D-liverance | Sports Daily Newsletter

At one point in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl rematch Monday night, Jalen Hurts had 69 yards passing.

NFL teams should know by now, though: You cannot count him out until the final gun. Hurts completed a 41-yard bomb to DeVonta Smith, then Tush-Pushed his way to the decisive touchdown and the Eagles held on. They are 9-1 now after a 21-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The game was not Hurts’ finest hour, to be sure. He passed for only 150 yards and had a 64.6 passer rating, but the Eagles defense picked up the offense in a big way. The Birds shut out the Chiefs in the second half and forced Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce turnovers that turned the tide.

Taylor Swift, still in Rio, had to miss this game. Lucky her, writes Marcus Hayes: She didn’t have to smell the stench of the NFL’s two best teams playing an exquisitely horrid brand of football.

Not surprisingly, the Eagles defense came away with good grades from Jeff McLane.

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

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Sure, that seven-year, $172 million contract is nice for Aaron Nola. So is being comfortable with where you live. Nola said Monday that remaining in Philadelphia was a big factor in his decision to re-sign as a free agent with the Phillies.

“A big part of free agency is family, right?” Nola said. “It’s the importance of where you’re going to be, if you have to pack up your stuff and go somewhere that you’ve never been or that you never expected. Luckily we’re back here. We know what we’re getting back into.”

Maybe the Phillies aren’t done spending on pitching just yet. Japan’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto is officially on the MLB market and the Phils are expected to make a pitch for his services.

Chase Utley is joining Phillies double-play partner Jimmy Rollins on the ballot for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Practice performances rarely make the news, but Kelly Oubre Jr.’s appearance at the 76ers practice facility was a major storyline in Philly. Oubre, who has missed time after suffering a broken rib, was the victim in a hit-and-run accident as he crossed a Center City intersection. Thought to be out for significant time, he was capable of going through conditioning and shooting drills on Monday. It was an important “first step” in his recovery, head coach Nick Nurse said.

Next: The Sixers play the Cleveland Cavaliers in an In-Season Tournament game at the Wells Fargo Center at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (TNT).

Don’t look now, but the Flyers have won five straight games and sit at 10-7-1 as we approach the quarter mark of the season.

What’s behind the team’s hot start? A lot of it comes down to the team’s buy-in under John Tortorella. Here are five keys behind the Flyers’ surprisingly promising start.

Next: The Flyers will look to make it six in a row Wednesday on Long Island against the Islanders (7:30 p.m., NBCSP).

The Union will have waited 17 days between playoff games by the time Saturday’s quarterfinal at FC Cincinnati arrives.

But while the long wait and lack of momentum is a bit of a buzz kill, it may have helped at least one member of the Union. That player is striker Julián Carranza, who injured his hamstring in the first game of the Union’s playoff series against the New England Revolution. Carranza is back fully healthy and ready to roll Saturday in Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, it was a big day for the United States national teams as the women’s latest roster was released while GM Matt Crocker also addressed the media on the Emma Hayes hire.

The U.S. men’s team lost, 2-1, at Trinidad & Tobago but won the series on aggregate, 4-2. That advanced the Americans to the Nations League final four in March, and to next summer’s Copa América.

Next: The Union will play FC Cincinnati on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the MLS Cup semifinals (8 p.m., Apple TV).

I was a first-round draft pick who played for both the Eagles and Chiefs. Who am I? First with the correct response will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Nick Foles

B) Jeremy Maclin

C) LeSean McCoy

D) Terrell Owens

We asked you: Did the Phillies make the right move signing Aaron Nola to a long-term deal? Among your responses:

The Phillies really had no choice if they wanted to stay competitive for the near term. Nola is a proven performer. I give him 3 more good years. “And then the deluge” (of losses). The clock is ticking ... — Karl Z.

Is Nola signing good? You bet! It comes down to some pretty straightforward analytics and math, plus whether one expects Nola to fade and by how much. My conclusion has to do with the question “How much is a WAR worth?” (Answer: roughly $8M for a FA). Nola, since he joined the rotation, has produced roughly 4.8 fWAR per year. At this contract AAV, Nola would have to produce less than 3 WAR per year average over the life of the contract for it to NOT be worthwhile. He’s going to BLOW AWAY 3 WAR/yr! GREAT deal for the Phils! — Marty M.

I think they made the right decision. Phillies are a pretty tight group now focused on getting back to the World Series. Aaron has been a big part of this team and it would have really hurt to lose him. Tough job for GMs and owners in this contemporary baseball world. Back in the beginning days of my time a Branch Rickey would tell a player to sign what I am offering you or I will trade you to the St. Louis Browns. Now all outstanding players are multimillionaires and generally have multiple options when their contracts expire. — Everett S.

Back in August you asked the question " at what price would you resign Nola”? I said then, I would give him 22- 24M per year for 3 years. The Phillies signed him for a little over 24M/year but it is for 7 years. The length of this contract bothers me, as he will be 37 at the end of the contract. I understand that the extra years kept the amount per year down, and it was probably the only way they could get him signed, but the length of the contract is troublesome. If Nola can continue to be the workhorse he has been throughout his career over the next 7 years, the contract will have been a great deal. Only time will tell! — Bill R.

They should have gone with a younger, cheaper option at pitcher. They should have made a deal with the Angels for Mike Trout, heavy on the cash so the Angels could hold on to their other superstar. — Ken E.

Kenny Gainwell has a routine. Check the phone at halftime, send a text to his parents or girlfriend, get ready for the second half. But during the Eagles’ Oct. 29 game at Washington, he made the mistake of engaging with a frustrated fan who sent him a direct message. After the game, a screenshot of the exchange went public, and Gainwell and the Eagles had a mess on their hands. The incident, however, revived a conversation in sports: Is social media good for professional athletes? Is it worth it? Inquirer Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane posed these questions to the Eagles’ locker room in our latest episode of UnCovering the Birds. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from EJ Smith, Marcus Hayes, Jeff McLane, Scott Lauber, Keith Pompey, Matt Breen, Gustav Elvin, Mia Messina, Jonathan Tannenwald, and Max Dinenberg.

What a finish for the Eagles, eh? Maria will be back at the newsletter controls on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, brace yourself for a Sixers game tonight with that irritating red court. — Jim

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