The countdown is on | Sports Daily Newsletter

Good news: The NFL preseason is over.

Bad news: The regular season is still over a week away. (The Super Bowl also happens to land on Valentine’s Day, but that could be a good thing for you.)

OK, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here, though it’s not too early to plan that romantic spread of … wings and beer? But before that, we’ve got a regular season to contest. And two games are of particular note.

In recent seasons, the Eagles’ performance against the Dallas Cowboys has been a barometer for how their season will go. In 2023, a 20-point loss spelled trouble. In 2024, they outscored Dallas, 75-13. Need I remind you of how that season ended?

Cowboys week always carries a little more weight. And as we wait for the 2026 season to kick off for real, David Murphy dives into just how much those games matter.

— Maria McIlwain, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Makai Lemon didn’t make waves at OTAs. Then he dealt with injuries throughout camp and struggled in his lone preseason game.

But don’t hit the panic button just yet. His coaches sure aren’t.

“It’s really just timing,” wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead said. “That’s really the big thing is this timing and getting on the same page with everybody and making sure that they’re kind of pressing forward.”

Lemon may be in the dawn of his career, but some of his teammates are in their prime. And eight of them, including quarterback Jalen Hurts, landed in ESPN’s ranking of the top 100 NFL players.

Next: Preseason games are over, the initial 53-man roster is set, and now the wait is on for the season opener. The regular season kicks off vs. the Washington Commanders on Sept. 13 (4:25 p.m., Fox29).

After a blazing August, Bryce Harper stayed red-hot on the first day of September.

The Phillies right fielder posted a .333 batting average and 1.069 OPS last month, and kept things rolling on Tuesday with a 4-for-4 game against the Diamondbacks in the team’s 7-1 win. Harper’s big night gave the Phillies their sixth win in a row and sole possession of the National League’s top wild card spot.

Next: Day baseball? Day baseball. The Phillies wrap up their series in Arizona with a matinee today (3:40 p.m., NBCSP). Andrew Painter (3-8, 5-95 ERA) will face a Diamondbacks starter to be determined.

On Christmas mornings while growing up in Northeast Ohio, Matt and Scott Campbell had a yearly tradition.

Most kids got hyped up for presents, but the Campbells’ priority was getting in a game of football, even in the snow.

Scott “never won these games.”

What started in an Ohio yard gave rise to a life dedicated to football, one full of wins on and off the field as Matt Campbell went from Division III star at Mount Union (yes, that Mount Union that produced Eagles coach Nick Sirianni) to history-making coach at Toledo and Iowa State. Now, it’s time for the biggest stage of his career as head coach at Penn State.

Next: Penn State opens its season, the first of the Campbell era, vs. Marshall on Saturday (3:30 p.m., FS1).

It might not feel like it yet, but the 76ers’ season is right around the corner. Training camp opens Sept. 29, and the Sixers have started to prepare. They added three new players on Exhibit 10 deals, including Jameer Nelson Jr., the son of executive vice president of basketball operations Jameer Nelson. Saint Thomas and Tacko Fall, who previously played with Jaylen Brown in Boston, round out the newest Sixers faces.

This has been a summer of reinforcements for the Sixers, who created quite a splash when they added Brown, LeBron James, Anfernee Simons, Dean Wade and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Inquirer learned a little more about Caldwell-Pope, as beat reporter Gina Mizell got intel from an Orlando Magic beat writer who covered the new Sixer. Unfortunately, we also learned that Caldwell-Pope’s new apartment in Philly flooded after being hit by lightning.

How many NFL teams kept four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man rosters this year?

Answer: B: 4. The Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Eagles have four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man rosters.

We asked: Would you rather see the Phillies win the division or stay in the wild card series to avoid rust?

Win the division; playing the Cubs in the wild card is no gimme. — Richard V.

The Phillies need to win the NL East to have any real meaningful opportunity at another World Series. The opportunity to have additional rest and a higher seed for this team isn’t just preferable — it’s essential. — Michael L.

Definitely win the division. Overtaking the Braves this late in the season will bring with it a ton of momentum and confidence that will make the Phillies a nightmare for any opponent in the playoffs. No team will want to play them resulting in a huge mental advantage for the Phillies. — Bob A.

Don’t want any parts of a wild card series. Way too many things can happen and they are all bad. At least if you lose a couple games in a divisional series, you’re still in it. — Ronald R.

Normally I think rest is better for any team that knows what it’s doing — but this rare stretch of the Phils bats en masse being sensible and flexible at the plate feels so precious that, well, I guess yeah in fact I worry about them forgetting how they’re doing it. Still, the fun of yoinking the division from Atlanta in the final stretch would be worth it in itself. — D. Stone

My preference is always to win the division. Home games are so valuable! Given the Brewers and Dodgers are likely the top two seeds, the winner of the East will play in the best of three wild card round. Let’s push for the Division crown and gear up the Bank! Bob C.

I don’t think the Phillies will have a choice. As much as I would like to see them win the division I do not think they will overhaul the Braves. This upcoming series will for sure give us a clearer picture one way or the other. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from David Murphy, Ryan Novozinsky, Lauren Jones, Lochlahn March, Devin Jackson, Gabriela Carroll, Gina Mizell, and Chris Hine.

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That’s it for today! Thanks for reading along. I’ll be back tomorrow for some day baseball and more of the best from Philly sports. — Maria