🦅 Eight in a row | Sports Daily Newsletter

There is no secret about the Eagles during their eight-game winning streak. They simply wear teams down. It happened again Sunday in a 24-19 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, when Vic Fangio’s defense held Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in check, then the Eagles handed the ball to Saquon Barkley to seal the deal.

That’s exactly what Barkley did. The Ravens have a nasty defense themselves, and they mostly contained the Eagles’ otherworldly running back for three quarters. By then the O-line and Barkley had worn down the hosts, though, and he ran for a 25-yard touchdown that proved to be the decisive score. Barkley finished with 107 yards on 23 carries.

The defense shut down the NFL’s top-ranked offense in a game when the Eagles won the war of the trenches on both sides of the ball. Now they are 10-2 and there can be no more debate. No more doubt, Marcus Hayes writes. The Eagles are a Super Bowl-caliber team.

Complete coverage of what may be the Eagles’ most impressive victory can be found here.

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

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One thing about the Sixers’ abysmal 4-14 start: The team’s many injuries have given them a chance to let their young players show what they can do. We’re all aware of what rookie Jared McCain has done, but KJ Martin and Ricky Council IV have made the most of their minutes lately, too.

Keith Pompey explains why it makes sense to keep the versatile Martin and Council in the rotation on a Sixers team that often looks old, slow, and small.

With yet another 3-9 football season in the books, Temple wasted little time in finding its next coach. The Owls announced the hiring of K.C. Keeler, whose name should ring a bell for many around here.

Keeler has coached Sam Houston State to a 9-3 record in its second season in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He won an FCS championship with the Bearkats in 2020 and another NCAA crown with Delaware in 2003. Before that, he guided Rowan to five Division III national championship games.

The Flyers could have fallen apart when starting goalie Sam Ersson went down with an injury, but two young netminders have more than kept them afloat. Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov started out slowly, but both are in a groove now. The Flyers will face a tough decision when Ersson returns.

How can the Phillies improve enough to give the Dodgers and others a run for their money in the National League? Dave Dombrowski has said the outfield is the most “obvious” place for an upgrade, but the free-agent market isn’t overly appealing beyond Juan Soto. The trade market isn’t much better.

Here’s an idea: How about moving Bryce Harper back to the outfield and pursuing a first baseman instead? Scott Lauber tells us why it might make sense.

In the latest episode of unCovering the Birds, Jeff McLane highlights Saquon Barkley’s record-setting performance against the Rams, with 302 all-purpose yards propelling the Eagles. Listen here.

Dec. 2, 1990: Randall Cunningham escaped the pass rush in his own end zone and connected with Fred Barnett for an electrifying 95-yard touchdown pass. Cunningham passed for 231 yards and ran for 71 more, but the Eagles lost to the Bills in Buffalo, 30-23.

We asked you: What do you think of McCain’s game and his case for Rookie of the Year?

The rookie McCain has game, more than was thought when he slipped down the draft list. Kinda like Tyrese Maxey did. Perhaps in another year, the Sixers will have the best guard tandem in the NBA. ... I think that all we have to look forward to for quite some time. Embiid is past his peak and with the attitude he has, he won’t ever be a dominant force again. ... With two old and beat up guys with contracts totaling $400 million over the next 3-4 years, the outlook is bleak through 2029. It is hard to get engaged with a team that has such little upside, even with a potential rookie of the year. — Jay W.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from EJ Smith, Marcus Hayes, Jeff McLane, Jeff Neiburg, Keith Pompey, Jackie Spiegel, Devin Jackson, Scott Lauber, Avery Hill, Mia Messina, and Owen Hewitt.

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.

Hope you’re well-rested coming off Thanksgiving break. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you in tomorrow’s newsletter. — Jim