‘One block away’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

It’s hard to fathom after his fabulous season of 2024, but Saquon Barkley has been merely human in his last two games for the Eagles. He rushed for 60 yards on 18 carries in the opener against Dallas and 57 yards on 25 carries in Super Bowl LIX against Kansas City.

That can happen when teams stack the box to contain the Eagles star. The thing is, “We’re one block away,” tackle Jordan Mailata says. “You watch the tape, you can see it on the film.”

The Eagles will get another chance to spring Barkley in the Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs on Sunday (4:25 p.m., Fox29). The running back gives credit to the K.C. defense, though.

“You can watch film of guys who aren’t disciplined, and I can manipulate them. They don’t really do that,” Barkley says. “So it forces me to be disciplined. Take what they give me, not only in the run game, but just the offense in general. Being patient is kind of the theme for us this week, and when we get the opportunity, make them pay for it.”

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

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Cooper DeJean became a Philadelphia folk hero in February when he returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown to break open Super Bowl LIX. As the Birds prepare to face the Chiefs again, Jeff Neiburg revisits the iconic play and the vital roles played in it by Jalyx Hunt and Moro Ojomo. Each of them has a compelling NFL story of his own.

The Eagles have surged to become slight favorites on Sunday. Here are some other Birds storylines:

The Eagles visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX. Join beat writers Olivia Reiner and Jeff McLane before kickoff on Gameday Central as they discuss the matchup and all things Eagles.

Walker Buehler is glad the Phillies picked him up after he was released by the Boston Red Sox late last month. The pitcher likes this team’s chances. “The talent is immense. The culture is really good,” says Buehler, who will debut with the Phillies tonight. “I think you have a lot of guys pulling on the same string. And in my experience, that’s a big part of it.”

After allowing four runs in the first inning, Jesús Luzardo retired the next 22 Mets batters, allowing the offense to come alive in the Phillies’ sweep of New York. Now, the Phillies’ magic number to clinch the National League East is down to five.

Next: The Phillies open a home series against Kansas City at 6:45 tonight (NBCSP). Buehler (7-7, 5.45 ERA) will start against former Phillie Michael Lorenzen (5-10, 4.63).

The last time Temple played Oklahoma, quarterback Evan Simon did not play in a 51-3 defeat. The 2-0 Owls will get another shot at the 13th-ranked Sooners on Saturday (noon, ESPN2) behind Simon, who has thrown nine touchdown passes so far. Oklahoma is still a big favorite, but the Owls are playing with confidence.

An open microphone at a Sooners press conference caught the Oklahoma media showing a little disrespect for the Owls, but coach K.C. Keeler remains confident. “I think when people went through their schedule, looking at the number of wins, I’m sure Temple was just a simple ‘check that one off,’” Keeler said. “I don’t think we see it that way.”

Also on Saturday, Villanova visits No. 2 Penn State (3:30 p.m., FS1), which is trying to get its passing game in order.

Oliver Bonk, a 20-year-old defenseman in the Flyers organization, described his technique in bulking up for this hockey season. It involved eating 2,000-calorie subs. Jackie Spiegel has the story from the opening day of the team’s rookie camp.

In other Flyers news:

Each Friday, Inquirer photo editors will pick our best shots from the last seven days and share them with you, our readers. This week, photos include a milestone Schwarbomb, a Tiger sighting, and an Eagles dog.

We asked: What are your thoughts on David Murphy’s positive assessment of Rob Thomson? Among your responses:

Murphy is right. Thomson has done a phenomenal job. He has made all the right moves and decisions, and done it with the full support of the team. It seems they all like playing for him, and trust his decisions. Where he shines the brightest is in his postgame interviews. He is a master of understatement, never being negative, and never getting too animated. — John W.

I have often been a critic of Rob for his failure to take pitchers out when they obviously need to be, and maybe for not appearing to be really leading, but as things have worked out I think David makes some very valid points. ... Often I like to see a manager with passion like Sirianni, but then for many groups of players Rob’s quiet style is what works. But Rob, whatever you do, don’t platoon Bader. That guy belongs in center field every game. — Everett S.

Rob Thomson is the classic do-nothing manager. He sits back and waits for his players to do something. It’s just how he is, but I’m sure he’s a nice man. Rarely does he dream of hit and run, squeeze, double steal — especially during several times this year when his team was in a deep scoring slump. He’s lucky to have the best starting rotation in baseball and one of the highest payrolls in baseball. Who couldn’t succeed with that? — Doug P.

Topper for Manager of the Year. Yes! He was robbed in 2022, even though it was obvious that he, and he alone, was responsible for getting the Phils to the World Series. Then breaking the 9-game AL winning streak in the ASG in 2023. C’mon, do we want to keep him as our secret forever? — Amy S.

I like Topper, but right now I give credit to Dave Dombrowski, who brought energy to the team with the Durantula and Bader. I struggle with the use of the bullpen. Sánchez leads the majors in quality starts, 6 innings of three runs or less, with 21 but has only 13 wins. That’s eight games lost by the pen or poor run support. — Joel G.

Actually as a full season ticket holder and actually attend games with my wife and friends, our general conclusion is our manager is one of the worst baseball strategist in all of baseball. Let’s talk about bringing in the same relief pitchers and getting bombed every game. Playing outfielders who can’t hit a round ball with a round bat. The only salvation he has is the team wins games in spite of the manager and the GM finally bringing in outstanding replacements. Let us not forget he did the exact same moves the last two years in the playoffs. How’d that work out for us? — Ronald R

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Lochlahn March, Devin Jackson, Ryan Mack, Jackie Spiegel, Isabella DiAmore, Matt Breen, Ariel Simpson, Gabriela Carroll, Inquirer Staff Photographers, Cliff Brunt, and Greg Finberg.

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Have a great weekend. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim