Ugly but effective | Sports Daily Newsletter

A win is a win, right?

There are positives for sure to take from the Eagles’ season-opening 25-20 victory against the New England Patriots on Sunday. Eagles rookie Jalen Carter came up with a huge sack in the closing minute. Darius Slay delivered a touchdown with a showstopping 70-yard interception return. Missed extra point aside, Jake Elliott was money on four field goals, two from over 50 yards.

And yet ... They were up 16 points early and let the Patriots hang around. Pats quarterback Mac Jones had not one but two series in the closing minutes with a chance to win the game. And why were the Eagles going for it on fourth-and-2 from the New England 44 with less than two minutes left? (Spoiler alert: They failed.)

If the next 16 games are anything like this one, Mike Sielski writes, every pharmacy in the Philadelphia area is going to sell out of antacids by Christmas.

But yeah. A win is a win. The Eagles got their rear ends kicked and won anyway. That’s nothing to shrug off in the NFL.

— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓ What’s the Eagles’ biggest area for improvement after their opening win? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 22 of 33 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. He rushed for another 37. But on a crucial play in the closing minutes, he fumbled the ball away on a bruising hit by Jabrill Peppers, handing the Pats a golden opportunity. Luckily for the Birds, big defensive plays down the stretch by Jalen Carter, Josh Sweat, and Jordan Davis secured the victory.

“We have a lot of mistakes to clean up,” said coach Nick Sirianni, who improved to 3-0 in season openers. “We didn’t finish some drives. We got into ruts. But I have a ton of respect for the Patriots. They all played really solid football.”

How did Hurts, the offensive line, and the rest of the Eagles grade out against the Patriots? Jeff McLane weighs in, and the quarterback and running backs are not in the honors category.

Kenny Gainwell led the Birds’ rushers with 54 yards on 14 carries. Newcomer Rashaad Penny was inactive against the Patriots.

DeVonta Smith scored a touchdown and revealed after the game that his newborn daughter Kyce was born early Saturday morning. That’s what his rock-the-baby TD celebration was all about.

Next: It’s a short turnaround for the Eagles, who host the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday (8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime video).

Ranger Suárez pitched well enough to win the game. Heck, he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

But the Phillies couldn’t hold onto a 3-0 lead and let the rubber match against the Marlins slip away on Sunday.

It came down to several factors, namely the bullpen faltering again and the offense failing to connect with runners in scoring position. Alex Coffey has the details from Citizens Bank Park.

Next: The Phillies will host the Braves in a doubleheader Monday. Taijuan Walker (15-5, 4.15 ERA) will face Charlie Morton (14-11, 3.32) at 1:05 p.m. Michael Lorenzen (8-9, 3.95) will be the Game 2 starter at 6:40 p.m. against a Braves pitcher to be determined. Both games are on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Fresh off a 63-7 throttling of Delaware, the Penn State Nittany Lions remained ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press college football poll.

Texas jumped seven spots to No. 4 in the poll Sunday after beating Alabama. Georgia received 55 first-place votes to remain the clear No. 1. Michigan was No. 2, with two-first place votes.

Next: Penn State (2-0) visits Illinois (1-1) on Saturday (noon, Fox29).

A.J. Brown is a fierce competitor; brash at times, and clearly one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Off the field, family, friends, and mentors see another side of the Pro Bowler. To them, he’s “Jay,” the mellow, somewhat introverted, humble kid from Starkville, Mississippi. On the Season Two premiere of unCovering the Birds, take a trip down to Mississippi with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane, as he learns more about the people and places that shaped one of the most important members of the Eagles’ roster. Listen here.

Listen to all Season 1 episodes wherever you get your podcasts.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Josh Tolentino, Mike Sielski, Olivia Reiner, EJ Smith, Alex Coffey, Maria McIlwain, and Lochlahn March.