Beatdown by the bay | Sports Daily Newsletter

No beating around the bush: The Eagles simply did not look ready to play Sunday in an embarrassing 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers in sweltering Tampa.

Ready to play? Maybe they woke up after they found themselves trailing 24-0 in the second quarter. The offense went nowhere, the defense was knocked on its heels, and it got ugly mighty early. True, the Eagles were missing some key starters on offense, but Jalen Hurts could not seem to get anything going.

Hurts has 27 turnovers since the beginning of last season, and no NFL quarterback has more.

“I just have to play better,” he said. “I had a ton of opportunities to lead the offense and really play complementary ball, and that starts with me on that side of the ball. When we get down like we did, I have to help the defense out.”

Oh, the defense needed plenty of help. The Eagles allowed 445 yards on 74 plays. “I feel like we let ourselves down,” cornerback Avonte Maddox said.

Luckily for the Eagles, they’ll have the bye week for A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, and DeVonta Smith to recover from injuries. They’ll also have some extra time to figure out this mess — and some extra time for it to fester.

Next: After their bye week, the Eagles will host the Browns on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. (Fox29).

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

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❓ Who is most to blame for this Eagles defeat? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The Phillies beat the Washington Nationals, 6-3, in the season finale to finish with 95 wins, their highest total since 2011.

With a bye for the wild-card series, they’ll wait to learn their NL Division Series opponent and try to stay fresh. The wild-card finish in the National League has been especially wild: The Braves and Mets will square off in a doubleheader today to determine the last two wild-card teams. The Diamondbacks are still in the mix.

Nick Castellanos began the season with the goal of playing in all 162 games, and on Sunday he achieved it.

⚾ Where the Phillies stand: As the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs, the Phillies will take five days off as they await their opponent in the National League Division Series on Saturday.

If the belief is that building a first-class operation will inevitably lead to first-class results, it figures that the Sixers face serious expectations to land their elusive first title since 1983. Is this the season when they finally get over the hump?

Already, Matvei Michkov is flashing the skills that have Flyers fans so excited. The Russian rookie scored twice against the Boston Bruins in an overtime victory on Saturday, and captain Sean Couturier got into a fight to stick up for him. Clearly, the Flyers will be protecting their investment.

Next: The Flyers visit the Islanders in a preseason game tonight at 7 (NBCSP).

The Union failed to win what was on paper the most winnable game for the rest of the season, settling for a tie with Atlanta on Saturday. Now they are hanging on to the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, and likely can’t climb much higher.

Next: The Union visit Orlando City on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (Apple TV).

In the latest episode of unCovering the Birds, after a 15-12 win against the Saints, Jeff McLane has exclusive interviews featuring C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jordan Davis, and Jalen Carter. Dive into discussions on Jalen Hurts’ leadership growth and his pursuit of elite consistency, plus insights into Nick Sirianni’s decision-making process. Check out the “Pick 6″ segment with Nakobe Dean, in which he breaks down the pivotal moments from the week. Listen now.

Sept. 30, 2007: The Phillies won the NL East title on the last day of the season with a 6-1 victory against the Washington Nationals. Ryan Howard hit a home run and Jamie Moyer earned the victory, allowing five hits and a run in 5⅓ innings.

Here’s a place to access your favorite Philadelphia teams’ statistics, schedules, and standings in real time.

Also check out a fun new game we call Bird Box to test your knowledge of Eagles players past and present.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from EJ Smith, Jeff Neiburg, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Jackie Spiegel, Scott Lauber, Alex Coffey, Neil Paine, Aaron Carter, and Jonathan Tannenwald.

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. See you on Tuesday as Sports Daily brings you more of the top stories in Philly sports. — Jim