🦅 Birds on the hunt| Sports Daily Newsletter
Also, the Union face Chicago in the first round of the playoffs.
Lincoln Financial Field is one of the toughest stadiums for a road team to play at in the NFL.
While the Giants came up with a 34-17 win over the Eagles in Week 6, New York has yet to win a road game this season, and it might stay that way heading to Philadelphia in a rematch on Sunday afternoon.
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart will experience what it’s like to play at the Linc for the first time, and his teammates have been trying to prepare him for the hostile crowd.
Since their trip to MetLife Stadium, where they suffered maybe their worst loss of the season, the Birds snapped a two-game losing streak, thanks largely to DeVonta Smith.
The 26-year-old led the team with a career-high 183 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions last week in a win over the Vikings. No matter how hard Smith gets hit with his 6-foot, 170-pound frame, “he pops back up like he’s the biggest guy,” teammate Jahan Dotson says.
As an undersized receiver, Smith has been proving people wrong his entire football career. And the grittiness he once exhibited as a kid is evident in his game today.
On defense, Vic Fangio is still searching for a counterpart to Quinyon Mitchell. Jakorian Bennett likely will be activated ahead of Sunday’s game. Given the team’s struggles at the position, he sees an opportunity.
Before we part for the weekend, make sure to check out The Inquirer’s soccer coverage as the Union face Chicago on Sunday (5:30 p.m., FS1) in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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Pottstown’s Trey Yesavage will start Game 1 of the World Series against the Dodgers. What the 22-year-old has done this year has never been done before. Just over 15 months ago, the right-hander, who graduated from Boyertown Area High School, was drafted 20th overall out of East Carolina University. He opened his first professional season in March with Toronto’s low-A affiliate, the Dunedin Blue Jays. And on Friday, he will be the youngest player to start a World Series game since 2010.
What we’re …
🏀 Remembering: VJ Edgecombe making history on Wednesday, when he dropped 34 points in his NBA debut.
🤔 Wondering: What the Giants are saying about the Eagles ahead of their rematch at the Linc.
🏒Following: Owen Tippett’s hot start to open the Flyers’ season and setting the tone.
📖 Reading: A mourning Roman Catholic coach and his family find solace in their football community.
There were no jitters, butterflies, or even a restless night for VJ Edgecombe in his NBA debut against the Boston Celtics Wednesday night at TD Garden. The 6-foot-4 combo guard poured in 34 points, marking the third-highest scoring debut in league history, to help the Sixers beat the Celtics, 117-116. Here’s what he said postgame: “From a team standpoint, we got the win, which matters the most.”
After the game, players were amazed to learn that the last time the Sixers started 1-0 was during the 2021-22 season. The Sixers opened last season with two straight losses and dropped 12 of their first 14 games. They never recovered and finished with the league’s fifth-worst record at 24-58. Now, they’re focused on opening with consecutive victories for the first time since 2020-21.
The Sixers will entertain the Charlotte Hornets in Saturday’s home opener before hosting the Orlando Magic on Monday.
The Senators have several familiar faces who skated on Thursday night. Of course, there is Claude Giroux, the former Flyers captain, Nick Cousins, and Olle Lycksell, who was in Philly last season. The head coaches, Rick Tocchet and Travis Green, also are friends and former teammates. “It’s always going to be special playing against Philly.”
The Flyers got off to a fast start, thanks to Tyson Foerster’s goal, but Ottawa scored goals in each of the first two periods to snap the Orange and Black’s two-game winning streak.
Up next, the Flyers host the Islanders on Saturday (12:30 p.m., NBCSP).
Sports snapshot
Center stage: The biggest squash event in America is this week at the Specter Center in University City.
Better together: Syracuse coach Fran Brown and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson shared a dream of being on the same sideline.
College football: In this week’s roundup, we’re giving Temple its praise. Penn and Villanova also have been on a roll.
Sports betting bust: Here’s everything you need to know about Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and cash handoffs in Philly.
The most important indictment announced Thursday wasn’t the one that laid out the charges against NBA guard Terry Rozier for his alleged role in a prop-bet-fixing scheme or the one that detailed NBA head coach Chauncey Billups’ alleged involvement in rigging illegal poker games. The important indictment was the metaphorical one handed down against the NBA itself. For embracing legalized sports gambling. For partnering with online sportsbooks like DraftKings. For prioritizing profit over the integrity of the game, writes columnist David Murphy.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, David Murphy, Devin Jackson, Lochlahn March, Kerith Gabriel, Ethan Kopelman, Alex Coffey, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Rob Tornoe, Gabriela Carroll, Max Marin, Ryan W. Briggs, and Sean McKeown.
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Thanks for reading and have a great weekend. Jim will be back in your inbox on Monday. — Bella