Coping without Carter | Sports Daily Newsletter

After surrendering 281 yards on the ground last week in a boo-filled Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears, the Eagles’ defensive line was always going to be under the microscope.

That microscope lens will be zoomed in even further with Thursday’s news that star defensive tackle Jalen Carter will miss Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers (8:15 p.m., ESPN) after undergoing a procedure on both of his shoulders.

The injury, which first popped up in training camp, is the latest setback in what has been a stop-start season for the third-year defensive tackle who many expected to ascend among the league’s best defensive players.

How will the Eagles cope without Carter in the middle of their defense? A lot of that responsibility will fall upon Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Byron Young. It could also mean a role for rookie Ty Robinson, a fourth-round pick out of Nebraska.

But Ojomo believes whoever is out there will be up to the challenge and that the Eagles will bounce back.

“As a defense, we just have to have accountability,” he said. “Everybody look themselves in the mirror and realize, ‘OK, we have to be more accountable. I’m not going to mess up here, take this chance here,’ and get back to the defense we know we can play.”

The Eagles better hope Ojomo’s right …

— Gustav Elvin, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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The 2026 World Cup in the United States is still seven months away but things will ramp up and get real on Friday with the World Cup draw when the United States and the 41 other already-qualified teams will learn their fates.

Here’s a reminder of how things will work from the Kennedy Center in Washington (11:30 a.m., FOX). And on Saturday, we’ll find out which teams are bound for Philadelphia.

Ahead of the draw, some other major topics surrounding the tournament, including video review and weather, were addressed on Thursday.

⏱️ Waiting on: What’s taking Penn State so long to hire a coach?

🔍 Investigating: Sports gambling has made its way to the WNBA. But that’s brought unexpected consequences for players.

🦉 Excited about: Temple’s recruiting class. K.C. Keeler has the Owls trending in the right direction and might have a “hidden gem” in Roman Catholic wide receiver Ash Roberts.

Remembering: Paul Staico, the owner of South Philly sports bar, who died suddenly this week at age 59.

🤔 Wondering: Banner rollouts are a 70-year-old tradition at Big 5 basketball games. But can the tradition endure?

With the Eagles offense in a season-long funk, many armchair offensive coordinators have called for more designed runs for Jalen Hurts to try and open up the passing game.

But the designed run is approaching extinction in the Eagles playbook, as Hurts is averaging just over one designed run per game, down from 3.6 a year ago. So why is Hurts running less? And could things change over the final five games of the season? Olivia Reiner takes a look at the dilemma facing the Eagles and how much they utilize their quarterback’s legs.

The Flyers are 15-8-3 and playing some of the best hockey this city has seen in five years.

But not everyone is happy, particularly when it comes to new head coach Rick Tocchet, if you take a gander at Flyers Twitter. Why? Many fans aren’t enthused by Tocchet’s style of play or the way he’s deployed Matvei Michkov thus far. Gustav Elvin writes that Flyers fans’ hate is misguided and that they should just enjoy having a competitive team again — for however long it lasts.

Speaking of Michkov, the Russian winger spoke on Thursday about his recent improvements and acknowledged his offseason training could have been better.

Lastly, the Flyers will be hoping for good news on Cam York, who is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury after leaving Wednesday’s game early.

Kelly Oubre Jr. entered the final season of his two-year, $16.3 million deal with a lot on the line. An 11-year veteran who revamped his career in Philly, Oubre was staring down one of his last opportunities at a big payday. He started out the season like a player the Sixers would have a hard time keeping this summer, averaging 16.8 points and 5.1 rebounds and providing stability for a team that has struggled with injuries.

But a ligament sprain in his left knee brought that to a halt, and Oubre has been out for nine straight games. Oubre, who is progressing well and will be re-evaluated soon, said it’s been tough on the sidelines.

”It [stinks],” Oubre said. “Listen, man, I’m trying to stay above water, keep my head about it. Trying to fight the depression and all that stuff that comes with not being able to do your job and fulfill your purpose. So it’s a different challenge, and I’m up for the challenge.”

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 some Eagles disappointment, more happy times for the Flyers, and a Joel Embiid sighting. Click here for the full slideshow.

Hopefully, we’re just waiting for the two sides to split the difference. Five years and $125 million would be a steep price to pay to lock up the designated hitter position through Schwarber’s age-37 season. But then, Schwarber will be bigger than a 37-year-old designated hitter when that time comes. He will be one of the defining players of an era, one of the franchise’s all-time greats, a fixture in the community, and a potential Hall of Famer. He may have passed [Ryan] Howard for second on the franchise home run list. He may be closing in on 500 for his career.

Can the Phillies afford to sign Schwarber?

The better question is whether they can afford not to.

Read Murphy’s full column here.

We asked: What change are you hoping to see in Monday’s Eagles-Chargers matchup? Among your responses:

What I hope to see this Monday night is AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts on the sideline between series reading “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a [Dam].” Despite its title, the book does not encourage being apathetic and selfish, but rather stresses creating joy in the moment for yourself and your teammates, by embracing life’s struggles and finding meaning in adversity rather than mindless positivity. — Stephen T.

Like to use Tank Bigsby to spell Saquon unless he is having a great night. More run plays in general including Jalen. More plays over the middle using tight ends or receivers. Not sure why the Eagles aren’t using them. - Bill M.

For Monday night in Inglewood and for the rest of the season I want to see the offense, the defense, the quarterback, and the coaches perform like the Super Bowl Champions they are supposed to be.

And please remember to use Goedert in the offense and ditch the Tush-Push.-Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Olivia Reiner, Jackie Spiegel, Gustav Elvin, Keith Pompey, Christian Red, Devin Jackson, Joe Santoliquito, Matt Breen, David Murphy, Owen Hewitt, and Inquirer Staff Photographers.

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.

That closes out Sports Daily for the week. Have a good weekend, Philly. — Gus