💂 London calling | Sports Daily Newsletter

While Eagles fans are locked on the action taking place on the field at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in London, some of the team’s top brass — and even owner Jeffrey Lurie — will likely also be keeping a close eye on the field itself.

Lurie admitted earlier this year the Eagles are in the “exploratory research” phase of deciding whether to build a new stadium or renovate Lincoln Financial Field, where the team’s lease expires in 2032. From fan amenities to a retractable grass field, there’s a lot they can learn from a Premier League stadium that closely resembles an NFL venue in size and scope and was specifically designed with football in mind. The only thing missing is a full roof.

As for the action on the field, that’s where things get dicey. The Eagles, who opened as a 5.5-point underdog against the Jaguars, could be down to their third string running back and are still waiting to learn about health of several starters. While we don’t yet know who will be available, we do know a few things:

The last time the Eagles were 2-2 and in need of a reset, they had a bye week (and it helped propel them to a Super Bowl). Unfortunately, this time, they have a full week of practice, several key injuries, and a trans-Atlantic flight making things a bit more difficult.

— Matt Mullin, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Sixers ticket prices had been on a steady decline over the last several years … then this summer happened. Following the additions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown — and renewed championship aspirations — the buzz around the team has sent the cost of entry to a Sixers game is skyrocketing, and not just in Philly. Just how much? That’s what we endeavored to find out.

Hopefully fans didn’t pay that much to attend Monday night’s preseason opener. Not only did the game count as much as the this weekend’s Blue and White scrimmage, but the Sixers were without James, Tyrese Maxey, and Joel Embiid, among others. But at least they got a show from Brown, who scored 22 first-half points.

Next up: The Sixers visit the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday (7:30 p.m., NBCSP) for their second preseason game.

The Flyers are off to their worst in more than a decade after dropping their fourth straight game to start the season on Monday night in Tampa. It’s the first time since 2014-15 they’ve been winless through their first four games.

Prior to the game, the team activated Denver Barkey, who made his first appearance of the year after suffering an injury in the preseason opener, and placed Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve. They also found out their season finale will be the last regular-season game for the NHL’s all-time leading scorer, Alex Ovechkin. Hopefully they’ll have won a game by then.

Next up: The Flyers visit the Senators in Ottawa on Thursday (7 p.m., ESPN).

Despite some in the national media calling the Eagles offensive line “hot garbage” and “broken,” head coach Nick Sirianni is sticking with Cam Jurgens at left guard, where the center has been playing since Landon Dickerson went down with a knee injury in Week 1.

But is it more than just the offensive line that’s broken? Why do we feel like we’re saying the same things about Sean Mannion that we said about Kevin Patullo and Brian Johnson? Jeff McLane and David Murphy broke down the Eagles’ issues on offense and much more on the latest episode of unCovering the Birds.

“You asked for a more emotive Jalen Hurts. You got it,” Hayes wrote in his weekly Monday NFL column. “ … Hurts, in his sixth full season as the starter, typically has been cryptic and protective when asked about teammates’ mistakes. After Sunday’s loss, he did not hold back.”

Added Marcus: “This isn’t skewering teammates at the Aaron Rodgers level, but it’s not nothing, and it’s a good thing.”

On Oct. 6, 2010, Roy Halladay made his postseason debut — and some MLB history. The former Phillies pitcher, who died in 2017 when his small plane crashed off the coast of Florida, tossed the second playoff no-hitter of all time as the Phillies beat the Reds, 4-0, in Game 1 of the National League division series. The first was Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, in and 2022 the Houston Astros combined to throw the third — against the Phillies.

“About the sixth inning, it got real quiet,” former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of that night. “People stayed in their seats and sat there and watched the game. [Halladay] came in and went down to the end of the dugout, sat in his chair, and didn’t say a word. End of the inning, he’d get back up and go back on the field. It’s pretty neat, really.”

We asked: Is Nick Sirianni to blame for the Eagles’ loss?

“Yes, blame the head coach for that lose. Credit him for having the depleted Eagles ready to go in the first half. But, given his depleted O-line and offense, going for it and not taking a field goal in the fourth quarter was really dumb.” — Gary F.

“Not really … too many injuries to key players, plus too much Matthew Stafford." — Richard V.

“Watching the second-half meltdown was horrible! The offense stinks, the play-calling stinks, its too predictable. … How can you win games when you can’t score points in the second half?” — Jill L.

“‘Heavy is the Crown,’ etc., but he is the coach. He got the praise when they won the Super Bowl as he deserved, and the same goes for when he loses. … Team is in trouble.” — Everett S.

“No, he is not to blame. Too many injuries. … Does not playing at all in the preseason hurt you when installing a new offense?” — Nick B.

Have a great day and we’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow.

— Matt

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Ariel Simpson, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Jasen Lo, Ximena Conde, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Ryan Novozinsky, David Murphy, and Marcus Hayes.

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