Big Dawgs | Sports Daily Newsletter
Davis and Carter loom large against the 49ers.
Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter seem to be coming of age for the 10-1 Eagles at a time when some of the team’s longtime veterans are slowing down. The two defensive tackles out of Georgia add up to roughly 650 pounds of run-stuffing, QB-chasing talent.
It seemed to be a changing of the guard when Fletcher Cox left Sunday’s win against the Bills with a groin injury. Davis, a second-year player, responded by hounding quarterback Josh Allen out of bounds on a crucial fourth-quarter play that showed off incredible speed for a man that large. The rookie Carter stepped up as well, playing a season-high 80% of the defensive snaps.
Next up: a 49ers team that is a slight favorite in this one, stocked with offensive talent in Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. The Eagles have answered every test in this tough stretch, though.
Carter wants to keep it simple: “We’ve just got to be more physical up front and working at executing our plays well.” Let the big Dawgs run.
— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.
“‘Cause baby, now we got bad blood” might be a lyric from a Taylor Swift song, but it also perfectly previews Sunday’s matchup between the Eagles and 49ers.
These two teams do not like each other one bit, and nobody is hiding from that fact amid the public trash talk and back-and-forth since last season’s “controversial” NFC championship game. Now stuck in the middle of the feud is former Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who signed with the Niners in the offseason. Hargrave says he’s “staying out of it” ... Good luck with that on Sunday.
The Eagles added a few reinforcements ahead of Sunday’s clash, signing linebacker Ben VanSumeren to the active roster and adding two players, including a wide receiver Jalen Hurts knows well, to the practice squad.
The Arizona Cardinals have released former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, who wants to play for a contender.
The Eagles will play another prime-time game after the NFL flexed the Week 15 meeting with the Seattle Seahawks to Monday Night Football.
Next: The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers at 4:25 p.m. Sunday (Fox29).
The Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.
The Sixers received four players and draft picks in the Nov. 1 trade that sent James Harden to the Clippers. So far, Nicolas Batum looks like the best of the new acquisitions. He is tasked with guarding All-Star-caliber players, and so far, he has not disappointed.
“It’s super valuable in a lot of ways, and he just does a lot of it by working,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse says.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright told WIP-FM he considered taking over the Sixers more than a decade ago.
Next: The Sixers visit the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. Friday (ESPN, NBCSP).
The Flyers battled back from a 2-0 deficit but still fell to the New Jersey Devils, 4-3, in overtime. Morgan Frost, Sean Walker, and Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers.
Next: The Flyers visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m. Saturday (NBCSP).
When the Phillies re-signed Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract on Nov. 19, they crossed off the most pressing item on their offseason to-do list. But despite the fact that they “don’t have a glaring need” to fill, in the words of president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, there are still ways they can improve their club on the margins. Ahead of baseball’s winter meetings next week, here are a few outfielders and relievers they can realistically consider.
Philadelphia native Sarah Gelles reportedly has been hired by the Pittsburgh Pirates as assistant general manager.
Worth a look
Big Five Classic: The event tips off Saturday, but will it return next season?
MLS honor: The Union’s Alejandro Bedoya is lauded for his humanitarian work.
‘Nova’s foe: The Wildcats will host Youngstown State in the FCS playoffs on Saturday.
Hoops hero: Ben Franklin High will retire Jerome “Pooh” Richardson’s jersey.
Top storylines: Five things to watch in the high school basketball season.
What you’re saying about the coaches
We asked you: Who’s the better coach: offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan or NFC champion Nick Sirianni? Among your responses:
Sirianni. He’s never selfishly overused an injured player and ruined his career as the Shanahans did with RG3. — Stephen S.
Let the records speak for each coach. 10-1 vs 8-3. All the sports radio and TV talking heads continue to drink the Shanahan Kool-Aid. They don’t allow themselves to believe what they see. — Jeff S.
... It is clearly Nick over Kyle. Kyle has had 3 losing seasons and 4 winning for the Niners and he is 6-3 in playoff games. Nick has only been a head coach for 3 years, but he has been a winner all 3, and is 2-2 in playoff games, but Nick has won an NFC championship and came within just a few points of winning a Super Bowl on his first try. As he looks for an edge for his team, Kyle is already complaining that his team has been designated the favorite for this game. Nick’s team is tired and hurting, but they will overcome and take down the gold diggers again. — Everett S.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Alex Coffey, Olivia Reiner, Josh Tolentino, Gustav Elvin, Rob Tornoe, Keith Pompey, Jonathan Tannenwald, Jackie Spiegel, Jeff Neiburg, Colin Beazley, Aaron Carter, Gabriela Carroll, and Josh Verlin.
That’s all, folks. I’ll see you Monday when we provide the full rundown on the Eagles-Niners clash, among other things. — Jim
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.