🦅 Run down in the rain | Sports Daily Newsletter

For a moment, it felt like the tide was changing. That the Eagles were going to come away with a win on a rainy Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field — and break the week-long curse of Philly sports teams losing.

But then the Los Angeles Rams mustered 14 unanswered points in just over two minutes late in the fourth quarter to seal the Birds’ 24-20 loss.

Jalen Hurts and the offense were held scoreless in the second half. The defense was sound until the Rams marched 79 yards down the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 7-yard Kyren Williams run.

Hurts threw for less than 100 yards and the defense faltered late under the weight of the team’s offensive struggles. Jeff McLane hands out his grades on the Eagles and their issues on both sides of the ball.

The Eagles were also plagued by injuries.

Entering Sunday’s game, Lane Johnson was a late scratch due to what the team called a personal issue. To make matters worse, they also lost Saquon Barkley, Quinyon Mitchell, Jonathan Greenard, and Tank Bigsby during the game. But Johnson’s late-breaking absence forced the Eagles to scramble. It’s unclear if he’ll be back for Week 5.

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

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First public appearance

The crowd inside Xfinity Mobile Arena erupted right before LeBron Jameswas introduced during the Blue x White scrimmage on Saturday, and the all-time great put on a show for his new city. As for James, he said, “I’m still getting more and more comfortable off the floor. … It’s been a great first week.”

However, even with a new star-studded team, Mike Gansey, the new president of basketball operations, said they will still be relying on Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid.

And Embiid seems to be in good health and spirits through the first week of camp. He also played a good portion of the Sixers scrimmage on Saturday.

The Sixers will begin preseason play tonight against the New York Knicks.

What we’re…

👀 Hearing: What Tom Brady said about the Eagles during Sunday’s Fox broadcast as he called the offense “really ugly.”

🙌 Praising: The Waterdogs won the 2026 Premier Lacrosse League championship. The team believes it will help in terms of developing fan engagement in Philly.

📖 Reading: Wet conditions didn’t stop spectators at the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic. For golfers, it was a different test.

🤔 Wondering: What did Eagles tailgaters have to say about the new guidelines made by parking lot officials?

Offseason questions

The Phillies have made the playoffs five years straight for only the second time in their 144-season history, but haven’t won a series since 2023. They’ve actually backslid one round every year since their unexpected run to the 2022 World Series.

Fixing the roster is up to Dave Dombrowski, who has one year left on his contract and is expected to get an extension. But the Phillies’ core of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Aaron Nola, J.T. Realmuto, and Zack Wheeler isn’t getting any younger.

There’s a lot of work to be done on a $322 million roster that only narrowly avoided a historic collapse, writes Scott Lauber.

Back to basics

The Flyers entered the 2025-26 season with great expectations. Less than a week into the season, and they are bordering on disaster.

They are still looking for their first win of the season, after losing 3-2 in overtime to the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

So Rick Tocchet decided it’s time for a change. He needs to get back to the basics. His team has been outshot 122-62 across the first three games, and they still haven’t been able to sync up. Their first extended road trip of the season could offer a chance to get on the same page.

And following the Flyers’ roster shakeup, Gabriela Carroll broke down each new forward line.

Finally finishing

For the past two weeks, Temple struggled to finish down the stretch. But on Saturday, against then-unbeaten South Florida, the Owls upset the Bulls, 17-13, on the road.

After trailing by three following a fumble by Ajani Sheppard near the goal line, the senior quarterback bounced back by running in for a touchdown. But Temple’s victory, which snapped a two-game losing skid, wouldn’t have been possible without the help from its defense.

However, Penn, Villanova, and Penn State didn’t have similar outcomes. Let’s start with Friday night at Northwestern, where the Wildcats played their first game in an $875 million stadium and ran all over the Nittany Lions in a 34-13 loss.

Villanova still hasn’t won a game at home this season after dropping a 38-35 game to Morgan State, while Penn opened Ivy League play against Dartmouth, but spoiled coach Rick Santos’ return to New Hampshire.

Marcus Hayes’ take

The Eagles led by 10 with 7½ minutes to play, at home, against a one-win team that lacked its two best defensive players. Then Nick Sirianni went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 2, called a pass play after running it down the Rams’ throats, gave away three points, and revived the Rams. Blame injuries if you like. That’s a loser’s excuse, writes columnist Marcus Hayes.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Marcus Hayes, Ryan Novozinsky, Jeff McLane, Scott Lauber, Jeff Neiburg, Gina Mizell, Conor Smith, Mia Messina, Lauren Jones, Jackie Spiegel, Gabriela Carroll, Chris Hine, Mike Livingston, Dylan Johnson, Hannah Chang, and Lexie Linderman.

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 getting your morning started with me. Have a wonderful Monday. Matt Mullin will be in your inbox tomorrow. — Bella