Top dog status | Sports Daily Newsletter

The Eagles have embraced their underdog status in the past. They won a Super Bowl with it. Jason Kelce even has a line of clothing with the moniker. But this season, the Eagles have been led by a quietly confident Jalen Hurts, whose ambition is as big as his talent, even as both are dwarfed by his massive work ethic. The Eagles ended the season with a subdued version of the star quarterback, who was still recovering from an injured shoulder, doing the minimum required to win against the Giants. Saturday’s rematch showed the full power of a healthy Hurts leading the Eagles.

But the San Francisco 49ers aren’t the Giants. They’re a tough team with some top talent, even if their backup quarterback is currently leading the squad. The Niners handled the Dallas Cowboys with little trouble to advance and face the Eagles.

There’s a reason the Eagles are only slight favorites, and that’s partly because the Eagles themselves have shown what a good team can do under a backup QB. Now the Eagles will have to prove they can succeed as top dogs as well as they once did as underdogs.

The Inquirer’s David Murphy takes a closer look at the matchups.

— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Tackle Lane Johnson played through a torn groin muscle and center Jason Kelce apparently played with a quadriceps injury — and the Eagles still pulverized the Giants at the Linc.

Despite the injuries, the Eagles rushed for 268 yards. Afterward, the players marveled about Johnson’s grit in playing with pain. Kelce shrugged off his latest injury: “I think it’ll be fine,” he said. “It’ll be like a deep thigh bruise. You can never tell on these things until the next day.”

Tackle Jordan Mailata said much the same thing after he hyperextended his elbow in the first off. He played on. Guard Landon Dickerson suffered a leg injury and left the field briefly ... but of course he returned. Jeff McLane chronicles the offensive line’s toughness.

If the O-linemen represent the guts of the Eagles, then Jalen Hurts represents much more. In describing the quarterback’s importance to the team, Nick Sirianni compared Hurts to Michael Jordan.

In his What We Learned feature, Jeff McLane takes a deeper look at Hurts’ performance and weighs in on that comparison to Jordan.

Next: The Eagles play the 49ers/Cowboys in the NFC championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. (Fox29).

Take a bow, Temple Owls. Aaron McKie’s team upset a top-ranked opponent for the first time since 2000, as Damian Dunn scored 16 points in a 56-55 victory at No. 1 Houston.

“To be able to win a game like this on the road is tremendous,” McKie said. “They’re really good and I think they’re going to go deep in the postseason.”

Temple improved to 12-9 overall, 6-2 in the American Athletic Conference.

Tobias Harris has been on the chopping block for years at this point, with his name often emerging around this time of year as the NBA trade deadline approaches. This time around, the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey contends that the Sixers should keep Harris on board — at least through the end of the season.

Playing for a team short on fully healthy players or deep bench options, Harris has been a godsend for the Sixers as he has become a jack of all trades.

Next: The Sixers host Ben Simmons and the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN).

Cam York, 21, has been up with the Flyers for 20 games this season and is growing more comfortable in his role as a rover on the top pairing alongside Ivan Provorov.

With more freedom to roam forward on the attack, York has been creating more offensively. “Wherever I see an opportunity, I’m going to take it,” York said.

Flyers Hall of Famer Rick Tocchet has been hired to replace Bruce Boudreau as coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Flyers fought back, then fell against the Winnipeg Jets.

Even people who don’t follow soccer much now know that the U.S. men’s national team is currently without a coach as Gregg Berhalter’s contract has not been renewed pending an investigation into a 1991 intimate partner violence incident. Current USMNT midfielder Gio Reyna’s parents, USMNT legend and World Cup veteran Claudio and Danielle, who has six caps for the U.S. women’s national team, are also under investigation for improper contact with U.S. Soccer staff, namely complaining about Berhalter and informing sporting director Earnie Stewart about the 1991 incident.

It thus makes perfect sense that the first person the USSF leaves without a contract is USMNT manager Brian McBride, no?

Soccer writer Jonathan Tannenwald does his best to untangle the knotty issues that appear to have resulted in the affable McBride getting booted.

It’s early, but the USWNT is on fire early in its World Cup year.

Also, whatever problems the USMNT may have, those aren’t happening because the Union organization is working against them in any way.

Ah, that 2004 Eagles team was special, wasn’t it? There are many who can rattle off all the key players on that squad almost 20 years later. Jan. 23, 2005, was the high-water mark, as the Eagles claimed the NFC championship with a 27-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jonathan Tannenwald, Josh Tolentino, Olivia Reiner, David Murphy, Giana Han, Keith Pompey, Javon Edmonds, Jeff McLane, Mike Jensen, and Mike Sielski.