🦅Groundhog Day | Sports Daily Newsletter
New quarterback, same bad offense for the Eagles.
For seven straight weeks, Eagles fans seemingly have been treated to the same movie on repeat.
The Birds’ skid continued, this time with a loss to the New York Giants. Even with Joe Milton inserted into the lineup at quarterback and the Eagles donning their kelly green jerseys, their offensive issues persisted in their seventh straight loss.
Milton postgame expressed gratitude for the opportunity to start in the NFL. What did he think of his performance?
“There are a lot of things that I can clean up as far as protection, just helping those guys out with protection. That’s something that we’re going to get better [at] this week coming up for sure,” Milton said.
Though Vic Fangio’s unit had a better overall showing than recent performances, the secondary continued to allow big plays. Jeff McLane shares his grades — and they’re not pretty.
It certainly feels like Groundhog Day in Philly. No matter who’s out there, the result continues to be the same for Nick Sirianni’s team.
With the trade deadline on Tuesday, perhaps several players will be receiving a change of scenery ahead of the Eagles’ bye week. Jeff Neiburg gets you prepared for which familiar faces might still be on the roster by next week.
— Devin Jackson, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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❓If you could make a change during the Eagles’ bye week, what would it be and why? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
LeBron James has taken on a facilitator role in the Sixers’ offense early in the season, but after a blowout loss to the Cavaliers on Friday — his worst performance of the season — the NBA legend took matters into his own hands.
James scored a season-high 22 points to help jump-start the Sixers’ offense in a six-point win over the Bulls on Sunday. Tyrese Maxey added 27 points, Jaylen Brown added 29, and James made history in the process with an early three-pointer.
Speaking of Brown, his old team, the Celtics, come to town on Tuesday. Does Brown plan on speaking to his former teammate and costar, Jayson Tatum?
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Brown said postgame on Sunday. “I mean, he’s on his side, I’m on my side, playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win, so it’s nothing to talk about. Just check the ball up.”
What we’re …
🙏Wishing: The best for Penn men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffrey’s son, Jack, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
🍺Highlighting: Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast tailgate, which featured mac and cheese samples and sumo wrestling.
📖Reading: Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski’s exclusive excerpt from his new book, Going the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of ROCKY.
🎉Celebrating: The Union punching their ticket to the MLS playoffs. Here’s their schedule for the first round.
Missed opportunities have been the story of the Flyers’ season.
Entering Sunday’s game at the Calgary Flames, the Flyers were averaging the third-fewest shots per game (23.5) and tied with the Chicago Blackhawks with the second-fewest goals. According to coach Rick Tocchet, his team needs to just “hit the net.”
“Anytime you’re in the shooting area, I would never defer, especially when you’re struggling,” Tocchet said pregame on Sunday. “I would be shooting the puck all the time, and I would maintain to hit the net. I know people want to pick the corner — no, I’m not saying throw pucks into the belly of a goalie — but I think you just got to hit the net, and then those pucks will go in.”
How did the Flyers do in that area? They managed three goals in a 4-3 overtime loss against the Flames, their sixth loss in seven games.
It was a busy weekend of college sports, especially football, which is winding down its regular season. We’ll catch you up on results around the area:
Penn State picked up its first road conference win under Matt Campbell with a 28-25 win at Washington.
Villanova continued its climb up the Patriot League standings with a shutout win over Richmond at home.
Penn’s defense stepped up in a comeback victory over Ivy League foe Cornell.
And Temple’s valiant second-half comeback fell short in a road loss to Navy.
On another turf field, St. Joseph’s field hockey is heading back to the NCAA Tournament after winning its sixth-straight Atlantic 10 title on Saturday.
And in case you missed it, Eastern University’s football program, which started in 2022 and played games that counted in 2023, was built from scratch. Head coach Billy Crocker has the program one win away from a second conference title after Saturday’s win over Stevenson University.
The Eagles honored Merrill Reese at halftime Sunday for his half-century of broadcasting their games, which was appropriate because it felt like their 19-11 loss to the Giants took that long. Reese least of all, should have to suffer through what this season has become, and the Eagles are so bad that all you can do is laugh through the seven-game losing streak, Mike Sielski writes.
🧠 Trivia time
LeBron James surpassed this NBA legend on Sunday for the most points scored against the Bulls. Who was it?
A) Dominique Wilkins
B) Isiah Thomas
C) Larry Bird
D) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Mike Sielski, Ryan Novozinsky, Jeff Neiburg, Chris Hine, DeAntae Prince, Jackie Spiegel, Mia Messina, Conor Smith, Lexie Linderman, Hannah Chang, Dylan Johnson, Faiyaad Kamal, and Devin Jackson.
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.
As the saying goes, “tough times don’t last, tough people do.” Stay positive, Philly, and thanks for reading Monday’s newsletter. — Devin
