Darius Slay under Monday night lights | Sports Daily Newsletter

Maybe prime-time games bring out the best in Darius Slay. Remember the Monday Night Football matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 19?

Slay muffled the vaunted Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson in a 24-7 Eagles victory. For good measure, the veteran cornerback picked off a pair of Kirk Cousins passes.

The Monday night lights will shine on Slay again tonight at 8:15 as the Eagles host the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field (ESPN).

The 8-0 Eagles have no-nonsense leaders like Jalen Hurts. They have passionate ones like Jason Kelce and they have other characters like Brandon Graham. But the happy-go-lucky Slay has a way, like no other, of keeping the locker room loose and yet tight-knit at the same time. Jeff McLane profiles Slay, who was named a team captain this season for the first time.

— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓ Which team will hand the Eagles their first loss and why? (Or will they go unbeaten through the Super Bowl?) Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Eagles fans are fired up over their results so far this season, but a word of caution: More 8-0 teams have failed to win a playoff game than have won the Super Bowl. Here’s the rundown on teams that had extended unbeaten runs through the years.

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders. Watch tonight at 7 at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday

Sixers forward P.J. Tucker is still working his way back physically after offseason arthroscopic knee surgery. In addition, he is feeling the effects of a bruised hip. But Tucker has been through the grind of an NBA season many times before and figures the recovery — for himself and the slow-starting Sixers — will work itself out.

“It’s more of a natural thing, because nobody’s ready for the playoffs right now,” Tucker says. “It’s impossible. You haven’t played enough games. The team hasn’t figured everything out. Even teams that have been together, it’s still a progression of the season to be able to get ready and get to that point. And it’s the buildup. It really is. It’s a buildup.”

However, Joel Embiid appears to be rounding into form with a career high against the Jazz.

Next: The Sixers host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (NBCSP).

Travis Konecny scored for the Flyers, but there were few other bright spots Sunday in a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers have dropped three in a row.

Next: The Flyers visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (Hulu, ESPN+).

A losing streak of three games might be a mere blip for some teams, but the U.S. women had not lost three games in a row since 1993. They made sure it wasn’t four in a come-from-behind 2-1 win against Germany in New Jersey.

The badly-needed win might have papered over some cracks the team still needs to deal with, writes Jonathan Tannenwald, especially on defense.

It’s hard to add a legitimate playoff-caliber rotation piece for a reasonable price. While Dave Dombrowski has sent some signals that the Phillies will be players in the blue-chip shortstop market this offseason, David Murphy writes that his most complicated task will be finding a way to add another reliable arm to his rotation. Plus, there are factors with the starters the Phillies already have: Will Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola show wear and tear? Can Ranger Suárez take the next step to stardom? And will Andrew Painter be ready at age 20?

In 1999, Donovan McNabb won on his Eagles debut despite passing for zero touchdowns and going 8-of-20 on completed passes for a total of 60 yards.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff McLane, Ed Barkowitz, Giana Han, Gina Mizell, Jonathan Tannenwald, David Murphy, Colin Beazley, Cayden Steele, Javon Edmonds, and Nicky Belgrad.