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  • Eagles defense ‘not on the same page,’ as Ben Johnson and Case Keenum pick them apart

    Eagles defense ‘not on the same page,’ as Ben Johnson and Case Keenum pick them apart

    CHICAGO — A year from now, maybe two, when Case Keenum is done playing and looks back at a Monday night to remember, in the twilight of his football career, when he played an NFL game for the first time in three years and led a blowout Bears win over the Eagles, what will be the lasting image?

    The Eagles allowed him a highlight reel worth of them in a 27-7 defeat. Multiple plays have a case.

    Will it be the flip pass to Luther Burden III to cap off a brilliant opening script? Burden bounced off three Eagles defenders, and then, with the help of a few linemen, was carried across the goal line. Maybe it will be Kalif Raymond with no Eagles defender within 10 yards of him over the middle of the field on his way to a 41-yard touchdown reception. Maybe it’s the sucker sneak Keenum ran in from a yard out to give the game its final scoring play — the finishing touches on an offensive game plan from Bears coach Ben Johnson that made suckers of those who pegged Vic Fangio’s defense as one of the league’s best entering the season.

    Less than a year ago, Johnson’s Bears bullied the Eagles on the ground for 281 yards. On Monday night, a 38-year-old Keenum carved them up through the air for 247 yards while completing more than 70% of his passes.

    “We just got beat, straight up,” said pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, who made his Eagles debut. “They had a hell of a game plan, came out of the gates slinging. We just weren’t on our P’s and Q’s, obviously the worst time to not be on your P’s and Q’s on Monday night primetime, but it is what it is, they came in with a good game plan and executed.”

    The Eagles didn’t, and issues that have plagued the unit early in the season continued Monday night. Their safeties are struggling. They are missing too many tackles. They pressured Keenum just 10 times. Their vaunted interior front hasn’t been overwhelming. They still haven’t forced a turnover. They are, as Cooper DeJean said, not communicating well enough.

    Linebacker Jonathan Greenard made his season debut, but the Eagles failed to register a sack of Case Keenum.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Johnson’s offense offers what Jihaad Campbell called “a variety pack of boots, receiver jets, screens, play actions” that can cause chaos and communication errors. On Raymond’s 41-yard score in the third quarter that upped Chicago’s lead to 20-7, DeJean followed a motioning Burden across the formation prior to the snap. But the Eagles then had DeJean and Riq Woolen both covering Burden while Raymond ran a crossing route over the middle of the field. Raymond then beat safety Andrew Mukuba in a foot race to the pylon.

    DeJean said the play was a “miscommunication” but did not elaborate.

    “We just got to get on the same page,” he said.

    Linebacker Zack Baun had a similar takeaway. The Eagles, he said, did a much better job stopping the run than they did the last time they played the Bears. Chicago averaged 3.7 yards per carry compared to 6.0 last season. But stopping the run, Baun said, came with a price.

    “When you do a good job of stopping the run, you bring your safeties down and it’s harder to read run-pass for the safeties and linebackers, and they got us on those play actions,” he said.

    “As a defense, it just comes down to being on the same page.”

    It is a worrying issue for a defense that entered 2026 with high expectations based in part on its continuity. Core players have been playing in Fangio’s system for more than two seasons. But communication issues and poor tackling have been a big part of a sloppy start.

    Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III scores after the Eagles failed to make a tackle near the goal line.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    DeJean said tackling after last week’s performance in Tennessee was a “big emphasis” for the Eagles in the lead-up to Monday night. The Eagles were credited with nine missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, after missing a dozen last week. Campbell said: “It’s as simple as it is, we got to get the guy down.”

    It is one of the many issues Greenard said the Eagles need to clean up.

    “We just got to wrap, man,” he said. “Wrap up. Fundamentals. I think that’s a want-to thing. Tackling is just a want-to thing. Wrapping up and driving legs. They had a lot of leaky yardage. We make contact and they gain an extra three or four yards. You go from potentially a second-and-8 to second-and-6. Those two yards matter. We know that.”

    They also know that it’s early, and they’re still 2-1. But tougher challenges are ahead beginning Sunday when they host the Los Angeles Rams on a short week.

    At one point in the locker room late Monday night, Jalyx Hunt turned to Baun and said: “Group film session when we get back?”

    Baun planned to get a head start.

    “I’m going to watch this tape on the flight back and I know I’m going to see some really, really good things that we did,” he said. “I thought we did a good job on the run. That was a big point of emphasis for us, especially with what happened last year against them.

    “But then there’s other things that I know are going to be really bad. It comes down to communication, whether that’s hearing the call, playing the right thing, knowing the assignment. Those are the things we got to get better at.”

  • Dear Abby | Stay-at-home Dad feels pressure to work

    Dear Abby | Stay-at-home Dad feels pressure to work

    DEAR ABBY: My wife and I have been married for 20 years. She’s an academic, and we’ve lived a transient lifestyle to accommodate her career. She had a greater professional vision than I ever did, so I opted to stay at home and raise the children. I became Mr. Mom at great social cost. It was hard to make friends, and many in my social circles (or what was left of my social circles) made backhanded remarks, usually behind my back. I don’t regret my choice. We have three fantastic children. All of them earn straight A’s and are kind, loving, respectful people. Had we reversed roles, we’d be poorer and have grumpier, less emotionally intelligent children.

    A few years ago, I decided to go back to school and earn my master’s degree, and I now teach as an adjunct at a local college. The kids are older, and I have more free time, but I’m still the primary caretaker. I wanted a job that would give me enough room to look after our older kids while making some side money. The plan worked out smoothly until we hit financial difficulties. My wife now says I need to change jobs. She wants me to get out of academia because we need the money. She says I need to “grow up and get a real job.” This feels like an assault.

    I value my summers because I can continue to look after my kids, who still need care. I feel like had I been a woman, and had she been a man, her attitude would be different. Early in our marriage, we agreed she’d be the primary breadwinner. I love my job and my lifestyle, but she’s making me feel like a mooch. I believe I have lived up to my end of the bargain. Am I wrong?

    — MR. MOM IN THE SOUTH

    DEAR MR. MOM: You are not “wrong,” in that you have kept up your end of the bargain, but your wife may not be wrong either, except in being disrespectful. The cost of living is higher now than it was even a few years ago. In order to maintain your current lifestyle, it may be necessary to bring in more money than you’ve been earning. It’s no one’s fault that circumstances have changed since the original bargain was struck, but if you don’t adapt, you’ll create hardship for the whole family.

    ** ** **

    DEAR ABBY: Sometimes when I am at a store waiting to check out, a person will move up very close to me. It isn’t because they don’t have plenty of room. It makes me uncomfortable. What is an appropriate thing to say to someone who crowds you during your transaction?

    — NEED MY SPACE

    DEAR SPACE: Many people feel the same as you do about being crowded at a cash register, because they don’t want anyone peering over their shoulder as they make their payment. All you have to do is turn to the person and say, “Would you mind stepping back? You’re making me nervous.”

  • Horoscopes: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026

    Horoscopes: Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026

    ARIES (March 21-April 19). Be forever learning. Read, ask questions and seek people who know more than you. Then test each lesson against experience. Education becomes part of your character when you use it to keep improving.

    TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’re as good as your word. Make your word dependable. People learn to trust you when your actions match what you said you would do. If you’re going to promise, follow through. Reliability turns ordinary agreements into strong relationships.

    GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The Confucian principle yi means righteousness. Right is might. What good is courage if you’re not using it to help people, correct what’s wrong or defend someone with less power? Charge forward on principle or not at all.

    CANCER (June 22-July 22). Care for the people who cared for you. Show respect for family through attention, gratitude and practical help. Remember what earlier generations learned. Receive that inheritance, examine it and pass forward what works.

    LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Lead through example. People are more likely to do what you do than what you say. Practice the behavior you expect from others. Your instructions are only as credible as your conduct.

    VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Show respect in the details. Greet people, keep appointments, learn the customs and give each occasion the attention it deserves. Good manners tell people that their comfort matters to you.

    LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Seek harmony without requiring agreement. A group can cooperate while its members hold different opinions, tastes and methods. Look for the arrangement that lets each person contribute without pretending the differences have disappeared. Peace can include debate.

    SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Call things what they are. An unclear title can conceal who has power, who bears responsibility or what an agreement requires. Use precise words when describing roles or making promises. People can work together on fair terms only after everyone understands the real arrangement.

    SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Think about what you learn. Information is useless unless used. Reflection without new information can loop endlessly, helping no one. Study, consider, test and revise. Wisdom is an open mind taking the time to work things through.

    CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Begin with your own conduct. Large social improvements depend on millions of private choices: keeping promises, controlling temper, doing fair work and treating people well. Work on the part of society under your direct control — the person making your next decision.

    AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Teach anyone who wants to learn. Talent and curiosity can appear in any family, neighborhood or social class. Share what you know without making people prove they belong first. A capable student could come from anywhere.

    PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People are not their roles. People are people, enacting their role. The cashier, driver, assistant or stranger has a life as detailed as yours. Let that knowledge influence your patience, language and choices.

    TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Sept. 29). In your Year of the Chalice, love, opportunity and hard-won wisdom fill your cup. You’ll celebrate meaningful milestones and share your good fortune generously, while remaining selective about what you allow into your life. More highlights: You’ll feel drawn to teach something you barely know yourself — but you will soon enough. This is destiny calling. You’ll make money in a totally new way and generously share. Beauty follows you. Capricorn and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 11, 46, 17 and 29.

  • Frustrations boil over, Jason Kelce’s affinity for the Birds remains, and more from the Eagles-Bears broadcast

    Frustrations boil over, Jason Kelce’s affinity for the Birds remains, and more from the Eagles-Bears broadcast

    Any given Monday?

    On Monday, the Chicago Bears shocked the Eagles, 27-7. While the Eagles committed three turnovers, the Bears offense was near perfect behind third-string quarterback Case Keenum, who threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns. He added a rushing touchdown.

    If you made the trip to the Windy City or shut the game off early, here’s what you may have missed from ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast:

    T.J. Edwards listens in

    With the Eagles trailing 20-7 late in the third quarter, Bears linebacker and former Eagle T.J. Edwards picked off quarterback Jalen Hurts on fourth-and-5. From one camera angle, it appeared that Edwards listened in on the play call:

    “Up listening in to Jalen Hurts, who was going through the call at the line of scrimmage,” ESPN play-by-play commentator Joe Buck said of Edwards. “And then T.J. just backs up right in front of DeVonta Smith and gets the pick.”

    Added color broadcaster Troy Aikman: “Yeah, he said, ‘You’re going to do what? Well, wait till you see what I’m going to do.’”

    Cameras capture reactions from Sirianni, Hurts

    The NFL has cameras everywhere, and one of them caught Eagles coach Nick Sirianni directing some choice words toward Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson. In the second quarter, Jackson was assessed an unnecessary roughness penalty after a late hit on Hurts. The Eagles quarterback was taken out of the game to be assessed for a concussion.

    “You’re a [expletive],” Sirianni said, seemingly pointing to Jackson.

    Sirianni has long been criticized for his sideline behavior, which can include jarring with opposing players. In 2024, he yelled at Eagles fans following a win and later apologized.

    Later on the drive, the cameras found Hurts looking longingly out of the blue medical tent while being evaluated. Soon after, backup quarterback Andy Dalton was picked off on third-and-goal. ESPN cut to Hurts, who appeared visibly frustrated. Hurts was cleared to return for the Eagles’ next drive.

    “The doctors have to do their job,” Sirianni told ESPN’s Lisa Salters, a King of Prussia native, before halftime. “They got to protect these guys, and we have a hit on the sideline that they looked at, and that’s the way it goes. We got to be able to run the ball in from the 1, regardless of who’s in there. I’m bummed that Jalen wasn’t in for that. We got to take care of the ball with Andy.”

    Kelce struggles to stay ‘unbiased’

    Jason Kelce is in his third season as a studio analyst on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown. Still, it has been difficult — at times — for the longtime Eagles center to shake his fandom while reporting. He made reference to this during a humorous exchange with Sirianni before Monday’s game.

    “Jalen Hurts has been off to a really hot start,” Kelce said to Sirianni. “He’s playing awesome for us — for the Eagles. Should say that. Unbiased media member.”

    Former Eagles center Jason Kelce is in his third season as an analyst on “Monday Night Countdown.”Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    At halftime, Kelce continued to refer to the Eagles as “we.” ESPN personality Pat McAfee took notice.

    “We played really well offensively,” Kelce said. “We had opportunities. We shot ourselves in the foot, but we’ve moved the ball. We ran the ball well. Jalen Hurts is throwing the ball well. I think [with] them getting the ball coming out of half, I got a feeling they got a lot of momentum going in there.”

    Added McAfee: “A lot of ‘we’ talk out of Jason for Philly. If we are the Chicago Bears, we are very pumped with how Case Keenum is operating this offense.”

    “Sorry, Bears fans,” Kelce said.

    Kurt Warner, Troy Aikman offer pregame praise

    Last week, outside of one curious call, Drew Brees repeatedly praised Jalen Hurts while serving as the color commentator for CBS’s Eagles-Titans broadcast. On Monday Night Countdown, fellow Hall of Fame quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Troy Aikman also lauded Hurts’ play.

    Warner, a Super Bowl XXXIV champion who played for the St. Louis Rams, New York Giants, and Arizona Cardinals, noted that Hurts “doesn’t get enough credit” for making the “big play in the moment.” Meanwhile, Aikman, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, said he was impressed with how quickly Hurts had adapted to new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s offense.

    “I think [the offense is] really quarterback-friendly, and I’ve seen Jalen Hurts do some things that I’ve not seen from him,” Aikman said. “And a big part of that is working the middle of the field and layering the ball in the intermediate areas over linebackers, and it just opens up so much more for these wide receivers. He’s just scratching the surface.”

    But Hurts did not live up to either former quarterback’s expectations on Monday. Hurts threw for 153 yards and an interception on 16-of-25 passing. He scored the Eagles’ only touchdown on a sneak as time expired in the first half.

  • Jalen Hurts and the Eagles took a major hit against the Bears. They have to find a way to bounce back.

    Jalen Hurts and the Eagles took a major hit against the Bears. They have to find a way to bounce back.

    CHICAGO — Jalen Hurts had scrambled to his right toward the sideline, had taken a step out of bounds, had taken a hellacious hit from Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson, and there Hurts was now, sprinting back to the Eagles’ huddle, making sure the world knew that he believed he was good to go.

    The Eagles were moving, at the Bears’ 15-yard line midway through the second quarter, in striking distance of a tying touchdown. But the concussion spotter assigned to Monday night’s game at Soldier Field has a job to do, too, and it’s an important one, and he signaled to the officials that Hurts had to spend time getting his head checked in the medical tent.

    What happened over the next four plays and several minutes wasn’t necessarily the turning point in the Eagles’ 27-7 loss, but it symbolized their night as perfectly as any sequence could. Throughout training camp and the preseason, the competition between Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee for the team’s No. 2 quarterback spot was nothing more than a battle between two bad choices. Then Dalton replaced Hurts and showed just how bad. After Saquon Barkley ripped off a 14-yard run to the Bears’ 1-yard-line, he was stuffed twice, and on third down from the shotgun, Dalton did the one thing he couldn’t do: He turned the ball over, throwing a horrible interception to the Bears’ Dillon Thieneman.

    Maybe, even if the Eagles get in the end zone or just settle for a field goal there, nothing else changes about a game that they never looked ready to play. Maybe Ben Johnson stays one step ahead of Vic Fangio. Maybe Case Keenum — 38-year-old Case Keenum, playing in his first NFL game in nearly three years — keeps carving up the Eagles’ defense. Maybe that defense keeps missing tackles and breaking down in coverage. Maybe Sean Mannion keeps calling screen passes that don’t work, that lose yardage, and stall drives. Maybe the rest of Monday night unfolds exactly as it did, with Hurts throwing his own awful interception late in the third quarter, with Johnson showing that he doesn’t need Caleb Williams at quarterback to outclass Fangio for the second time in 10 months.

    It was a disastrous night for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    But then, that’s the twisted game that you can play with a team like the one the Eagles have been through their first three games. You can what-if just about any moment, because there are so many moments in which they are making silly, inexcusable mistakes. They committed 10 penalties Monday. They left Bears wide receiver Kalif Raymond wide-open in the middle of the field and watched him dash for a 41-yard touchdown. They’re such a long way from the smart, buttoned-up team that head coach Nick Sirianni forever insists he expects them to be.

    Go back to that pivotal point when Hurts left the game, Dalton entered it, and everything went to hell. Surely thousands of Eagles fans started screaming at their television screens when they saw that the trainers and doctors were examining Hurts. Sorry, everyone: It was the right thing to do. It doesn’t matter that Hurts appeared to be fresh and fine not long after Jackson hit him and said after the game that he had suffered no ill effects. Most NFL players in the same situation would have reacted exactly the same way he did, assuming they could. They’d want to stay on the field, and they’d hide any symptoms, and concussion spotters can’t take the chance of having players fool them and try to play through head trauma.

    Per NFL rules as of 2015, a spotter can stop a game when a player “displays obvious signs of disorientation or is clearly unstable” and “is attempting to remain in the game and not be attended to by the club’s medical or athletic training staff.” Watch the play again. After Jackson levels him, Hurts remains prone on the ground for two full seconds, his legs and feet kicking slightly. It would be understandable if, based on the hit’s immediate aftermath, the spotter determined that Hurts was disoriented.

    Sirianni, in theory, could have called a timeout to stall, to buy time for Hurts to clear the concussion protocol, except he said he had no idea what Hurts’ condition was and when he might be ready to return, if he could return at all. “I think that’s the right way to go about it,” he said. “The health of the player is the most important thing.” Besides, the problem wasn’t that Hurts was no longer in the game. The problem was that the Eagles, Dalton specifically, screwed up without him.

    Dalton is 38, in his 16th NFL season. He is supposed to be experienced and savvy enough not to force a throw to a receiver, Dontayvion Wicks, who was blanketed in the back of the end zone. A coach should be able to count on a veteran backup to be smart in that situation, and the Eagles paid dearly for Dalton’s violation of that trust.

    “I can’t put the team in that situation,” Dalton said. “Costly decision.”

    The lasting price of that incompetence, just one example of so many Monday night, remains to be seen. The Eagles are 2-1, sure, but so far they haven’t been the team anyone expected them to be. They are asking so much of Hurts, perhaps too much. Their defense hasn’t been close to the shutdown unit it was presumed to be. And the Los Angeles Rams, 1-2 and dangerous, are ahead on Sunday. The Eagles had better wise up before then, because their leader and their self-image took some major hits Monday night, and right now, everyone is wondering what kind of team they really are.

  • Eagles fall 27-7 in Monday night dud; Bears’ third-stringer Case Keenum throws for 247 yards, accounts for 3 TDs

    Eagles fall 27-7 in Monday night dud; Bears’ third-stringer Case Keenum throws for 247 yards, accounts for 3 TDs

    CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears took a page out of their own playbook and bullied the Eagles, again, in front of a national audience.

    Just as they did in their Week 13 victory on Black Friday last year, the Bears outplayed the Eagles, this time on Monday night at Soldier Field. Even with third-string quarterback Case Keenum starting in place of the injured Caleb Williams, the Bears still handed the visitors a 27-7 loss.

    The 38-year-old Keenum, who hadn’t played a regular-season game since 2023, went 24-for-34 for 247 yards and two touchdowns (110.8 quarterback rating). He also scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

    Jalen Hurts was evaluated for a concussion in the second quarter, but he was cleared and returned to action after backup quarterback Andy Dalton threw an interception from the 2-yard line.

    The Eagles coughed up the ball three times — once on a Tank Bigsby fumble, twice on interceptions from Dalton and Hurts. They now have a minus-5 turnover differential on the season, which is tied for second-worst in the NFL.

    Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ first loss of the season:

    Jalen Hurts’ last-second sneak was the Eagles’ only real highlight on Monday night. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Hurts evaluated for a concussion, returns to action

    A nightmarish start for the Eagles got worse when Hurts paid a visit to the medical tent.

    Early penalties set the Eagles back, including a Hurts intentional grounding call on the opening drive that they couldn’t overcome, leading to a punt. On the next possession, Hurts threw an incomplete pass to a wide-open Saquon Barkley on first down, Tyler Steen was called for holding on second, and Bigsby fumbled on second-and-long.

    Bears defensive back Xavier Woods recovered the loose ball at the Eagles’ 15.

    The Eagles’ woes continued halfway through the second quarter when Hurts took a hard hit from Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson as he was running out of bounds to the Bears’ 13 on a play negated by offsetting penalties. Hurts was down on the grass momentarily, then popped up and returned to the field. But a concussion spotter pulled Hurts so he could be evaluated in the medical tent, thrusting Dalton into red-zone action.

    Barkley ran for 14 yards to the Bears’ 1. But the Eagles rushing attack couldn’t punch the ball in on back-to-back tries, so Sean Mannion called on Dalton to complete a pass on third-and-2 with Hurts still in the medical tent.

    Bears defensive back Dillon Thieneman picked off Dalton’s pass in the end zone intended for Dontayvion Wicks. Hurts was ultimately cleared to return, but not quickly enough to get back on the field during that drive. The Bears managed a field goal off Dalton’s interception to go up 10-0.

    When asked after the game if he felt like he had suffered any kind of head trauma on that hit, Hurts responded with a no. He said he watched Dalton’s pick from outside of the tent, but at that point, he was still waiting to be cleared. He said he wished the concussion spotter could have “expedited things.”

    “I think practically, emotionally, and competitively, I’m in the right place to go out there and compete,” Hurts said. “So it’s a situation that hopefully we can learn from.”

    Hurts returned to action with 1 minute, 46 seconds remaining in the first half. He pulled off a situational feat, driving to the Bears’ 9 with 19 seconds left, in large part thanks to a 30-yard completion to DeVonta Smith down the right sideline. Hurts then connected with Smith on a first-and-goal screen, then hurried back to the line of scrimmage to get a traditional quarterback sneak off from the 1-yard-line for a touchdown before the clock hit zero.

    Nick Sirianni said after the game that Hurts made the decision to go for the sneak with time dwindling, thereby eliminating the opportunity to spike the ball, and no timeouts left.

    “I trust him in those situations to make the right decision, and he did, and we got our touchdown there,” Sirianni said.

    Saquon Barkley and the Eagles running game had some early success but could not sustain it. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Offense falters in second half

    The Eagles were only down by a 10-7 margin at halftime. But the offensive flashes of the first half disappeared in the second, as the Eagles went three-and-out on three consecutive drives. The third of those possessions, late in the third quarter, ended with the Eagles on their own 49 on fourth-and-1.

    Instead of running a play (a Tush Push might not have been a possibility as the Eagles appeared to be about 1½ yards away from the first-down marker), the Eagles took a delay-of-game penalty and punted. After the game, Sirianni said he “probably should have went for it there” on fourth-and-1.

    The Eagles took a different approach in a similar situation on their next possession. They sputtered just past midfield, bringing up fourth-and-5 from the Bears’ 46. This time, the Eagles opted to go for it.

    Bears linebackers T.J. Edwards and Devin Bush walked up to the line of scrimmage pre-snap as if they were part of an all-out blitz, then dropped into coverage after the snap. Hurts threw a pass intended for Smith right into the arms of Edwards — who played for Philly from 2019 to 2022 — for the Eagles’ second interception of the night.

    “Just was trying to get the ball to [Smith] on a spot route,” Hurts said. “Felt like we could find a void in the zone. His eyes didn’t turn the way I thought [they] were. I gave one up. I had Makai [Lemon] right there to the field on a hitch route that I could’ve taken. So, not to my standard at all.”

    Hurts went 16-for-25 for 153 yards and an interception (64.2 quarterback rating). He was sacked twice.

    Case Keenum, 38, celebrated a decisive win in his first NFL start since 2023.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Defense breaks down

    The Bears offense began Monday night’s game with the same sense of domination that characterized their 2025 win over the Eagles.

    Keenum and the Bears offense strung together an 11-play, 66-yard scoring drive, capped off by an 8-yard receiving touchdown for Luther Burden on a pitch up the middle. The Eagles failed to bring him down as he trudged through traffic. Missed tackles were a recurring theme on the drive, reminiscent of the Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans.

    The Eagles defense seemed to stabilize, forcing a punt, a turnover on downs, and back-to-back field goals on the four Bears possessions that followed. The Bears led, 13-7, early in the third quarter.

    But a busted coverage later in the quarter further solidified the Bears’ lead. A breakdown in the Eagles secondary led to Bears receiver Kalif Raymond getting wide-open deep over the middle of the field. He turned a 13-yard pass from Keenum into a 41-yard touchdown as he ran unabated to the end zone with Andrew Mukuba trailing after him.

    On that play, Cooper DeJean had traveled with Burden as he motioned across the formation. Both DeJean and Riq Woolen appeared to stick with Burden after the snap, while Raymond went uncovered.

    “Miscommunication, that’s all,” DeJean said. “We just got to get on the same page.”

    Raymond’s touchdown put the Bears up, 20-7, with just under six minutes left in the third quarter.

    The Eagles’ sloppiness continued into the fourth. They incurred a pair of penalties on the same Bears possession — a Moro Ojomo neutral zone infraction and a Mukuba holding — that kept the drive alive. The Bears took advantage of the Eagles’ blunders with a Keenum sneak for a touchdown, going up, 27-7, halfway through the fourth quarter.

  • Senate passes college sports bill that would rein in athlete payments and transfers

    Senate passes college sports bill that would rein in athlete payments and transfers

    WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a sweeping bipartisan bill on Monday that would regulate college sports, an attempt to end “chaos” in an industry that has been upended by skyrocketing athlete payments and near-unrestricted transfers between schools.

    The overwhelming 77-22 vote to pass the legislation is the strongest effort yet by Congress to set national regulations governing payments to college athletes for their name, image and likeness and how often they can transfer. It would give the NCAA new authority over those rules and limited antitrust protections to enforce them.

    The bill is the product of years of Senate negotiations that intensified after a 2025 lawsuit settlement uprooted the college sports landscape by allowing colleges to pay their players. The legislation, which would still have to pass the House, would codify the settlement into law but also establish new guardrails around the system in an attempt to rein in the runaway costs for colleges.

    “It would be nice if college sports could somehow magically fix itself, but this is a matter of law, federal law, and only Congress can fix it,” said Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who negotiated the bill with the top Democrat on the panel, Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell.

    The bill’s backers — more than 70 senators from both parties — say it aims to curtail constant litigation and uncertainty across college sports for athletes, schools and fans. It would also give hundreds of thousands of student athletes new health and labor protections.

    But critics say the bill doesn’t do enough to protect athletes or curtail the enormous sums of money flowing to coaches, colleges and conferences.

    “This is a bill that essentially ensconces a system of exploitation, and it doesn’t fix the broader problems,” said Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who has worked with labor and civil rights groups to rally opposition to the bill.

    The bill’s future is still unclear.

    President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed an interest in the legislation, and the White House formally endorsed the bill last month. But it could face an uphill battle in the House, which failed repeatedly over the last year to get a different version to the floor and is in recess until after the November elections.

    Lawmakers will have to start over in the next Congress if the bill doesn’t pass both chambers by the end of the year.

    Bill addresses skyrocketing spending, unlimited transfers

    College sports have been reeling in the wake of the 2025 court settlement allowing colleges to directly pay players for their name, image and likeness. The fallout has reshaped the industry and led to football roster payrolls that can exceed $40 million.

    The bill would codify the court settlement, including a revenue cap that allows schools to share up to $21.5 million in revenue with their players. The legislation would more than double that amount for some schools, allowing up to an additional $27.5 million in payments through a retention fund — a change that helped win the support of the two largest conferences, the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.

    To help schools raise more revenue, the bill would give schools and conferences the option of pooling their TV media rights.

    The legislation also aims to stabilize the NCAA transfer portal that has led to players constantly switching teams. It would restrict player transfers to one “free” move over five years without sitting out a year, with some exceptions, and also would restrict players to five years of total eligibility.

    The proposed eligibility limit comes amid backlash to schools that have increasingly pushed boundaries, including LSU’s now-canceled plans to place players on the roster who had participated in NFL training camps.

    “That was probably like a big lamp for some people who saw it and said, ‘Oh my God, this is so out of control,’” Cantwell said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

    The bill also would restrict coaches from leaving their schools during the season, force schools that want to switch conferences to spend three years as an independent and prevent conferences from growing larger than 20 programs — an effort to prevent so-called “superleagues” from taking over sports. A last-minute amendment proposed by Florida Sen. Ashley Moody raised that cap from 19 in the original legislation.

    The vote was delayed several hours on Monday as senators negotiated Moody’s amendment and others that were eventually adopted, including provisions to make it easier for athletes to sue over sexual assault and a requirement to disclose foreign financing.

    The Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., that would have put limits on ticket prices for fans and two by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., that would have capped coaches’ salaries at $5 million a year and increased compensation for athletes who have catastrophic injuries.

    Critics say it wouldn’t do enough to help athletes

    The legislation includes new protections for athletes, including caps on agent fees and guarantees for health insurance and scholarships. It would also require schools to maintain a minimum number of sports and roster spots — an effort to ensure that women’s and Olympic sports are not cut in favor of football, basketball and other sports that generate more revenue.

    Still, some Democrats say it wouldn’t do enough to limit the big money in college sports.

    The legislation “places a cap on the students’ cut of the revenues, but there are no caps on coaches’ salaries or on the size of donations to athletic programs,” Murphy said last week.

    Groups like the NAACP, Congressional Black Caucus and AFL-CIO have also opposed the bill, in part, because it leaves unresolved whether athletes should be considered employees with the ability to collectively bargain.

    All four Black Democrats in the Senate — Booker, Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland — have opposed the bill.

    Booker, who played football at Stanford in the late 1980s on a scholarship, noted the “outsized role” that Black athletes play in college sports. He said it wasn’t until college athletes were able to begin to win cases in court that the power started to shift, “and now the NCAA is coming here to the United States Senate, asking for sweeping powers” to exempt antitrust laws.

    “We know who this bill is protecting,” Booker said.

    House passage is uncertain

    Despite strong bipartisan support in the Senate, the bill faces a murky path in the House.

    House lawmakers won’t return to Washington until mid-November, after the elections. And it’s unclear what will be on Republican leaders’ agenda in the chaotic last few weeks of the session.

    Pressure from Trump could help push the bill to passage. But some House Republicans have insisted on language explicitly stating that athletes are not employees, which the Senate bill does not have — a key concession to Cantwell to win enough Democratic support.

  • Large tortoise found by police wandering alone in Gloucester County reunited with owner

    Large tortoise found by police wandering alone in Gloucester County reunited with owner

    The large tortoise found wandering alone Monday in Gloucester County has been reunited with his owner, officials said.

    “Meet Mikey — aka Michael Angelo, the sulcata tortoise who was found loose in Williamstown!” the Gloucester County Animal Shelter reported on Facebook.

    “While his namesake might have been famous for fighting crime in the sewers, this Mikey’s biggest adventure was apparently making a great escape and going on a little neighborhood tour,” the county shelter said, making a reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the popular franchise.

    “Thankfully, this shell-ebrity’s owner was found and is now safe and sound. No pizza required — although we’re guessing he wouldn’t say no. Glad you’re home dude. Cowabunga!” the shelter said, posting a photo on social media of the tortoise with a man who identified himself on Facebook as Alonzo Johnson.

    Johnson, who could not be reached for comment, posted a response thanking the team at the county shelter “for keeping Michelangelo until we could come get him.”

    The tortoise “arrived home unbothered, well-rested, and showing absolutely no remorse. We’re grateful you were part of the operation. If he ever goes on another unauthorized adventure, we’ll know exactly who to call,” Johnson said.

    Earlier, Monroe Township police had issued a playful appeal to find the owner of the tortoise.

    “Our officers had an unusual encounter today near Church Street and Academy Street when this little guy was found wandering the area without identification, registration, or any explanation as to where he was headed,” the Monroe Township police posted on social media.

    Under the headline of “FOUND: ONE VERY SLOW-MOVING SUSPECT,” the department posted several photos of the sand-colored tortoise, which appeared to be about two feet wide and around three feet in length.

    “After a brief foot pursuit (we won), the suspect was safely taken into custody. Needless to say, the platoon had a little fun with this call!” the department said.

    “We’re now looking to reunite our shelled friend with its owner. If this turtle belongs to you, or you know where it may have escaped from, please contact the Monroe Township Police Department or Gloucester County Animal Shelter. Please share and help us get this big guy back home!” the department said.

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  • The nor’easter may foreshadow a busy and challenging season for forecasters and computers

    The nor’easter may foreshadow a busy and challenging season for forecasters and computers

    That erratically behaving nor’easter that really, finally, is done with the Philly region, not only was a spoiler for the last weekend of September, it may well have foreshadowed what’s to come — perhaps even in the very short term.

    Along with being a possible prelude to the future of storm traffic, it also underscored the limitations of computer models that were late to latch on to the concept that the storm center improbably would make a left turn and wander onto the shores of New Jersey.

    “There was a lot of evolution with this nor’easter,” said Allison Santorelli, meteorologist with the federal Weather Prediction Center, in College Park, Md., which, like Philadelphia, became a late addition to the roster of areas that would be affected by the storm.

    And on the subject of improbability, in a season where not single a hurricane has formed in the Atlantic, the region may be affected by the remnants of a tropical storm this weekend — from the Pacific.

    Santorelli said that some moisture from Hurricane Polo, due to make landfall in Baja California, could get picked up by a front and make it to the Mid-Atlantic during the weekend.

    While October typically is one of the driest month of the year — and no rain fell in Philly during the month two years ago — another dousing would have to be considered “ill-timed,” said Ray Martin, a lead meteorologist in the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly.

    In the last two months, 14 inches of rain officially have fallen on Philly, about double normal.

    Forecast for the week

    No rain is expected during what is forecast to be a splendid workweek with the sun (yes, coming soon to a horizon near you) due to return. Temperatures are expected to rise into the 70s and perhaps to 80 by Thursday and the low 80s Friday, without so much as a coastal flood advisory.

    Incidentally, conditions will be similar in Atlanta — only with highs well into the 80s — where the Phillies play the Braves in the wild-card round.

    At least in the early going, Saturday also was looking decent, but rains might return Saturday night and continue Sunday as the aforementioned front stalls near the region and a storm develops.

    Given the possible entrainment of Polo’s leftovers, “It could bring another slug of rain and gusty winds to areas impacted by this nor’easter,” said Carl Erickson, meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

    For now, it doesn’t look “overly impactful,” said Santorelli. But she cautioned the threat was still several days away, and last weekend’s nor’easter looked very different in the middle of last week.

    The nor’easter bedeviled computer models

    The nor’easter was deteriorating Monday afternoon near Long Island and was poised to call it a career. And what a strange one it was.

    Computer models had foreseen that a coastal storm would develop and its low pressure, or lighter air, would interact with the heavier air of potent high pressure to the north to generate beach-eroding winds and flooding tides.

    In its Wednesday night discussion, the weather service said the storm “now overall looks to remain far enough offshore to keep heavy rains away from the region.”

    Said Santorelli, “A lot of models had it as a classic nor’easter off the coast, with a lot of the Mid-Atlantic, including Philly … spared. Then all of sudden the models were like, ‘We’ll just stall off the East Coast for a day or two.’”

    It wasn’t until Friday morning that the model consensus shifted to a track that would have the storm make a left turn and cross the Jersey Shore, inciting coastal flooding; gusty, erosional winds; and heavy rains throughout the Philadelphia region.

    Totals of 3 to 5 inches were common, with more than 7 inches in Ocean County. Streets and bridges were closed in the beach towns.

    Winds gusted past 60 mph at the Shore, and 50 mph across the region.

    The computer modeling had caught on to storm potential early last week, and the weather service began sending out briefings to emergency managers Monday.

    But, as usual, the details were elusive. The computers, said Erickson, constitute a “tool. Even if they get better and better with time there’s still a tool,”

    That may be worth keeping in mind in the weeks ahead, particularly during the winter, said Santorelli.

    Was the nor’easter a practice run?

    The El Niño warming in the equatorial Pacific, which may reach record levels, almost certainly will have major impacts on the Philadelphia winter as the west-to-east upper level winds it generates persists for months.

    That could lead to more nor’easters than typical, said Santorelli.

    The quiet Atlantic tropical-storm season also may come into play, as it has resulted in quieter waters that have allowed sea-surface temperatures to warm, said AccuWeather’s Erickson. Warm waters would help provide sharp contrasts to cold air migrating off the coast, aiding winter-storm development.

    Said Santorelli, “It’s still early to tell when they’re going to happen, where they’re going to happen, and who they’re going to impact, but certainly the potential is out there.”

    And so is the potential for uncertainty, as the region just learned.

  • The Phillies are forced to get creative with their pitching vs. the Braves. Will it work again?

    The Phillies are forced to get creative with their pitching vs. the Braves. Will it work again?

    ATLANTA — In 2023, the Phillies came here for a playoff series with their best two pitchers unavailable to start Game 1 against a record-setting offense.

    So, they got creative.

    It was difficult not to feel a twinge of déjà vu Monday, when Don Mattingly announced that Jesús Luzardo will start — “I should say open,” he clarified — Game 1 of a best-of-three wild-card series against the Braves.

    Luzardo should get down-ballot Cy Young votes for a 2.86 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 179⅔ innings. But he has thrown four pitches in a game over the last three weeks because of an inflamed left shoulder. And while catcher J.T. Realmuto said the Phillies “don’t think 10 days off is necessarily long enough to throw him out of whack,” the truth is … well, let’s let Mattingly tell it.

    “I don’t think we really know what to expect,” he said.

    The Phillies planned to have Zack Wheeler start Game 1 against Braves ace Chris Sale. But they needed him Sunday in a must-win regular-season finale. Cristopher Sánchez is lined up for Game 2 on regular rest. Aaron Nola? He’d have been an option, if not for a panicky gambit to start him on two days’ rest Saturday night.

    Maybe Luzardo will tap into postseason adrenaline and last six innings. Maybe he’ll go once through the Braves’ order. He threw four fastballs to get three outs in the eighth inning of a four-run game in the rain Sunday against the Rays, who had nothing to play for.

    It didn’t reveal much.

    Jesus Luzardo (right) threw a 109-pitch complete game against the Braves on Sept. 7. He hasn’t started a game since because of an inflamed left shoulder.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    “Once the third hitter came up, I wanted to call an 0-0 sweeper just to get one in there and see how it looked,” Realmuto said. “But I was like, ‘There’s no way this guy gets out in one pitch, too, so we’ll get ahead with a sinker and go ahead with the sweeper.’ And we ended up not needing the sweeper, which was unfortunate that he didn’t get to throw that pitch.”

    There’s always Tuesday against leadoff-hitting Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr.

    Three things to watch in Phillies' wild-card series vs. Braves
    Video: Three things to watch in Phillies’ wild-card series vs. Braves

    Three years ago, the Phillies’ pitching conundrum was less about the options behind Wheeler and Nola than the matchup. The Braves tied the single-season major-league record with 307 homers, but were susceptible to high velocity, according to the Phillies’ scouting report.

    The plan called for finesse lefty Ranger Suárez to go through the order 1½ times before attacking the Braves with a parade of hard-throwing relievers. It worked in a series-opening 3-0 victory.

    Just as the Phillies came up with that Game 1 script, they will have one this time, too, although they surely will take as many outs as Luzardo can get. Andrew Painter is available out of the bullpen. If they could use only Luzardo, Painter, and rookie reliever Alex McFarlane to get to closer Jhoan Duran, they would be ecstatic.

    But while the Phillies’ pitching plan begins with Luzardo and crossed fingers, there’s immense pressure on Sale to deliver for the Braves, especially with fellow Cy Young candidate Sánchez looming for the Phillies in Game 2.

    Game 1 is important in any postseason series. In a best-of-three, it’s imperative. Since the wild-card miniseries was instituted in 2022, 11 of the 16 series ended in sweeps. Only one team has overcome a Game 1 loss to win the series, and the 2025 Yankees were playing at home against the Red Sox.

    A few other thoughts heading into the series:

    Righty-hitting outfielders Derek Hill (right) and Bryan De La Cruz will have a big role for the Phillies in the wild-card series against the Braves.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Getting it right vs. left

    Mattingly is expected to stack the lineup with right-handed hitters, notably outfielders Derek Hill and Bryan De La Cruz. Maybe it won’t matter because Sale allowed only six runs on 15 hits in 26 innings in four starts against the Phillies.

    But Hill and De La Cruz will be factors beyond Game 1.

    Atlanta’s bullpen may feature as many as four lefties (Dylan Lee, Dylan Dodd, Ray Kerr, and Brent Suter), which could create opportunities for Hill and De La Cruz to stay in the game after Sale exits and come off the bench in Games 2 and 3.

    Hill, acquired in an early June trade with the White Sox, batted .261 with seven homers and a .783 OPS and played stellar defense in a center-field platoon with rookie Justin Crawford. De La Cruz, a veteran who came up from triple A in August, hit .280 with two homers and a .762 OPS.

    “D-Hill has been an incredible asset for us in the outfield and at the plate against lefties,” Bryce Harper said. “De La Cruz, same thing. These guys, making the moves that we have, can change a postseason for you. Big hit here, big hit there. It’s funny to look back on a lot of postseasons in baseball history. Not many of the superstar players play to their ability. It’s always that hush-hush guy down the lineup that just makes an impact and you win the game.”

    Said Mattingly: “We struggled with lefties earlier in the year, and they at least give us some options to put a better crew out there.”

    Phillies shortstop Trea Turner is seeking to rebound in the playoffs after the worst season of his career.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Turning the page

    Nobody will be happier to see his stats wiped from the scoreboard than Trea Turner.

    Turner endured the worst season of his career. One year after winning his second batting title and finishing fifth in the NL MVP race, the $300 million shortstop batted .242, reached base at a .297 clip, and had a .675 OPS, well below his career levels (.292, .343, .810).

    “I feel like when you’re going through the season, you’re looking up at the scoreboard, you see your numbers all the time, and now they kind of reset,” Turner said. “From that mentality standpoint, it’s kind of refreshing a little bit. But it doesn’t matter what the numbers look like. Even now, it’s just whether you win or lose.”

    Especially now. Turner returned to the leadoff spot over the weekend and had two hits in each of the last two games. He finished on a 10-for-33 (.303) roll with four walks and only seven strikeouts.

    Keeping it going is the best way to make everyone forget about the last six months.

    “In New York [two weeks ago], I feel like I swung the bat better a little bit,” Turner said. “I feel like I’m in a good position to see the ball better, make good decisions, and just feel good at the plate.”

    Kyle Schwarber (middle) said the Phillies are confident being on the road.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Hit the road

    Most teams prefer to open the playoffs at home. But after a week from hell, in which they lost four games in a row amid a chorus of boos and only narrowly avoided an epic collapse, maybe it’s best for the Phillies to get away.

    “I mean, we’re not afraid,” Kyle Schwarber said. “That’s the biggest thing is that we’re not fazed by where we’re playing.”

    In fact, the Phillies had a better record on the road (45-36) than at home (43-38). They’ve also lost five of their last six postseason games at home dating to Game 6 of the 2023 NL Championship Series.