Insult and injuries | Sports Daily Newsletter
Is this any way for the Eagles to go into the playoffs?
It was bad enough for the Eagles, losing to the lowly New York Giants in an abomination that surely knocked more fans off their bandwagon.
They may have lost more than just the game when A.J. Brown went down in the first quarter with a knee injury. Then Jalen Hurts jammed a finger on his passing hand and was repeatedly run down on blitzes by the Giants. He was out of this hopeless game before halftime. Safety Sydney Brown suffered what could be a serious knee injury. Guard Cam Jurgens (eye) and safety Reed Blankenship (groin) were knocked out of the game as well.
The Eagles hoped to ride momentum into their wild-card playoff game at Tampa Bay next Monday night. Instead, they lost for the fifth time in six games and things are looking bleak.
— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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“We’ll see what this team is made of,” Jalen Hurts said after the 27-10 shellacking by the Giants. Yes, we will. What once looked to be a glorified bye week against the Bucs is now an existential threat, David Murphy writes. Something is wrong with the team. Uncomfortably wrong. And if the Eagles don’t beat Tampa Bay, the floodgates will open.
The Eagles were supposed to have a leadership core — Jason Kelce, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox — to prevent this kind of collapse. This team collapsed anyway, Mike Sielski writes.
The middle finger on Hurts’ passing hand “popped out,” the quarterback said. The injury could be uncomfortable for Hurts in the playoff opener.
Jeff McLane’s grades for the Eagles after their latest loss? Don’t expect many passing marks.
Next: The Eagles will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a wild-card playoff game at 8 p.m. next Monday (ESPN, 6ABC).
The world of 76ers star Tyrese Maxey has changed, and that much has been clear this season, especially in games that reigning MVP Joel Embiid sits out. Most recently, Maxey faced a box-and-one defense, was double-teamed, and generally found it tough to even get his hands on the ball as the Sixers faced the Utah Jazz. Maxey admitted, “I ain’t going to lie, I wasn’t prepared for that.”
Next: The Sixers visit the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (NBCSP+).
The Flyers fought back in more ways than one Saturday night as they rallied to beat the Calgary Flames, 3-2. Joel Farabee got into a scrap as he stood up for a teammate, and our Jackie Spiegel sees that as a good sign as the Flyers battle for a playoff spot. She offers other reasons for optimism after the win.
Next: The Flyers host the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m. Monday (NBCSP).
Phil Martelli was back coaching at the Palestra on Sunday, which would not have been that unusual back in the day. This time, the former St. Joseph’s coach directed the Michigan Wolverines in a 79-73 loss to Penn State. Michigan coach Juwan Howard handed the controls to his associate head coach Martelli for the game.
“When I think of my career, it’s about the memories and the relationships,” a grateful Martelli said. “I have a book and I have all these chapters in my book, and this will be one day that will go in that book.”
Worth a look
National championship: Philly-area standouts Keon Sabb and Semaj Bridgeman will line up for Michigan tonight against Washington.
Owls win: Temple beat Wichita State as Steve Settle and Hysier Miller scored 17 points apiece.
On this date
Jan. 8, 1995: Mike Schmidt received 96.5% of the writers’ votes to gain election to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. A 12-time All-Star and three-time National League MVP, the Phillies third baseman finished with 548 career home runs and 1,595 RBIs.
Misery: Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane provides an insider’s look into the Eagles’ spiraling season. After their third consecutive loss, McLane takes us behind the scenes, breaking down the four major issues impacting the team. As we gear up for the final three games of the regular season, tune in to uncover whether the Eagles can turn things around or if they were destined to disappoint from the start. Listen here.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, Olivia Reiner, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Jeff Neiburg, Maria McIlwain, and Rymir Vaughn.
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.
Well then. Let’s see what Nick Sirianni has to say today amid an Eagles collapse for the ages. See you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim