For the second week in a row, the Eagles managed to scrape out a win — improving to 2-0 after a 24-20 comeback victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville. Most of the discourse has centered around Jalen Hurts’ clutch gene and the Eagles offense.
Here’s what the national media is saying about the Birds following their Week 2 win …
It wasn’t looking great for the Eagles early. Saquon Barkley was injured on the first play and didn’t return until the second half. Hurts threw an interception in the end zone, and Dallas Goedert exited the game in the second quarter and never returned because of a knee injury.
Despite it all, the Eagles left Music City with a win. Former 49ers quarterback and current ESPN analyst Alex Smith praised the Eagles for their comeback.
“They stole this win,” Smith said on ESPN’s Get Up. “You had no Saquon, no Dallas Goedert. Jalen Hurts, two terrible interceptions, and then they put this final drive together where they looked unbelievable. … Now, the question is, they need to make some improvements across the board. They didn’t play good. There was some glaring errors on both sides of the ball but to get a W on the road when you shouldn’t have, this goes a long way from an energy standpoint.”
The Eagles were down 20-17 with less than two minutes left to play in the fourth quarter. After throwing two interceptions, Hurts led a nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive to give the Eagles a 24-20 lead with just nine seconds remaining.
“Say what you want to say, a win’s a win,” said former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy on The Speakeasy podcast. “There’s some times in football where you play so great, and then you find a way to lose. There’s some times you play bad, but you find a way to win. All this conversation this week about Jalen Hurts this, Jalen Hurts that, make him be a quarterback — it ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish.
“The way that Jalen Hurts carried this offense today, it wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect. But when we need him most, in clutch moments, you pay quarterbacks to win games late. Check this out. No A.J. Brown, no Saquon Barkley, no Dallas Goedert, no more timeouts. Jalen Hurts, no problem. That’s how you win games.”
"A WIN'S A WIN! When we needed Jalen Hurts the most, HE SHOWED UP! THAT'S how you win games!"
– @CutonDime25 HYPES his QB1 up following an Eagles' clutch 24-20 victory over the Titans
Hurts threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-37 passing. Ten-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson was impressed.
“I think the big thing was, Jalen kept responding throughout that game,” Wilson said on CBS Sports. “He had a turnover, had another turnover. He stayed calm in the midst of it all and he found a way to win the game. That’s the key about winning in the NFL. Can you win the games late? And he was able to do that.”
And after sealing the win in the last minute, Hurts received praise on social media.
“The Eagles would be 0-2 with about 20 other quarterbacks,” Emmanuel Acho wrote. “They’d be 1-1 with about 7 other quarterbacks. They’re 2-0 with Jalen Hurts.”
The Eagles would be 0-2 with about 20 other quarterbacks.
“You mess with Jalen Hurts, you mess with all of us,” Dawn Staley wrote. “How about QB1 on his game winning drive? Now apologize. And DeVonta Smith WR1 you are unreal.”
You mess with @JalenHurts you mess with all of us! How bout QB1 on his game winning drive?! Now apologize 🤣🤣🤣 And @devontasmith WR1 you are unreal!! #IBelieve
Despite the win, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith needs to see more from the Eagles offense.
“I don’t like what I’m seeing with the Eagles offense,” Smith said on First Take. “I’m not sitting here saying they’re going to miss the playoffs. I’m not sitting here saying they’re scrubs. I’m saying the championship team we saw from a couple years ago, there has been a precipitous dropoff” compared to other NFC teams.
Now, the 2-0 Birds turn their attention toward Week 3 as they prepare to travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
From the Birds’ chances this weekend to updates on year-end awards, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks …
Video: Gameday Central: Is it time for the Eagles to start Willie Lampkin?
Eagles-Bears odds
The Eagles are coming off two games in which they barely escaped with wins over the Washington Commanders and Titans.
The Bears (1-1) would be the Birds’ toughest challenge to date. However, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. He was scheduled to undergo imaging on Monday and his status is uncertain.
The last time the teams met was in November 2025, when the Bears defeated the Eagles, 24-15, at Lincoln Financial Field on Black Friday. As they prepare to compete again in primetime, the Eagles open as early road favorites.
Roughly four miles from Nissan Stadium, where the Eagles will play the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, there will be a little piece of Philly in Nashville.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, at Corner Bar South on Nolensville Pike, former Titans linebacker Avery Williamson will be selling his own version of Philadelphia’s signature water ice. He uses a recipe he bought from Philly native David Gavin, the owner of Blazin Flavorz, a North Philly restaurant known for its gourmet pretzels and creative water ice flavors.
“This is not knockoff water ice,” Williamson said. “This is legit Philly water ice. We had a number of Philly people pull up and try, and they gave me the stamp of approval. So I’m excited for everybody to try it out.”
Williamson opened his water ice company, Tennessee Crush Water Ice, in April 2025. After retiring from the NFL in 2021, the Kentucky alumnus was looking for something else to be passionate about. And after years of trial and error, he found it in the form of water, sugar, and fruit juice.
“It’s something that’s gotten me out of my funk of being five years removed,” Williamson said. “It’s gotten me out of that funk and just that mindset of not accomplishing anything, even though I’ve accomplished a lot. But as a person that’s been at that top level, when you’re done, you’re like, ‘Now I’m at the bottom.’
“I think the biggest thing when I got done playing was that it was an identity crisis. And you’ve done something for so long, so when you take off the pads, it’s painful. It’s a painful process. You want people to respect you in a different sense now. I was like, ‘OK, I can’t play football. So I want people to see me as a businessperson.’”
Tennessee Crush Water IceCourtesy of Avery Williamson
Finding a new passion
After seven seasons in the NFL, Williamson tried to find his next passion. First, he started a YouTube channel called Tailgate 54. After one year, he started looking into working in financial services. Then he started a landscaping business, coached high school football, worked in trucking, and opened a building for multipurpose space.
He didn’t discover his true passion until 2024, when he attended Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith’s celebrity softball game.
“I was two years removed from the game and was just trying to figure everything out,” Williamson said. “I was getting ready to open up a business back here in my hometown [of Milan, Tenn.]. I was like, ‘I really don’t want to go.’ But I ended up doing it. I just wasn’t in the best mood. It was a weird time in my life, and so we were going to the softball tournament that day, riding to the stadium, and [Ryan Sanders and Lauren Westerman] were talking about water ice. I’m sitting back in my chair, like, ‘What are they talking about?’ And they kept talking about it. So, I finally asked, ‘What are y’all saying?’ And one of the ladies was like, ‘I’m saying water ice’ and I was like ‘What is that?’”
On that trip, he tried his first water ice: a “red flavor” from Rita’s.
“I was like ‘Yo, what did I just eat?’ I wasn’t expecting that at all,” Williamson said. “It just blew my mind how good it was.”
Avery Williamson, here returning an interception in a game against the Arizona Cardinals in 2020, played for the Titans, Steelers, and Jets.Frank Franklin II / AP
A year later, Williamson was thinking of new stores to go into his building in Milan, which is in western Tennessee. That’s when plans for Tennessee Crush Water Ice were set into motion. He reached out to Sanders, who put him in touch with Gavin, who has owned Blazin Flavorz for 14 years.
“In this culture, a lot of us safeguard, and it’s not too many opportunities for minorities to make a way out,” Gavin said. “I tried to make sure I was going to be that bridge for the culture to make sure I did not safeguard stuff. So once he retired from the NFL, he’s trying to look for something because most of the people when they retire, they don’t know what to get into after that. So I told them this is a great opportunity and Tennessee would be wide open for them.”
After Williamson bought Gavin’s recipe, he purchased a water ice machine, and his wife, Kelli, found a food truck they could use to sell water ice on the go while using one of the spaces in his building as the company’s factory.
Williamson opened the business in April 2025, setting up their bright orange trailer in a Kroger parking lot — before the truck was wrapped in Titans blue with cartoon images of Williamson decorating the sides.
“Nobody knew who I was, incognito,” Williamson said. “I didn’t have a sign. I had nothing. And then a guy and his son came up, they were asking what it was and I was like, ‘It’s water ice.’ They tried it, and he was like, ‘Man, this stuff is really good.’ And that’s when I was like, ‘We got something.’”
The flavors sold at the trailer are sour apple, tiger’s blood, mango, strawberry, blue apple, blue raspberry, pineapple explosion, cotton candy, and Nerds gummy.Avery Williamson
Throughout the summer, the Williamsons worked festivals and end-of-year school events before getting into high school football games. But winter was a dead period for the company.
“I was about to burn the trailer last November,” Williamson said. “I was so mad. Things just weren’t going as planned. I told my wife, I’m done with it, and someone told me not to do it. But I was going to take it in the middle of the field, just light it on fire.
“I was almost … ready to quit. Like, people looked at me crazy. I know people were probably like, ‘Yo, this man got to be broke.’ But I was genuinely just trying to find a hustle, trying to find something that I could wake up and be excited about. And because I’m retired, you’re looking for that thing to really get you going. So I know people looked at me crazy. But, I just kept on pushing, pushing, contacting people.”
That’s when Williamson decided to reach out to his former Kentucky teammate, Edward Berry, who is now an agent for CAA Sports. Berry helped Williamson secure a spot at this year’s NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
“That was a huge boost and momentum shift leading to this year. I mean, we served over 2,000 people,” Williamson said. “We had a lot of success, we got some great content, and it boosted the business back here. So I was like, ‘If I’m going to do this, I just need to really attack the media space.’ So we started doing more content and just started pushing and pushing it hard.”
The NFL draft in Pittsburgh was a big break for Avery Williamson and his company, Tennessee Crush Water Ice.Avery Williamson
Since then they’ve expanded to schools with premade cups, festivals, Kentucky’s Venture River Water Park, and colleges like Austin Peay, Bethel University, and Kentucky.
“Football taught me the grind. It’s every day, it’s nonstop, and it’s the same in business,” Williamson said. “I thought I was going to jump out and start making money like that. But no, I had to literally pay my dues to figure out what I wanted to do and find what excited me. And water ice is just something that excites me. I love getting into these events and seeing people try.”
Former NFL linebacker Avery Williamson says he loves bringing water ice to people.Avery Williamson
‘Football is not forever’
As of what’s next for Tennessee Crush Water Ice, Williamson hopes to close a deal with a major college, he wants to build a drive-in for his water ice factory, he’s hoping to find a spot in Nashville to sell from, and he’s thinking of expanding to even more states.
But for now, he’s just grateful to have found his passion outside of football.
“It’s truly amazing to see what you can accomplish when you put in the work, the time, the effort,” Williamson said. “When I was done playing, I just walked away from it. I wish I would have had a game plan. I didn’t. I tell guys to get a game plan together. Football is not forever. Find a passion, find it early, and just work at it.”
Dozens of children between the ages of 3 and 12 lined up in front of the ice hockey rink at Hollydell Ice Arena on Thursday — wearing helmets, blades, and shoulder pads that appeared large compared to their small stature. At the sound of the whistle, they took off — with some on Bambi legs — as they followed their instructor, Guy Gaudreau, toward the entrance of the skating rink.
“This is more like home than home away from home,” Gaudreau said. “I spent 30 years here running the rink as hockey director, and John and Matt basically lived here with me. They were on the ice a lot and they made a lot of friends here. It’s just such a great sport. Anyone in the hockey world understands what I’m talking about.”
Thursday marked the first day of the Gaudreau Family Foundation’s first-ever learn-to-play/learn-to-skate program, a free initiative to introduce boys and girls to hockey in a fun, safe, and supportive environment. The 12-week program was made possible through the funds raised at the Gaudreau Family 5K & Family Day.
“We get them in learn-to-skate, learn-to-play,” Gaudreau said. “Now, we’re working with the NHL a little, trying to create a league that is financially — it won’t cost them anything to play one game a week, one practice a week. … We want them to continue. We don’t want them to fall in love with the sport and say ‘Hey, sorry. We’re done.’ So, we have a lot of work ahead of us to get that done.”
This is just one way the Gaudreaus have continued to honor the legacies of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were both struck and killed in August 2024 by an alleged drunk driver while biking near their family’s home in Salem County. Matthew, who played professional hockey for five seasons, and whose wife, Madeline, gave birth to the couple’s first son five months later, was 29. And Johnny, a seven-time NHL All-Star and father of three, was 31.
Guy Gaudreau comes to the side of the rink to get another child on to the ice during Thursday’s skate lesson.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Over the summer, the Gaudreau family also completed a yearlong project at Archbishop Damiano School, a special needs school that the family has been connected to for over 50 years, opening the Gaudreau Brothers’ Wings of Hopes and Chrysalis Corner, an adaptive playground for children with special needs.
“This was always important to the boys, they loved children, and they always wanted everybody to play hockey, even their friends from school who had never heard of hockey,” said Jane Gaudreau, Johnny and Matthew’s mother. “They were always trying to get someone involved in hockey. They wanted to grow the game, they wanted everybody to have a chance to play hockey, and I just think this is so important to them.”
After teaching the kids the basics of skating, Guy led them in a number of beginner skating drills to let the kids find their footing on their blades. He did something similar when teaching both John and Matty how to play as kids — but he has one lesson for all the hockey parents: Be patient.
“My son Matthew was probably two and a half [years old] when we did learn-to-skate and he did an hour of snow angels,” Gaudreau said. “Of course, me being a crazy hockey fan, I wasn’t too happy about it. But he finally grew out of that. So, it’s patience. You have to have patience. That’s one thing we’re going to tell the parents, be patient. They may go out there 10 minutes and if that’s all they’re going to do, that’s great. Next week, we’ll have them do 20 minutes. They got to work their way into it.”
Guy Gaudreau (right) helps Hunter Jax Caruso, 5, of Williamstown with his hockey equipment.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
To make the sport more accessible, all of the children received a bag full of hockey equipment for free before they headed into the rink.
“There were so many children that couldn’t afford to play hockey,” Jane said. “And when we put it out on social media, we realized that was exactly the case. We had so many people that wrote in and said, ‘I never played hockey. I don’t know anything about it, but we watch it on TV and we just want to get our children involved.’ And we were like, OK, this is perfect. Let’s try this.”
After escaping Week 1 with a 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders, the Eagles (1-0) travel to Nissan Stadium in Nashville to face the Tennessee Titans (0-1). As both teams prepare for the Week 2 matchup, here’s an updated look at game odds and some interesting player prop bets from two of the biggest sportsbooks:
Eagles vs. Titans updated odds
The last time these teams met was in 2022, the Eagles defeated the Ryan Tannehill-led Titans, 35-10, at Lincoln Financial Field. While the Eagles are coming off a win, the Titans are coming off a 23-10 loss to the New York Jets, the team’s sixth straight season opening loss.
Entering the week, the FanDuel and DraftKings sportsbooks have the Eagles listed as 7-point favorites.
Jalen Hurts got it done through the air and on his feet in the Eagles’ Week 1 win over Washington, completing 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards while rushing for 46 yards on seven carries.
Titans starting quarterback Cam Ward completed 19 of 32 passes for 140 yards vs. the Jets. For Sunday’s game, Hurts’ over/under is set at around 206 passing yards, while Ward’s is set at around 188 passing yards.
Tight end Dallas Goedert led the Eagles in receiving with 77 yards on four receptions vs. Washington. Dontayvion Wicks followed with two receptions for 73 yards.
Wan’Dale Robinson and Carnell Tate led the Titans with 38 receiving yards in their loss to the Jets.
The Eagles escaped Week 1 with a 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. Following the game, most of the chatter has centered around Jalen Hurts’ performance, a lackluster showing from the offensive line, and concern for Landon Dickerson.
Here’s everything they’re saying about the Birds following the season opener …
‘He played elite’
Heading into the season, concerns surrounding Jalen Hurts and yet another offensive coordinator change was apparent. With the hiring of Sean Mannion, the veteran quarterback has now had five different offensive coordinators in five years. But following Sunday’s victory, some of those concerns have been addressed.
The Super Bowl champion got it done through the air and on the ground, completing 14 of 25 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns. He also scrambled for 48 yards.
Nick Foles, who made a strong debut as a studio analyst during Netflix’s broadcast of the 49ers-Rams game this week, said Jalen Hurts “was elite” in the Eagles’ win over the Commanders. Netflix
“How [Hurts] played today, he played elite,” said former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on The SZN with Nick & Evan. “Because what I saw from him, you’re going to miss throws. You’re going to, like, not be perfect. But I saw him deliver the ball downfield with authority. And then like a lot of his, all his touchdowns were on time and rhythm. He had great throws across the middle.
“What he did today was fantastic. With Jalen Hurts, [if he] isn’t out there, you’re not winning that game. He willed them the win. Defense played great, made some great plays. But everyone in Philadelphia, I know they know this, but Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback and he’s approaching that elite category.”
Nick Foles grades Jalen Hurts' Week 1 performance against the Commanders 🧐
And Foles wasn’t the only former Eagles player praising the quarterback for his performance.
“Are we impressed?” said former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy on The Speakeasy podcast. “All you heard all year was ‘Jalen Hurts, he’s fighting for a new deal, what’s he going to do without A.J. [Brown]?’ Well, my friend. He looked good to me. When we couldn’t move the ball, he found ways to get it done with his arm and his legs. That’s a true testament to a real champion, a real winner, and a real QB1.
“The thing with Jalen Hurts is, I love it because he controlled the whole game, right. There were some points where we couldn’t move the ball. And you know, defense, they make plays on the other side, but Jalen showed up and I just wanted to see what they were going to say. What are they going to say though? Because he can throw the ball, or he can run the ball. Whatever y’all like, we give. And he doesn’t throw any picks, so what are we talking about?”
.@CutonDime25: "What's Jalen Hurts gonna do without AJ? WELL!!!! He looked good to me!"
Shady McCoy HYPE about his quarterback's performance in the Eagles' 24-22 win over the Commanders
The Commanders had a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion in the last minute before Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo sniffed out the shovel pass to give the Birds the win. Despite the victory, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky still needs to see a lot of growth from the team.
“They were fine, a lot of splash, not much substance, not much that is sustainable,” Orlovsky said on First Take. “There’s highs, which kind of happened at times last year, but still too many lows for me when it comes to the lack of consistency. I think the pass game was a little bit too horizontal, side-to-side.
Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo (center) made the tackle on the Commanders’ final two-point conversion attempt.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“There will have to be some pretty significant growth over the next month for this offense to play with the likes of San Francisco, what we saw from the Giants last night, the Buccaneers had a good offensive performance outside of turnovers. So, it was solid but nothing that I’m sitting here saying that this is a completely different unit and they’re going to score 30 points a game.”
Hurts joins Johnny Unitas and Roger Staubach as the only quarterbacks in the last 76 years to win each of their first six season openers. But Hurts was sacked three times, leaving many worried about the offensive line.
“The Eagles do not win that game without Jalen Hurts,” said Emmanuel Acho on The Speakeasy podcast. “Jalen Hurts is the sole reason why the Philadelphia Eagles won this game. The Eagles offensive line, not just bad, atrocious. Landon Dickerson played an incredibly forgettable game.”
The former Eagles linebacker also double downed on social media.
“Landon Dickerson has been great for the Eagles in his career, but he has to get healthy or hang it up,” Acho wrote. “Jalen Hurts is running for his life on nearly every pass play because of him.”
Landon Dickerson has been great for the Eagles in his career, but he has to get healthy or hang it up. Jalen Hurts is running for his life on nearly every pass play because of him.
Dickerson underwent knee surgery in August 2025 to repair a torn meniscus. The three-time Pro Bowler appeared slower on the field, leaving many concerned about his future.
“Landon Dickerson is playing like he’s not the Landon Dickerson we see get the contract extension and make Pro Bowls,” said Jon Marks on 97.5 The Fanatic. “He looked like a turnstile yesterday. And I’ve seen that term used a couple times and Andrew and I both said it today. It’s what we saw last year. He just doesn’t look like that’s him. And I don’t think that’s good enough right now.”
Foles isn’t too worried about the offensive line at the moment.
“The offensive line is going to be fine,” Foles said. “They have some amazing veterans there. When it’s a new scheme, it takes time to just acclimate, get comfortable with it. Let something marinate a little bit. You let something marinate overnight, it’s going to have a little more flavor. So, they’re going to be just fine.”
Just 24 hours ago, Lincoln Financial Field was transformed into Beaver Stadium East as a sea of blue and white infiltrated the stadium for Penn State’s 27-9 win over Temple. But Sunday morning felt different.
Familiar midnight green and black jerseys covered the asphalt of the tailgating lots, DJs set up in front of green RVs, Eagles chants could be heard over music, and brave Washington fans scattered throughout the lots as they prepared to watch the Commanders take on the Eagles in their season opener.
“I bleed green, cut me, it’ll be green paint everywhere,” said Philly native Teddy Warren. “This is my time of year. I do nothing but this right here. The whole year [goes] by, we do nothing. Soon as Eagles football starts, everything is shut down. I don’t even go on vacation. This is vacation.”
Video: Sights and sounds from the tailgate scene at the Eagles season opener
From elevated grill dishes to recreational sports in the parking lots, here’s everything you missed from the Eagles’ home opener tailgates:
‘Rain, snow, sleet, or shine, we out here’
Gray clouds covered the South Philadelphia sports complex, light rain hit the already soaked pavement of the parking lots, and puddles formed along the curbs. But that wasn’t stopping fans from the home opener festivities.
“Doesn’t matter the weather, we’re going to be here,” said 38-year-old Plymouth Meeting native Jordan Anthony.
Anthony and Anthony Fanelli, 35, arrived at the tailgating lots at 7:30 a.m. They patiently waited for kickoff while passing a football.
Greg Gorski of Elkins Park tailgates before the Eagles play the Commanders on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
“Last year, we were at both the snow games,” Fanelli said. “Freezing weather, but it don’t matter. We’re out here bleeding green. That’s what we do.”
Anthony and Fanelli weren’t the only fans unaffected by the rain. Warren has been tailgating Eagles games for 18 years, and he’s seen it all, including in 2010 when a game against the Minnesota Vikings was rescheduled because of an unexpected blizzard.
“Rain, snow, sleet, or shine, we out here,” Warren said. “I was out here when we was supposed to play Minnesota. Guys out here with snowblowers. That’s all. They bringing snowblowers just for that. Snow was up to the knees. I was out here in my tank top, cooking, deep frying.”
Barbells and basketball nets
By 1 p.m., the gray skies had faded and the sun peeked out, giving fans the perfect tailgate weather three hours before kickoff.
Eagles fans had the perfect recipe for success: beer (lots of it), water (less of it), and a basketball net attached to an arcade bus and bench press with 135 pounds attached to the bar.
In Lot D, the basketball hoop was on the back of Alex’s Arcade Bus, which has been in operation for a year. It features six televisions with multiple gaming consoles, including PlayStations and a Wii.
“As you can see, it’s a full-time job,” said West Philly native Marcell Porter. “It takes at least three of us to run it and that’s just the basketball court. Not even counting the Xbox and PlayStations. When we put those on, we can’t get the kids off it.”
Porter is an auto body technician and did all the infrastructure for the bus within two months. The bus, decorated with gaming characters like Chun Li, Mario, and Sonic, is used for kids’ birthday parties, but tailgates are among their driving forces to attract new customers.
“This is where we get most of our customers, most of our people,” Porter said. “Once people see our bus, they play basketball, they look at our QR code, and send us pictures.”
But if basketball wasn’t your thing, fans could make the long walk over to M Lot to The People’s Bench to see how many 135-pound reps they could get out pregame.
William Schaeffer, Dalton Kristiniak, and Craig Michelbacher — the creators behind the popular social media account The People’s Bench — returned to the tailgating lots after getting a lot of attention during the playoffs.
Philly native Daryus Watson, 26, was tempted by the bench and got an extra nudge from Remiah Hughes.
“I know that he’s able to do it,” Hughes said. “He be helping me. We be in the gym sometimes, and I know he can definitely do it. And I wanted him to be up on the board.”
Watson needed 44 reps to make it onto the leaderboard, but he finished with 40.
“It was a great experience,” Watson said. “I haven’t benched in a long time. Ended up getting to 40, so I’m happy with that. I wanted to get on the board, but I didn’t have enough in the tank.”
The grill masters come out
Derrick Simmons tossed his towel over his shoulder and peered inside his large smoker trailer to check on the ribs, chicken, hot dogs, and sausages he had been prepping before the game.
“This is just my pit,” Simmons said. “We cook anything on this jawn, black bear that we get from Merry Hill, North Carolina, deer, we throw whatever on this joint. We mess around with that farm-raised catfish too.”
The Philly native has family ties to North Carolina. He decided to purchase the smoker about 10 years ago, following requests from his family to host a number of family cookouts.
“We just out here celebrating the Birds,” Simmons said. “We going to beat down on Washington. Get the food, get the eats. And you got to eat. The folks out here, you haven’t heard it from me, but they like to drink. So you got to feed it. You got to feed it. You got to start out by eating.”
Jeff Waige is known as the cook for the Lower Mayfair tailgating party.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
And Simmons wasn’t the only one throwing down in the tailgating lots. Dylan Marck was standing behind his grill at his usual spot in M Lot, cooking Wagyu New York strips and smoked pecan rosemary chicken. Marck, a self-taught chef, has been serving high-end cuisines such as lobster, pressed duck, steak — and even camel — at Philly tailgates since 2022. And this season, he already has a few new ideas in the works.
“The one thing I’m kind of interested in doing is pizza,” Marck said. “But the temperature has to be right. The dough is very finicky, and it’s very sensitive. So if we hit a nice window where it’s like 70 degrees, not too hot, not too humid, we’re going to bring a pizza oven out and do pizza.”
A celebration and a Commanders-to-Eagles switchover?
A sign that read “Happy 40th birthday, Sam” hung from a tent in D Lot, where Sam Bartoshesky and Bladen Potter, 28, sat ahead of the game. Both made the trip from Dewey Beach on Friday to spend the weekend in Philly for Bartoshesky’s 40th birthday.
“Forty is a tough thing to turn,” Bartoshesky said. “It’s just a different stage in life. But the one thing I really wanted to do is just be in my favorite city and just have all of this energy around me. It’s so fun, and you get all different walks of life here, but everybody comes together for one thing, and that’s to celebrate the Eagles.”
The city has even won over Potter, who grew up on the outside of Washington rooting for its football team. She also went to high school with Commanders receiver Stefon Diggs. But that connection still isn’t enough to keep her from making the switch to the Birds bandwagon.
“I have recently fallen in love with the city of Philly,” Potter said. “I just love camaraderie and community. … I’m finding myself falling more into that community. So I don’t have a jersey or anything yet. But I could see myself soon trading allegiances, as horrible as that may be to the Commanders, I’m so sorry.”
“We are” chants rang throughout Lincoln Financial Field, replacing the Eagles’ chants that would take over in less than 24 hours, and the stadium that typically would be engulfed in midnight green was temporarily blanketed in white as No. 16 Penn State made the trip to Philadelphia to face Temple.
Saturday’s game was the first time the teams faced off in a decade, renewing a 95-year-old rivalry. In their last meeting in 2016, the Owls lost by seven at Beaver Stadium.
This time around, Temple suffered a similar fate — losing, 27-9, as Penn State improved its all-time record against the Owls to 41-4-1.
From a Penn State takeover to a Meek Mill appearance, here’s everything you might’ve missed on Saturday at the Linc:
Meek Mill leads Temple out of the tunnel
The familiar sounds of Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” track was heard throughout the Linc as Temple made its way onto the field. From the Jumbotron, fans could see the Philadelphia rapper front and center, leading the Owls out of the tunnel as red smoke and pyrotechnics covered one side of the field.
This came just a few days after the North Philly native partnered with the university to welcome high school seniors and Temple students to the Dream Chasers Summit, at the Liacouras Center.
Although the record against the Owls leans heavily in Penn State’s favor, Temple did shock the world in 2015 — the teams’ last matchup at the Linc. Temple’s defense dominated a game in which Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg was sacked 10 times.
The Owls entered that game as a seven-point underdog and beat the Nittany Lions, 27-10, in front of a crowd of mostly blue and white. Temple alumnus Ron Fries attended the game, and after the upset, Fries, 55, knew he had to become a season-ticket holder.
Temple players celebrate the last time they beat Penn State, a 27-10 victory in 2015 at Lincoln Financial Field.DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer
“I went to that game and a couple other games that year, but being at that game and just the energy — the Penn State energy left and the Temple energy that was there, which was outnumbered a lot,” Fries said. “But the folks that stayed, it was tremendous, and that’s why I became a season-ticket holder.”
An upset wasn’t in the cards this time around, but a lot of fans were optimistic beforehand.
”I’m hopeful that they’re able to produce something positive,” Fries said. “I would be ecstatic if they won like they did 11 years ago, but if they don’t, I just want to see something positive come out of them against a big program like Penn State.”
Penn State linebacker Tony Rojas (left) reacts after a first-quarter interception against Temple on Saturday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
Beaver Stadium East
Like the Penn State-Temple game in 2015, Temple fans were outnumbered at home.
”It looks like it’s been a pretty big whiteout here in the parking lots,” Penn State alum Joe McGoldrick, 26, said before the game.
Penn State flags were plentiful at tailgates in the sports complex parking lots, and fans in blue and white jerseys were out in droves through Lots D to M as students from State College were being bussed in. Shrines to the Nittany Lion could be seen at every turn — including at “Ernie’s Tailgate,” a tradition dating to 1977, when Tim Ernst was a freshman at Penn State.
Ernst, who graduated in 1981 and got his master’s in 1993, started the tradition from his dorm room. Since then, he said he’s attended every Penn State home game, and he isn’t thinking of stopping anytime soon.
“We’re excited for the new coach; we’re excited for our new team,” Ernst said. “Rocco Becht, our quarterback, we’re very excited to have him on board. College football is challenging with all the transfers taking place and all that, but we’re going to have a very good year this year.
“I think we’re going to make the playoffs, and we’ll see where it goes from there. And I don’t want to say any bad words about [James] Franklin but it was time to make a change. [Penn State coach Matt] Campbell has been saying all the right things. He believes in the [Joe] Paterno way where education is important, making these young boys into men is important. And that’s what Joe Paterno always emphasized.”
The Penn State takeover continued inside the stadium, as thousands of fans traveled to see Campbell improve his record to 2-0 as Penn State’s coach after a 45-0 win over Marshall in Week 1.
”Penn State isn’t coached by James Franklin anymore, thank God,” McGoldrick said. “I was there at the game last week, they looked very good against Marshall. I think they’re just going to do the same thing they did last week. I think they’ll have a home-crowd environment. So, that’ll help too.”
A neighborhood rivalry
As the ocean of blue and white jerseys swarmed the tailgating lots, one Temple fan, Michael Kiedaisch, wasn’t worried.
“The sea of red is on the way,” Kiedaisch said.
Kiedaisch, whose 18-year-old son, Brian, attends Temple, made the trip down from Newtown, Bucks County, with his family to watch the game and cheer on the Owls — but there was one issue. Kiedaisch’s neighbor, Art Krysko, also made the trip. And his family — including his 19-year-old daughter, Madelyn, and 21-year-old son, Joey, who attend Penn State — were cheering for the rival team.
“We had kids,” Krysko said. “And they went to different schools. And we’re a little [ticked] about it.”
Temple Owls quarterback Jaxon Smolik (14) runs upfield during the second quarter in Saturday’s game against Penn State at the Linc. Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
The competition between the two started as soon as they left their neighborhood.
“When we left the neighborhood, he blew the stop sign and tried to lose me on the drive down because I’m supporting Temple and he’s supporting Penn State,” Kiedaisch said. “So that’s how the day started. But we’re set up and ready to go now.”
However, if Penn State took an early lead, Michael’s brother, Carl Kiedaisch, had a backup plan.
“We have Penn State shirts at halftime to put on in case it gets ugly,” Carl said.
Penn State led, 10-3, at halftime but vibes still were high on the main concourse for Temple fans as the band performed near the student section. Fans bobbed their heads, talked to friends, and cheered along as they prepared for the second half.
And as soon as the third quarter started, “[Expletive] Penn State,” chants erupted from the crowd.
The band put on a show at halftime.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
However, it was short-lived after Penn State scored another touchdown, putting them up, 17-3. From then on, Penn State ran away with the 27-9 win — leaving many Nittany Lions fans happy.
“I thought the stat line was pretty good all around,” said 22-year-old Penn State alumnus Colin Crissey. “It didn’t look pretty on the field, necessarily, but the numbers don’t lie, and they look pretty good. I thought Penn State somewhat sleepwalked in the first half. I don’t know if that’s the travel. I don’t know if that’s your first away game with a new coach or whatnot. Scoring right there at the end of the half really changed the mood.”
Meanwhile, Temple fans started to leave the stadium in the third quarter — leaving the student section fairly empty by the end of the game.
The culinary scene is constantly changing, and it’s James Hennessey’s job to “keep up with the Joneses.”
Hennessey has been the senior executive chef for Aramark at Lincoln Financial Field for the last 18 seasons. In his role, he oversees the game day culinary experience — creating in-house dishes and giving fans more “Instagrammable” food moments at Eagles games.
“We want to make sure that we’re not falling behind,” Hennessey said. “With the amount of quality food throughout the city and all across different stadiums, we wanted to make sure that we were implementing some new, creative, fun ideas that could get the fans interest, and engage them and make some Instagrammable moments.”
Hennessey works with a team of 20-25 people on new recipes. Through trial and error — and lots of taste testing — it could take up to three months to perfect a new menu item.
“A lot of innovation that comes into play is involved with talking to each other,” Hennessey said. “Seeing what other trends are going on around the country as well as also in our local area, the culinary scene, as well as other buildings in the area. We always try to push the limit and test each other. Who can go further and further and further but still not miss the mark?”
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, the chef revealed some of the venue’s latest items — and The Inquirer had the chance to try it. Here are all the new Philly bites at Lincoln Financial Field:
Broad Street Beast
The “Broad Street Beast” features braised Wagyu beef shank, pico de gallo, cilantro, Oaxaca cheese sauce, salsa verde, jalapeño poppers, and crispy shallots wrapped in a 18-inch green chalupa shell.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
One of the most eye-catching items on the menu is an 18-inch chalupa shell loaded with braised wagyu beef, known as the Broad Street Beast. Inside the green shell is fried jalapeño poppers, tomatillo avocado salsa, Oaxaca queso, crispy shallots, and cilantro.
The Broad Street Beast, Hennessey’s personal favorite item on the menu, took three months to perfect.
“From the development and conceptualizing everything and even the dough and how finicky it can be with regards to humidity in the kitchen and also with the deep fryer, a lot of those aspects, we put a lot of time and effort into,” Hennessey said.
The jalapeño popper definitely gives the beast a little kick, and it’ll be available in Section 113.
The “Tush Push Tater” includes a fried baked potato, breaded chicken cutlets with pimento mac & cheese, and hot honey bacon jam.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
The Tush Push Tater is made for the ’gram — but be warned, the item certainly lives up to its name, featuring a deep-fried potato topped with a fried chicken cutlet, pimento mac and cheese, bacon hot honey jam, scallions, and 215 sauce, which includes craft ranch and roasted long hot peppers.
The item is available at the East and West markets on the club level.
South Philly Special cheesesteak
The South Philly Special Cheesesteak is shown alongside cheesesteak egg rolls on Wednesday.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
A cheesesteak isn’t anything new at the Linc — but the recipe has been revamped with local flair. The cheesesteak features shaved rib eye, caramelized diced onions, shredded Cooper Sharp cheese, and an Amoroso seeded roll.
The smoked chicken nachos include roasted poblano cheese sauce, black bean and charred corn relish, pico de gallo, Mexican crema, scallions, and caramelized honey BBQ sauceIsaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
The Inquirer’s personal favorite was the smoked BBQ chicken nachos. The dish featured tortilla chips topped with smoked chicken tossed in caramelized honey BBQ sauce, roasted poblano queso, black beans, charred corn relish, mango pico, Mexican crema, and scallions.
The item is available in Sections 120 and 216.
Kool-Aid glazed wings
Kool-Aid chicken wings are brined before being fried and tossed in Heinz 57 sauce and a Kool-Aid sauce.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
The Kool-Aid glazed chicken wings are in partnership with Kraft Heinz. They have been pickle-brined for four to six hours before being fried and mixed with a tropical punch Kool-Aid sauce and Heinz 57 sauce. They are served with a side of Heinz blue cheese and buttermilk ranch.
Small bites and dipping sauce
A full set of new food for Eagles game days at Lincoln Financial Field.Isaiah Vazquez / For The Inquirer
There also are plenty of new finger foods with dipping sauces — including the Philadelphia Pretzel Factory rivets, which are served with a bacon jalapeno popper dipping sauce; mozzarella nuggets paired with a side of marinara sauce; or the venue’s cheesesteak spring rolls, which are served with a banana pepper ketchup.
Ben Crimm slowly lifted his arm and began to point at different letters on a laminated alphabet board in front of him. The board is a means of communication for Crimm, who is a 34-year-old nonverbal autistic individual.
As Crimm continued to spell out his thoughts, his father, Allan, sat beside him and read his sentences aloud.
When Ben finished pointing, he put down his hand, and Allan read the sentence he had spelled out: Non-speaking does not mean we cannot think and learn.
“This organization has changed my life in so many ways,” Ben said. “Without the ability to communicate for the first 25 years of my life, I had no ability to tell anyone what I wanted to do. Now, I do. And I have a resolve to raise awareness about nonspeakers and our capabilities and our communication access needs. Without this, I would be trapped in silence.”
Alongside work with Spellers Empowering Education for Nonspeakers, a Philadelphia-based advocacy group founded in 2020, the Crimm family also is raising awareness through the Philadelphia Cycling Classic’s charity ride for the American Association of Cancer Research.
Ben and Allan will ride in Sunday’s charity ride to raise money and awareness for the AACR and I-ASC.
Both organizations are important to Ben. The I-ASC provides training and access for nonspeakers, and AACR is dedicated to preventing and curing cancer through research — a mission close to Ben’s heart after his uncle, Jon Shipp, died of lung cancer in 2006 at 49 years old.
The charity ride will feature a 14-mile loop along the course of the professional PCC race. As both Ben and Allan prepare for the event, Ben said he’ll be staying in the back of the pack.
“I’m not a fast cyclist,” Ben said. “[I’m looking forward to] good weather and being with so many wonderful folks.”
Proceeds will go to the AACR, the official charity partner of the charity ride. As of Friday afternoon, the total fundraising was over $145,000, all from small-dollar donations, according to the AACR.
“This is sort of a natural partnership where sports and healthcare come together,” said Steve Ryan, the president and chairman of the AACR Foundation. “So it’s really a natural fit for us, gives us exposure, gets people out, gets people to know what we do. It’s great for Philadelphia, great for us, great for everyone.”
Spelling to communicate
Ben was diagnosed with autism at 6 years old and struggled to communicate throughout everyday life. Without the ability to speak and engage in conversation, he felt “trapped” with no way to tell anyone what he was thinking or how he was feeling. Despite years of speech therapy and sign language lessons, he turned to spelling to communicate.
The Crimm family first found out about spelling to communicate through a family friend, who had a son who had a condition similar to Ben’s. They implemented the method in Ben’s daily routine in 2017. But they never expected it to work as well as it did.
“It was beyond our wildest dreams,” Allan said. “It has been so exciting to get to know [him], to get to know what is in that wonderful mind of [his], and to hear [his] sense of humor, [his] kindness, and [his] generosity. To know what’s inside of [him]. [He’s] such a fierce advocate for nonspeakers. [His] passion inspires everybody in the family, including me.”
Spelling to communicate has transformed Ben’s ability to express himself and has led him to use his newfound voice as a tool to raise awareness for nonspeakers struggling to communicate and experiencing any sense of powerlessness in a world where they may feel invisible.
SEEN has met monthly for six years and has a mission to educate others about nonspeakers, autism, and apraxia. The organization conducts eight to nine presentations a year to legislators, schools, parent groups, and national conferences.
“It has been so incredible to have so many close friends that I can talk to over our shared life experience,” Ben said. “I love educating families of nonspeakers and especially healthcare professionals.”
According to the Autism Science Foundation, around 26% of individuals with autism are nonverbal or minimally verbal, meaning they have difficulty with speech.
However, this does not mean that they’re intellectually disabled. They can still form thoughts and communicate in ways that don’t rely on the voice. Allan and Ben are hoping they can continue to educate others on the topic.
“We’ve come to learn as a family and being in relationships with so many other nonspeakers that the popular understanding of what nonspeaking autism is is not what people think,” Allan said. “It’s time for people to engage with nonspeakers and learn from nonspeakers that the lived experience really is because almost a third of all autistics are [nonspeaking]. And people have total misconceptions of what their capabilities are.”
