Young Dawgs shine 🌟 | Sports Daily Newsletter

Over the past few years, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been collecting players from one of the most dominant defenses in college football: the University of Georgia. And on Sunday, fans caught a glimpse of his vision for the Eagles defense as “The Philly Dawgs” shined in a statement win over the Giants.

The former Bulldogs in Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean, and Nolan Smith combined for six pressures, six total tackles, and three sacks on Sunday. The trio (not counting fellow ex-Bulldog Jordan Davis, a run stopper who was rarely needed Sunday) showed a major difference from their limited production in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons — where they totaled just four total tackles, five pressures, and zero sacks.

And the youth movement on defense wasn’t limited to the front seven, either.

Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean turned in yet another solid showing. It’s the second week in a row that the Eagles have kept an opposing offense out of the end zone. Sure, it may have been against two mediocre offenses, but the high-level play they’ve gotten from their young defensive players shouldn’t be overlooked, writes EJ Smith.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓As of now, the Eagles are not favored against Cincinnati. What are your Week 8 predictions? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The book is closed on their 2024 season, and the Phillies are once again looking for an answer in the outfield. Specifically, can they finally add a dependable right-handed bat to help balance the lineup? They whiffed on two attempts this year in Whit Merrifield and Austin Hays. Who’s next? Lochlahn March takes stock of the outfield and explores some free-agent and prospect options for 2025.

We asked last week which Phillies should return in 2025 and which need to move on. Here is who you’d like to see find new homes along with the verdict for each from our Phillies writers.

Saquon Barkley’s return to MetLife Stadium could not have gone much better. His 176 yards on the ground were part of an Eagles’ rushing attack that tallied 269 yards on the day. Barkley now accounts for two of the top five speeds by a ballcarrier this season. He reached 21.93 mph during his 55-yard run in the second quarter. Here are some other stats that help tell the story of the win over the Giants.

Heading into the bye week, Jalen Hurts led all quarterbacks with 11 turnover-worthy plays. Among them were four interceptions and five fumbles (three lost) through four games. Two weeks later, Hurts has cut his turnover-worthy plays down to zero. He’s starting to find a balance between taking care of the football and hitting explosive plays.

It’s still unclear whether Paul George and Joel Embiid will be ready to play Wednesday for the Sixers’ season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. On Monday, George performed individual drills but didn’t practice, while Embiid participated in all portions up until the five-on-five scrimmage. At this point, no one should be surprised if the team opens the season undermanned.

Matvei Michkov was honored to go against “one of the greatest players ever” in Alex Ovechkin for the first time Tuesday as the Flyers took on the Washington Capitals at the Wells Fargo Center. The two Russians are at different ends of the career spectrum with Ovechkin, 39, playing in his 1,431st game and Michkov, 19, skating in his sixth. And although their paths haven’t fully crossed yet, their names certainly have.

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

Who has scored the most points in an NBA season opener?

A) Michael Jordan

B) Wilt Chamberlain

C) Kyrie Irving

D) Anthony Davis

We asked you: What was the best part about Sunday’s Eagles win? Among your responses:

Even tho they were playing the hapless Giants, the Birds gelled together in this game and played as a team. There were no miscues and despite injured players that were out, they played really well. That was a first this season. When you play well, good things happen. — Kathy T.

I watched all the highlights last night and Barkley was awesome. He was the most special part of the game for me. Maybe seeing Giant fans burning his old jerseys etc fired him up even more, but his performance was special. He labored without stardom all those years trying his best for a mostly mediocre Giants team. But, it was also a team effort all around, but next to Saquon the Defense was really good. Jeff McLain gave the line an A, linebackers a B+, corner backs an A-, and safety a B+. And can’t forget to O-line. Even with the injuries they were really on their game. No running back succeeds without them. We have to temper our excitement though due to the fact that it is only the Giants and not the Chiefs or Lions, but it is hopefully a start to what this team can be. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, EJ Smith, Olivia Reiner, Keith Pompey, Alex Coffey, Scott Lauber, Lochlahn March, Jackie Spiegel, DeAntae Prince, and Samuel O’Neal .

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! Have a wonderful Tuesday. Catch you back here tomorrow. — Bella