Time for Plan B | Sports Daily Newsletter

It’s true, Jalen Hurts was far from perfect during the Sunday night disaster at Dallas. He gave away a killer fumble early and the Eagles never found their way into the end zone.

Hurts’ play was far from stellar, but his mistakes alone did not bury the Eagles offense at Jerry World, EJ Smith writes. The Eagles’ game plan left plenty to be desired.

Teams have changed the way they defend the Eagles, using two high safeties to take away Hurts’ access to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith streaking down the sideline. The running game has not made teams pay for doing so, and it’s certainly worth wondering why. The Eagles offense has lost its rhythm, and it’s up to coordinator Brian Johnson and his staff to get it back.

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

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❓ Should Nick Sirianni start calling the Eagles’ plays? What should they do to restart the offense? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Sports podcasts are becoming must-listen content for fans and journalists alike, especially in Philly, where we have New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, and now Maxey With the Mic from Tyrese Maxey. Players share information a little more easily when the question comes from a close confidant, so it came as no surprise when Joel Embiid spoke freely about past partnerships with James Harden and Ben Simmons. Despite an awkward exit, the two Sixers stars believe Simmons is “the one that got away.”

Embiid and Maxey combined for 58 points as the Sixers rolled the Wizards with a 45-point victory.

Next: The Sixers visit the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. Wednesday (NBCSP).

About those struggles by the Eagles offense ... Marcus Hayes has an interesting solution:

Bring back Frank Reich as an offensive consultant. Reich has a ring from his time as the Birds’ offensive coordinator during the Super Bowl season of 2017 and he has time on his hands now. The Panthers fired him as head coach two weeks ago, but he has a magnificent mind and a minuscule ego, Hayes writes.

In two games against the Eagles this season, Dak Prescott of the Cowboys has completed 53 passes for 645 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Patience is wearing thin on the Eagles defense, and Josh Sweat expressed his frustration after the defeat.

The Eagles opened as favorites for their Monday night matchup with the Seahawks.

Next: The Eagles visit Seattle on Monday at 8:15 p.m. (ESPN, 6ABC).

Entering the season, Sean Walker and Nick Seeler were viewed for all intents and purposes as afterthoughts.

Walker was a throw-in salary dump by the Los Angeles Kings in the three-team trade involving Ivan Provorov, while Seeler was viewed by most as a solid sixth or seventh defenseman. Fast forward two months and the duo has formed one of the Flyers’ most consistent defensive pairings.

Next: The Flyers wrap up their three-game road trip on Tuesday in Nashville against the Predators (8 p.m., NBCSP).

David Vazquez is one of the Union’s top prospects and the 17-year-old could even be poised for a role with the senior team this season.

But Vazquez’s journey from Los Angeles to the Union’s academy is not without controversy. Jonathan Tannenwald on how the Union acquired Vazquez, why they violated recruiting rules, and how it opens up a whole can of worms for Major League Soccer.

Over the last two Saturdays, the Wells Fargo Center has hosted the Big Five Classic tripleheader and separate men’s basketball games featuring Penn-Kentucky and Villanova-UCLA. The arena has been hosting a lot of basketball lately and wants to keep doing so.

Of course, the 76ers are trying to move to a new arena, and the last two Saturdays of hoops in South Philly have been a reminder that the team’s current home would like to get a word in. Jonathan Tannenwald explains.

Which Seattle Seahawk intercepted three passes in a game against the Eagles? First with the correct response here will be featured in the newsletter.

A) Richard Sherman

B) Earl Thomas

C) Marcus Trufant

D) Lofa Tatupu

We asked you: What is the biggest problem for the Eagles right now? Among your responses:

Biggest problem for the Eagles: Leadership … among the coaches, players, and management. — Sam P.

Take your pick. When the defense scores the only TD and the best play of the 1st half is a fake punt something is terribly wrong. Fumbles, a porous defense, a so-so offense; the wheels came off in every facet of the game. They have to tighten up everywhere immediately because the last 4 games are no longer gimmes. P.S. keep Jake Elliott healthy! — Jack H.

Oh so many problems for the Birds. To me, it’s a tie. Penalties have always hurt the Birds, but right now they are costing them games. Also, the inability of the new D and O coordinators to run an effective game plan has finally caught up. Honorable mention goes to too many fumbles. Our Birds look tired and need a reboot. — Kathy T.

The offense is struggling, but the biggest problem is the defense. The defense has been courageous and gave their all when it counted the most in the previous Dallas game, and then the KC and Buffalo games. ... They are tired and beat up and in a few spots old. The biggest mistake Howie has ever made or will make is not taking Micah Parsons in the draft. Not only did he fail to take him, he left him there for our Enemy #1 and Micah will haunt him and us for many years yet to come. We have no Brian Dawkins or Eric Allen or Troy Vincent on our defense and we desperately need one or more. I just hope our guys have enough gas left in the tank to compete for a playoff spot. — Everett S.

I think their main problem is the lack of experience their coordinators have. Both coaches seem to be getting outcoached every week as they don’t seem to be able to make the necessary in-game adjustments. Dan Quinn and Mike McCarthy easily outcoached Desai and Johnson last night! However, I don’t think you can blame the coaches for all the turnovers that the Eagles have been committing. Hard to win when you are consistently losing the turnover battle. — Bill R.

Defense leaves opposing receivers wide open constantly. An easy reception for the opposing team is either in the middle or little slant passes. Is this a problem with our talent (or lack of) or is our DC not putting our players in the right places? Doesn’t resemble our defense from last year at all. — B.L.

Right now it’s coaching. Nick Sirianni and his staff have been outcoached for four straight weeks. The first two weeks, they got lucky, but the last two weeks they got shelled. They have fallen behind for 5 straight weeks, which is unacceptable. Sirianni looks lost and confused on the sidelines during games and doesn’t seem to even know how to fix anything in the moment. The entire team needs to look in the mirror and figure out how to be better. — Dan D.

Defense is PATHETIC. — Matt E.

The biggest problem with the Eagles right now is that they’re not as good as they/we think they are. That goes for coaching, Hurts, and the entire defense. For most of the season, we’ve been living in Kloud Koo-Koo Land. This — aggravated by a brutal stretch of games, especially the Bills. I think that one drained the gas tank and the defense has yet to recover. Maybe next year. — Karl Z.

They’re not getting much if any pressure on the opposing quarterback. With consistent D-line pressure, the secondary can make plays. Without it, the secondary is completely exposed. — Jeff S.

Adapt or Die: Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has been a bit of a lightning rod among fans this season. As his first year in the gig begins to wind down, how is Johnson really doing? Does he deserve to be the target of so much criticism? What do Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni, and other football experts think? Listen here.

Listen to all episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, Marcus Hayes, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Gabriela Carroll, and Owen McCue.

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’s all, folks. Maria will be at the newsletter controls on Wednesday morning. — Jim