Born to run | Sports Daily Newsletter

Maybe the Eagles are getting a little of that Super Bowl feeling back from a season ago. You know the vibe: Saquon Barkley carries the offense, the defense goes into shutdown mode, and the Birds win.

That’s exactly the formula the Eagles used Saturday night as they clinched the NFC East with a 29-18 victory against the Washington Commanders. Granted, it came against a moribund team that was down to its third-string cornerback, but Vic Fangio’s defense held the Commanders to 220 yards, some of which came during a garbage-time touchdown drive.

Barkley’s performance might be the best sign for the Eagles, though. He rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown, breaking off a 48-yard run at one point that was reminiscent of his incredible 2024 season. The rushing numbers in the last four games suggest that Barkley and Co. are doing something better, Jeff McLane writes. The Eagles have averaged 4.96 yards per carry over that span. In their first 11 games, they averaged only 3.91 yards.

Jalen Hurts’ legs, Barkley’s strong December, better blocking schemes, and Tank Bigsby as the second punch could be the recipe for the Eagles in the postseason.

One of the recipes from last season might be ripped from the cookbook, though. The Eagles tried the Tush Push three times against the Commanders and failed all three times. It’s time for last rites for the Eagles’ signature sneak, Mike Sielski writes.

That wasn’t the only slipup for the Birds, either. Jake Elliott missed three field-goal attempts, although one was negated by a penalty. Elliott is 17-for-24 on field goals this season. His success rate of 70.8% is the worst of his career.

Nick Sirianni is standing by his kicker. “I have a ton of confidence in him that he’ll respond and rebound from this,” the coach says, ”because he’s mentally tough and a great kicker.”

At 10-5, the Eagles are the third seed in the NFC, which is where they’ll likely land when the playoffs begin. After two wins against the dregs of the NFL, they’ll take a step up in class Sunday when they visit the 11-4 Buffalo Bills, who have won four straight.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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VJ Edgecombe outperformed another flashy first-year player, No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, on Saturday. The rookie finished with 26 points in a 121-114 victory against the Dallas Mavericks and afterward Sixers star Tyrese Maxey was asked whether Edgecombe has surprised him this season.

“Sadly, no,” Maxey said. “I want to say yes, but, sadly, no. Like, this is who he is, you know what I mean? We realized that Game 1. Yeah, you can do what you want to do in the preseason, and all that and practice in training camp, but when the lights come on, you just never know, and the lights came on, and he came on with it.”

The Phillies plan to plug Adolis García into right field, taking over for Nick Castellanos whenever they trade or release him. It will be quite an upgrade, says former Phillie Brad Miller, who played with García when the Texas Rangers won the World Series in 2023.

“What I would tell people is, Adolis is worth the price of admission,“ says Miller, who is now a television analyst for the Rangers. ” … It’s exciting stuff, like he’ll make diving plays, he’ll throw a guy out from the wall in right field. I can just picture that at the Bank. … He plays with a flair. And he can do everything. I’m excited for him. I think it’s going be a breath of fresh air.”

Reliever Matt Strahm will get to breathe the fresh air in Kansas City after the Phillies traded him to the Royals for right-handed reliever Jonathan Bowlan.

Not long ago, Camden High’s D.J. Wagner was the top-ranked high school basketball recruit in the nation. Now he’s in his third college season, not really thought of as an NBA lottery pick as he starts at guard for John Calipari at Arkansas.

After a loss to No. 8 Houston in Newark, N.J., on Saturday, Wagner is averaging a career-low 8.4 points for the Razorbacks. His NBA star may have dimmed, but Wagner is doing just fine thanks to his NIL deals and is comfortable in his role.

“I’m just happy to be here,” Wagner says. “Whatever I can do to help my teammates out, I’m happy to do it.”

The Flyers missed an opportunity to obtain a budding star when Vancouver traded Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12. Now it’s back to the drawing board for the Flyers, who are hesitant to deal away top prospects.

Should the Flyers have gone harder after Hughes? What’s the next step for a team that still lacks a No. 1 center and defenseman? Gustav Elvin considers the possibilities.

Dec. 22, 1991: The Eagles scored 17 points in the fourth quarter of a 24-22 victory against Washington. Reggie White sacked Washington quarterback Mark Rypien twice. Roger Ruzek’s 38-yard field goal won it for the Birds.

It seems ungrateful to complain about any win, particularly a win that ensures a fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs, and the team in question won the latest Super Bowl.

It seems doubly thankless to whine about the coach and staff that largely have been responsible for this windfall of January football, delivered with an NFC East title earned Saturday with a 29-18 win over the Commanders.

So yes, it seems ungrateful, and even thankless, to wish for better. But we are Philadelphia, aren’t we?

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, Mike Sielski, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Marcus Hayes, Scott Lauber, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Gustav Elvin, Devin Jackson, Dylan Johnson, and Katie Lewis.

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.

Thanks for reading Sports Daily. I’ll see you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim