🦅 Changing the vibes | Sports Daily Newsletter

It has been 22 days since the Eagles last won a game. It has been a lot longer than that since they last felt good about their offense.

On the positive side, at 8-4, they can move a step closer to clinching the NFC East with a road victory this evening against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. Still, the Eagles are struggling and the vibes on the sideline reflect a team that is trying hard to correct its issues without success, Jeff Neiburg writes.

“Honestly I think it’s been awful,” Saquon Barkley said when asked what the sideline energy has been like. “I think if you asked anybody, if they’re being honest, we’ll all agree on that.” Maybe Barkley and the running game can lead the charge in changing those vibes.

And maybe the offense could finally get untracked if Jalen Hurts ran the ball more. Designed runs have become rarities for Hurts in his fifth season as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. He has gotten hurt both in and out of the pocket throughout his NFL career, which has caused him to miss games. The threat of injuries figures into the equation, but the offense gets a jolt when he runs the ball.

It’s unlikely the Eagles will suddenly have a high-powered offense at this late stage, Jeff McLane writes in his keys to the game. There is room for improvement and one way to address that is having Hurts run more.

The defense must get the job done without Jalen Carter, who is out after undergoing a medical procedure on both shoulders. Carter’s absence figures into the predictions from our writers on how things will pan out in California. Not everyone’s picking the Eagles, either.

How can the defense turn things around? The Eagles will need a huge game from edge rushers Nolan Smith, Jaelan Phillips, and Jalyx Hunt, David Murphy writes.

Here’s everything you need to know before Hurts and the Birds face Justin Herbert and the Chargers for the first time since 2021.

Maybe this completely different take on the game could calm the nerves of some Eagles fans: ESPN2 will offer a real-time animated broadcast of Eagles-Chargers set in the universe of Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. franchise. The alt-cast will use real-time player tracking data to place Barkley, Hurts, and the rest of the Eagles in the animated Monsters universe.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The Colorado Avalanche came into Xfinity Mobile Arena with an NHL-best 20-2-6 record, but the Flyers held their own Sunday in a 3-2 loss.

“Some people use games as measuring sticks, and I think we don’t need to do that anymore,” Travis Konecny said. “We’ve shown we can compete with the best teams, so why not start believing that we should be right there with them?”

There was a promising Paul George sighting for the Sixers in their victory over the Bucks on Friday night. George finished with 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in just under 30 minutes. Even after knee surgery and an injury-riddled first season as a Sixer, he has shown flashes of the player who became a perennial All-Star.

“I feel like myself again,” George said. “I believe I’m not done yet.”

On Sunday, George scored 12 points during the Sixers’ 112-108 loss to the Lakers. Beat reporter Keith Pompey provides his takeaways.

Villanova came up short in the first two iterations of the Big 5 Classic, but the Wildcats left no doubt as they closed the tournament’s tripleheader Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. They beat Penn, 90-63, in the finale and won their three Big 5 games by an average margin of 20 points.

Now they’ll take a big step up in competition. Next up for 7-1 Villanova is a showdown with unbeaten Michigan on Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. “We have a big test Tuesday because I think, by far, they’re playing the best basketball in the country,” Wildcats coach Kevin Willard said.

The loss to ’Nova was a costly one for Penn, as star forward Ethan Roberts was taken to the hospital after leaving the game with a injury.

On the women’s side, Villanova earned the Big 5 championship with a 76-70 win against St. Joseph’s behind 21 points from Brynn McCurry.

Penn State will close a tumultuous season with a date against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. The Dec. 27 game at Yankee Stadium will close a chapter on Nittany Lions football before new coach Matt Campbell takes over. Clemson (7-5, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has seen its own ups and downs this season, but the Tigers won six of their last eight games to earn bowl eligibility.

In the Football Championship Subdivision, Villanova advanced to the quarterfinals with a 14-7 upset of Lehigh.

Live from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.: Beat writers Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner will preview tonight’s Eagles game against the Los Angeles Chargers at 6:45 p.m. Tune in to Gameday Central.

Dec. 8, 1987: Flyers rookie Ron Hextall became the first NHL goaltender to score a goal. Hextall scored an empty-netter in a 5-2 victory against the Boston Bruins at the Spectrum.

Now that the drop-off in Jalen Carter’s play in 2025 compared with 2024 has been explained by his deteriorating shoulders, the responsibility for a late-season surge falls more squarely on the shoulders of embattled quarterback Jalen Hurts.

He’s got to throw better passes. He’s got to run the offense more efficiently. He’s got to start using his legs as a weapon, because the main weapon on defense is gone.

Hurts has been a problem all season. Hurts can turn that narrative around Monday night, and beyond.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, David Murphy, Owen Hewitt, Jackie Spiegel, Keith Pompey, Marcus Hayes, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Greg Finberg, Dylan Johnson, and Katie Lewis.

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.

Thank you for reading Sports Daily. I’ll see you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim