback James Bradberry has been placed in concussion protocol, coach Nick Sirianni said.

Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox took a shot to the ribs in the opener, but an MRI exam determined that he should be fine. Still, rib injuries can be painful to perform with, especially when a 300-pound blocker is pounding into you play after play.

Even with the injuries, though, it’s worth remembering that the 0-1 Vikings will be the opponent. The early betting line has the Eagles favored by 7.5 points.

— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Rookie Jalen Carter recorded a sack and six pressures Sunday while fellow defensive tackle Jordan Davis had a half-sack and forced a fumble. The two Georgia products played key roles in the season-opening win at New England. With Carter looking dominant in one-on-one matchups and Davis changing the game, they’re living up to the hype.

On offense, though, enough issues crept up that it was obvious that there’s reason for concern. The Eagles have a new play-caller in Brian Johnson, and it could take some time to adjust. Jalen Hurts didn’t have a great game. The offensive line didn’t play particularly well. The Eagles have a lot to clean up in time for Thursday Night Football.

Next: Today’s the first full day when the documentary “Kelce” can be streamed on Prime Video.

A.J. Brown is a fierce competitor; brash at times, and clearly one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Off the field, family, friends, and mentors see another side of the Pro Bowler. To them, he’s “Jay,” the mellow, somewhat introverted, humble kid from Starkville, Miss.

On the Season Two premiere of unCovering the Birds, take a trip down to Mississippi with The Inquirer’s Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane, as he learns more about the people and places that shaped one of the most important members of the team’s roster. Listen here.

Two of baseball’s highest-scoring offenses swapped haymakers Monday at Citizens Bank Park, splitting a doubleheader. The Atlanta Braves won by day, 10-8 in 10 innings, even though Bryce Harper banged a game-tying two-run homer in the ninth. The Phillies won the nightcap, 7-5, on the strength of a four-run first-inning.

Atlanta will enter October with an offense that might be the best in modern baseball history. The Phillies don’t have the pitching right now to deal with it, David Murphy writes.

In 10 starts since the All-Star break, Taijuan Walker has a 4.79 ERA — not a good sign for the Phillies as the postseason approaches.

Next: Zack Wheeler (11-6, 3.49 ERA) and the Phillies host Max Fried (7-1, 2.70) and the Braves on Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. (NBCSP).

We have good news for Flyers fans unhappy with Matvei Michkov’s situation with SKA St. Petersburg.

On Monday, SKA loaned Michkov, who had played in only one of the team’s first four games, to Sochi, also of the KHL. Michkov, 18, should see regular ice time with Sochi, where he starred last season while on loan (20 points in 27 games).

The loan move is also likely music to the Flyers’ ears, as the best thing for Michkov’s development is for him to be playing and not sitting in the stands as a healthy scratch.

While Michkov won’t be among them, several of the Flyers top prospects will report to Voorhees on Thursday for the beginning of rookie camp. Those players include Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Emil Andrae, all of whom will be pushing to make the opening-night roster next month.

NBC Sports Philly also announced its replacement for Keith Jones on Monday. Former Flyers goalie Brian Boucher will take over for Jones, who is now the team’s president of hockey operations, and serve as the Flyers’ new color commentator alongside Jim Jackson.

The NBA has for years searched for ways to solve its load management problem but stopped short of adding concrete rules. That could soon change as the league’s competition committee considers a restriction that would dictate that teams steer clear of resting two stars on the same night. How would that impact the Sixers? With Joel Embiid and James Harden aging and Nick Nurse associated with Kawhi Leonard’s resting system as a member of the Toronto Raptors, there could be a profound effect. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell takes a closer look.

Who was the last Eagles coach to win the Associated Press NFL coach of the year award? No Googling! First with the correct response here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Doug Pederson

B) Ray Rhodes

C) Andy Reid

D) Buddy Ryan

We asked you: What’s the Eagles’ biggest area for improvement after their opening win? Among your responses:

Coaching, coaching, coaching! From the head coach, to the O coordinator, to the D coordinator! — Bill R.

Need better decision on running backs. Defense needs to improve on stopping the run. Special teams need to improve. Jalen Hurts needs to get the tight ends involved more. — Chester W.

The Eagles need more consistency and better performance from the offense. They played great in the first quarter then it all slacked off from there. Have to not turn over the ball as well. Thank God for Jake Elliott. He’s the sole reason we got any points in the second half. — Kathy T.

Room for improvement? The team. Nuff said. — Sgt. B.

Hurts needs to have more time to envision the field for open receivers, and target the guy who’s open. — Tim S.

What needs the most improvement is the offensive play calling. Whether it was the offense that had not played together since last year, or a new offensive play caller, never did it have the feel of the up-tempo games we watched in the exciting 2022 season. The entire game had a lackluster feel about it, and not the sense of a team coming off a near-championship season. The high point of the game was the collective gasp of relief that was heard when the replay showed that the Pats receiver had not gotten two feet down on the sideline throw in their final drive. The Eagles were beaten in all aspects of the game except the scoreboard. They should all be forced to watch a game replay several times to scare the daylights out of them. — John W.

Play calling. — Richard V.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, Giana Han, David Murphy, Marcus Hayes, Devin Jackson, Josh Tolentino, and Rymir Vaughn.