🦅 ‘Just sloppy’ | Sports Daily Newsletter

Somehow, the Eagles forced five turnovers Sunday and still came away with a loss. Somehow, Saquon Barkley rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns and the Eagles still could not win.

Of course, Jalen Hurts went down with a concussion in the first quarter of the 36-33 defeat to Washington, but Kenny Pickett and the Birds still had enough to beat the Commanders. Right?

Not after they committed 10 penalties for 91 yards, C.J. Gardner-Johnson got ejected, and the vaunted Eagles defense somehow gave up 36 points. By the way, rookie Jayden Daniels threw five touchdown passes.

“Just sloppy,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “Sloppy with penalties. Sloppy with too many men on the field. Sloppy with our fundamentals. When you play a good football team like we did today, and you’re sloppy, regardless of how many turnovers you force, it’s going to be hard to win.”

The Eagles' 10-game winning streak is history and now they are a game behind the Detroit Lions for the top seed in the NFC and a playoff bye.

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The Phillies made a move to strengthen their rotation at the cost of two minor leaguers. They sent shortstop prospect Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd to the Marlins on Sunday for lefty Jesús Luzardo.

Luzardo, 27, has top-of-the-rotation upside if he’s able to stay healthy. He had a 3.58 ERA in 178⅔ innings over 32 starts two seasons ago before struggling last season to a 5.00 ERA in only 12 starts. Luzardo was sidelined by elbow soreness and a stress reaction in his back.

Even with Pickett at the controls and the rushing game struggling for yardage in the second half, the Eagles had a chance to win this game. Until ...

On third-and-5 from Washington’s 22-yard line nearing the two-minute warning, DeVonta Smith simply dropped a pass that would have given the Eagles a first down. The Eagles settled for a field goal, setting the stage for Daniels’ heroics. “I just dropped the ball,” Smith said. “I ain’t going to beat myself up over it. That’s life, part of the game. I made all the tough catches today, and then the easiest one I had I dropped.”

Blame Pickett, or blame CJGJ, or blame picky refs who don’t like mouthy defensive backs, Marcus Hayes writes. The lesson remains the same: Be grateful for Jalen Hurts.

More coverage of the Eagles' upset loss can be found here.

The Sixers (9-17) are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings, but just four games out of sixth place. They seemingly were on the cusp of turning things around heading into Saturday night’s much-anticipated matchup against the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers. Then they got blown out.

Who knows what will happen with this bunch? The Sixers are the NBA’s most confusing team, on the brink of either glory or gory, Keith Pompey writes.

The Flyers honored the Gaudreau family on Saturday night before the home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The pride of South Jersey, NHL great Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed this summer by an allegedly drunk driver. Their father, Guy Gaudreau, was the longtime coach at Gloucester Catholic, where the two starred.

“He’s part of us,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said of Guy Gaudreau. “That family, one way or another, is going to be a part of us.”

At one time, Michael Carroll of Doylestown dreamed of being a college lacrosse player until a funny thing happened. “I kind of got too big,” says Carroll, an offensive lineman who is 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds.

The son of a former Penn State linebacker and a Michigan State women’s basketball player probably was destined to star in football anyway. Now the former La Salle and Central Bucks East player is set to enter Alabama early in January on a scholarship.

How did the Eagles manage to weather the media storm? The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reports on the saga that seemed to consume everyone outside the organization, but not many people within it. Plus, veteran outside linebacker Josh Sweat joins Jeff for this week’s “Pick Six,” and shares his tips on computer building, leadership, and when to switch your number. Listen here.

Dec. 23, 2018: Nick Foles passed for 471 yards and four touchdowns as the Eagles outlasted the Houston Texans, 32-30, at Lincoln Financial Field.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, EJ Smith, Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, and Isabella DiAmore.

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.

Happy holidays to all. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you in Sports Daily on Friday. — Jim