So, what now? | Sports Daily Newsletter

Last week was rough. First, the Phillies were bounced in the National League Division Series after having the best 50-game start in franchise history. Then, the Eagles barely secured a win against one of the worst teams in the NFL — and Nick Sirianni became the talk of the town, thanks to his sideline antics.

How did we get here? And more importantly, where do we go from here? Columnist Marcus Hayes’ shed some light on those thoughts regarding the Eagles. Sirianni’s sideline debacle with the fans is who he is. Sure, he should be able to handle the heat, but let’s not jump to conclusions about the rest of the season.

This is the same guy who took the Eagles to the playoffs three years in a row, took them to a Super Bowl, and won 11 games in a down year last season — now his team is 3-2. As for the Phillies, well, Dave Dombrowski didn’t get into specifics about their plan weeks before the free-agent and trade markets take shape.

However, Scott Lauber writes, even though the Phillies are bought into an expensive core, getting over the postseason hump might require some offseason creativity.

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

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Dave Dombrowski announced Tuesday that the Phillies have extended Rob Thomson’s contract through the 2026 season, and that all coaches would be returning. Thomson, who initially planned to retire from baseball two years ago, said “this is the only place I want to be, and this will be my last stop.”

As conversations turn to the Phillies’ offseason moves, Dombrowski needs to do a better job than last year, writes columnist David Murphy. It took the Phillies 10 years to build a roster capable of winning a World Series. Yet they are no closer to winning the thing than they were three seasons ago, when they broke their decadelong playoff drought. The upcoming offseason is a do-over of sorts.

In Sirianni’s postgame press conference on Sunday, the fourth-year head coach shared that he “made a call” on defense that “didn’t work,” seeking to take some of the blame off his defensive coordinator. But Vic Fangio, the first-year Eagles DC, said Tuesday that Sirianni didn’t make a defensive call and was merely alerting him of what the Browns might do.

In recent weeks, the Eagles’ special teams have made a trio of not-so-special plays. Michael Clay, the special-teams coordinator, called them “catastrophic” — the most recent was a blocked field goal that former Eagles safety Rodney McLeod turned into a touchdown. Here’s how Clay looks to “get rid” of those plays that have characterized their unit.

Paul George felt his knee hyperextend back after he poked the ball away from Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson during Monday’s preseason win over the Hawks. The All-Star forward is disappointed about missing on-court time with his new team ahead of its Oct. 23 season opener. However, he’s “not too concerned” about the long-term prognosis.

During Tuesday’s practice, Nick Nurse confirmed that George’s knee “checked out OK” — there’s no damage and surgery is not necessary — but the coach won’t have a timeline for his return until an MRI is completed.

The Flyers knew the challenge that awaited them Tuesday night against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

“He’s not a guy you can really stop, it’s more or less limit,” said defenseman Travis Sanheim.

But while McDavid, the best player in the world, presents all sorts of challenges to a defense, including a heavy focus on gap control, John Tortorella’s priorities are on his the 23 guys wearing orange and black.

I don’t overthink it,” Tortorella said about Edmonton’s dynamic duo. “I’m more concerned about our team as far as some of the things we need to improve on early in the year. Whatever they do with their lines, we’ll see where we’re at and make our call, but we don’t spend a lot of time going over the other team.”

Which New York Giants quarterback botched the handoff that the Eagles’ Herm Edwards returned for a touchdown in the 1978 Miracle at the Meadowlands?

B. Joe Pisarcik. — RJ M. was first with the correct answer.

We asked you to describe your best experience as a fan. Among your responses:

Retired now in Florida, I live and die with Philly teams. I only attended one game at the Linc. It was late in that season and an ice storm had hit a day or so before. Because of this, the ice was still sheeted on the ovehanging roof. it was bright and sunny on that Sunday afternoon, and the only thing I remember is a huge sheet of ice that broke free, slid down the roof, and plummeted into the stands a few feet from me. It came down horizontally, and the ice sheet edge looked like a falling guillotine. Luckily no one saw it coming, no heads went rolling, and it shattered when it touched down. after that, most of us spent more time looking up than watching the game, and I forget who won, or who the Eagles played that day. I watch every game of the Phillies, Eagles and Sixers now from the comfort of my barcalounger, safe from falling ice sheets, subscribing to NFL+ Premium, MLB.TV.com, and NBA.TV. I think the total annual cost of my subscriptions is close to the price of one Eagles ticket ($2150 average for 8 games usually), and the commute from my house in Florida is too long at my age. — John W.

Having lived the last 46 years in California and Arizona I have never been to the Linc. All my Eagle games were seen at Shibe Park and Franklin Field. My best fan experience was watching the Eagles beat the Packers at Franklin Field on a very cold afternoon to win the last NFL Championship before the Super Bowls. The coworkers I watched the game with are gone, and one was a close friend of Chuck Bednarik’s. A game never to be forgotten with Radnor’s Ted Dean scoring the winning TD. — Everett S.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, David Murphy, Olivia Reiner, Scott Lauber, Marcus Hayes, Lochlahn March, Kerith Gabriel, Jackie Spiegel, Isabella DiAmore, and Avery Hill.

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 Wednesday, Philly. Kerith will be in your inbox tomorrow. — Bella