The Eagles don’t have too much time to dwell on a demoralizing first loss of the season on Monday night. Not with the Los Angeles Rams here on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox29).
The first game at Lincoln Financial Field since Week 1 finds both teams heading into this game with something to prove, with the Rams losing last week as well to the Broncos.
During a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s practice, Rams coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Davante Adams detailed where their focus is before traveling to Philly.
The trio focused on injuries, veteran leadership, and their offense getting through the Birds’ physical defense.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford says playing against the Eagles, particularly on the road, is “always a tough out.”Matt York
“They’re always a tough out, especially at their place,” Stafford said. “Obviously, they have guys on that team who have done really special things in this league … It’s always a challenge going up against them, both offensively and defensively, but also from a personal standpoint. They have great players.”
The veteran quarterback pointed directly to the Birds’ defensive line, describing the Eagles as a team that “plays [an] extremely physical upfront, penetrating style of defensive line.”
Physicality could be an important factor against a Rams offense that struggled to finish drives last week in a close game, scoring only one touchdown.
“We want to stay ahead of the chains to be efficient, both in the run game and the pass game,” Stafford said.
One of the biggest developments going into Sunday is the return of Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua, a weapon who could potentially break through the Eagles’ defense given some injuries to key players.
McVay said that he expects Nacua to play against the Eagles after the wide receiver missed the past two games with a hip injury. Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches last season and finished with 1,715 receiving yards.
Sean Mannion was also a hot topic for the Rams, due to his ties in Los Angeles.
The offensive coordinator spent the first part of his NFL career as a quarterback with the Rams after the team drafted him in 2015. Mannion was on McVay’s roster during the 2017 and 2018 seasons before eventually moving into coaching, with the Rams coach showing his respect for his former player during the press conference.
“It’s cool to be able to see him in a great opportunity, a big-time job,” McVay said.
Adams spoke last in the conference and assured both Rams and Eagles fans that one loss doesn’t define a season or even change the cutthroat mentality they have as they prepare for the matchup.
“Humility is one play away if you’re sleeping on somebody, so we don’t take anybody lightly at the end of the day,” Adams said.
Just in time for pumpkin spice latte season, Philadelphia City Council members are giving up Starbucks — and they want you to do the same.
Council voted unanimously on Thursday to make Philadelphia one of the first cities in the country to explicitly endorse a nationwide boycott of Starbucks amid a unionization drive, and to pledge not to use city funds at the coffee chain until it reaches a contract agreement with its workers.
Also during Council’s session on Thursday: Councilmember Jamie Gauthier introduced controversial legislation to approve a contract with a trash incinerator that she doesn’t support. We’ll explain.
What was this week’s highlight?
Council puts Starbucks on ice: The expression of solidarity with Starbucks workers is a ceremonial resolution that does not carry the weight of law and does not require approval from Mayor Cherelle L. Parker.
Still, Council’s vote was a formal endorsement of the boycott orchestrated by Starbucks Workers United and targeting the world’s largest coffee chain, which is already reducing its footprint in the city. Starbucks closed six Philadelphia locations last year, and two additional branches — one at 2201 South St. in Southwest Center City and the other at 1018 N. Second St. in Northern Liberties — closed on Sunday.
The only other city to formally support the unionization effort is St. Louis, where last week the city’s board of aldermen approved a resolution to “express solidarity with Starbucks Workers United as they call for a boycott of Starbucks.”
People staying dry at the Starbucks Coffee at Dilworth Park near City Hall in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday, July 9, 2026.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Over the last five years, baristas have unionized at hundreds of individual Starbucks locations, but the company has not agreed to a nationwide contract that the union has sought. The union in August called for a nationwide boycott to last until an agreement is reached.
Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, a member of the progressive Working Families Party who represents the city at-large, authored the legislation and said its passage is “another affirmation of Philadelphia being a union town.”
“I am always interested in making sure that businesses in the city of Philadelphia and people are thriving,” O’Rourke said. “But my first priority is always to make sure that workers and workers’ conditions are right and that they are respected.”
Council is controlled by a supermajority of Democrats, and the body is largely supportive of organized labor.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson said he backs the Starbucks boycott, even though he is generally not a big coffee drinker.
“Unfortunately, they do have a vegan breakfast sandwich,” said Johnson, who follows a plant-based diet. “But I won’t be having those any time soon.”
A spokesperson for Starbucks said in a statement Thursday that the company is “committed to engaging in productive bargaining.”
What else happened today?
Introducing legislation she doesn’t support: Thursday’s meeting featured another twist in the long-running debate over a Chester trash incinerator and how Philadelphia gets rids of its garbage. Gauthier, a progressive Democrat who has advocated for the city to stop burning its trash, introduced legislation that would allow the city to continue doing so.
Here’s why: The Parker administration is looking to renew its long-held contract with Reworld, the Chester waste-to-energy facility where the city ships about one-third of its trash to be burned. (The rest of the trash is sent to landfills.)
In order to renew the multiyear contract, Council must approve authorizing legislation. Gauthier, who previously floated a bill to ban the city from incinerating trash but did not garner enough support to pass it, is asking her fellow lawmakers to vote against the contract renewal.
Chester Mayor Stefan Roots (at lectern) is joined by Philadelphia City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (right) at a rally outside City Hall early Thursday morning Sept. 17, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Although it may seem like a reversal of her position, Gauthier introducing the legislation herself — even when she does not support it — will allow her to have some say when a committee holds a hearing on the legislation. She hopes to amend it to strike Reworld from the deal so that the city processes all trash and recycling through landfills.
“It gives me and my coalition an opportunity to be at the table on something that we fought really hard on for more than a year now,” she said in an interview. “We’ve been working really hard to make sure that we’re protecting the health of folks in Chester and in Philadelphia, and protecting our environment.”
Johnson will decide which committee will hear the bill. He said Thursday that he is still reviewing the legislation.
Mamdani-fication: Create a Philly Medicaid Supplement Program. Expand access to programs that provide transit subsidies to low-income Philadelphians. Use city money to buy properties with expiring federal affordable housing subsidies.
These were some of the recommendations included in the Affordable Philly Now report, which was recently released by the Cost of Living Task Force.
O’Rourke, who convened the task force, held a committee hearing Wednesday examining the report’s findings, and he was not shy about noting that it was partly inspired by another progressive a few miles up I-95.
“You cannot deny the profound impact that … Mayor Zohran Mamdani has had,” O’Rourke said, praising the New Yorker for “mixing moonshot municipal goals with sewer socialism” and working to build a “protective hedge” of social safety net programs.
Nicolas O’Rourke, Philadelphia City Council member, during the mayor’s budget address on March 12.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Wednesday’s hearing was a meeting of the Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative/Innovative Economy, which O’Rourke chairs. As a freshman and a member of a minority party, O’Rourke does not have a high-profile committee leadership post like some of the more senior Democratic lawmakers on Council. His committee was previously led by former GOP Councilmember David Oh and does not naturally align with O’Rourke’s progressive politics.
O’Rourke said at the committee hearing Wednesday — the first time he chaired a Council hearing — that he was shifting the panel’s work.
“The prior version of this committee revolved around corporate investment fitting into global value chains and making Philadelphia an international destination,” O’Rourke said. “In my reflection on the meaning of the committee, I have spent more time focusing on a part of the committee’s mandate that actually seems more in its merit — that is, to consider all matters related to making Philadelphia a world-class city. … And in some seasons, world-class cities show themselves by being bold in providing a protective hedge for its people.”
Quote of the week
Former Mayor John F. Street (right) is acknowledged by supporters of his son, State Sen. Sharif Street (left), in West Philadelphia Monday, May 18, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
That was former Mayor John F. Street, the erstwhile City Council president, who returned to his old workplace Thursday to speak during public comment. He was testifying in support of a resolution to honor Philadelphia Police Lt. Greg Brown, who was, among other assignments, a member of Street’s security detail and is now retiring.
Street said Brown was one of the few people he never got to humiliate, because Brown “always got it right.”
“I never had a chance to put him on any list,” Street said.
The average interest rate for the popular, fixed-rate 30-year mortgage shot up to 7.28% this week, the highest it’s been since November 2023.
Elevated mortgage rates and high home prices are making homebuyers cautious about entering the market in the Philly area and beyond.
“They’re not jumping in with two feet,” said Patrick Lopez, a Philadelphia-based mortgage banker at Quaint Oak Mortgage.
At the same time, some people need to move. They’re driven by personal factors such as job relocations, growing households, and plans for the future.
Mortgage ratesare unlikely to slide back down to pandemic-era levels of 3% or lower. And waiting for rates to drop significantly is often a losing game, Lopez said.
While interest rates fluctuate, home prices overall have historically moved in one direction: up.
“What I tell people is if you can afford it and you can buy, the least expensive the property is going to be 99% of the time was yesterday or today, because prices keep trending higher,” Lopez said.
When aspiring homebuyers tell him they are waiting for interest rates to drop into the 5% range, for example, he asks, “Do you also understand how many other people are waiting for that?”
A significant drop in rates would likely flood the market with buyers, increasing competition for properties.
Here’s what real estate pros are telling buyers now.
Don’t assume your rate
Individual mortgage rates depend on a bunch of factors, including credit scores and participation in homebuyer assistance programs.
“The good news is that people have more power over interest rates than they think they do,” said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree, an online loan marketplace.
Taking steps to get a lower rate, he said, “can make a really unaffordable situation a little less so.”
“People would be surprised how much difference there can be,” Schulz said. And even a slight difference in the interest rate can mean tens of thousands of dollars in savings over the life of a mortgage.
Buyers with higher credit scores get lower mortgage rates, so improving those scores can help a lot.
“There’s very little in life that’s more expensive than having crummy credit, and that’s especially true when you’re buying a home,” Schulz said.
Jeffrey Ruben, the Bryn Mawr-based president of WSFS Home Lending, said that “first and foremost,” homebuyers should make credit card payments on time. They also need to control their credit card debt, so they’re not carrying over large balances from month to month.
They should cap how much they spend on a card to maximize how much credit they have available at any given time. Keeping total outstanding charges under 30% of the card limit gives people better credit scores, Ruben said.
Do your homework
Before buyers start looking at homes, they should sit down with a professional to determine how much they’re comfortable spending up front and monthly, said Peter Buchsbaum, manager of the mortgage brokerage Good Cents Financial, which is based in Bucks County anddoes most of its business in Philadelphia.
“Start the process earlier than you want to,” he said. “And it should begin with the financial piece.”
Schulz said homebuyers should factor in elevated mortgage rates when they calculate “what they can afford and what sort of homes they should be looking at and whether they should be in the market, period.”
An increase in mortgage rate from 6.5% to 7% on a $300,000 home in Philadelphia would mean a monthly payment that grows by about $130, Buchsbaum said.
“If that’s stopping me from buying a house, I probably shouldn’t be shopping for houses,” he said.
Buyers should also look into assistance programs they may qualify for.
Households should go into home buying with a plan for making their down payment, which can include saving more of their own money or getting grants or loans from governments, lenders, and nonprofits.
“The down payment is a challenge for many buyers,” Ruben said. “There’s no question about that.”
But buyers who can make bigger down payments get lower mortgage rates.
Be flexible, if possible
Rates can vary by location, so buyers with more flexibility in where they live can get lower rates.
Rates also vary by property type. Condos and duplexes come with higher interest rates than single-family homes, Lopez said.
Be prepared to compromise
With mortgage rates elevated, buyers should also keep in mind that a home they purchase now might not be their forever home, Schulz said. They may need to dial back their expectations and their budget in order to purchase.
First-time buyers, especially, can get on the first rung of the market ladder and start building home equity with the understanding that they can buy another home later that checks all their boxes.
“Tough times require compromise sometimes,” Schulz said.
The rate doesn’t tell the whole story
Homebuyers shouldn’t jump on a low interest rate without question.
Recently, a homebuyer asked Buchsbaum whether he could match an interest rate of 6.5% for a mortgage the buyer saw online. But in the fine print, the buyer would have had to pay discount points, or up-front fees to a lender, to buy down the rate to that level.
The buyer didn’t know about that caveat.
Buyers can get mortgage rates down fairly low if they pay enough points, Buchsbaum said, but “the juice isn’t worth the squeeze” in many cases. Buyers have to weigh whether they’ll stay in their home long enough that savings will make up for the up-front expense.
You don’t have to be stuck with one rate
Buyers who purchase homes now and get an elevated mortgage rate can pay to refinance their mortgage later if rates drop.
Also, more borrowers now are opting for adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) to get into homes, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. These loans come with lower initial interest rates than fixed-rate loans. After a period of time, rates adjust up or down based on the market.
Ruben said seven-year ARMs for 30-year periods are currently popular among WSFS’s mortgage borrowers. The interest rate stays the same for seven years and can adjust twice a year after that.
There’s a reason borrowers get a better initial rate: “They are assuming the risk of potentially higher rates in the future,” Ruben said.
But Ruben said WSFS is hopeful that rates will drop over the next several years to pre-pandemic norms. Rates in the high-4% to low-5% range for 30-year fixed-rate loans weren’t uncommon, he said.
“It’s a really unfortunate situation because home buying was already really unaffordable for an awful lot of people,” Schulz said.
WSFS tells mortgage borrowers “there are things they can control and there’s things that they can’t,” Ruben said. They can change their financial standing to some extent, but they can’t change broader market forces.
Buyers have to be realistic about their financial situations and the rates they’re likely to get, he said.
Philadelphia police have identified the victim of a fatal car crash in Center City as a teacher at a West Philly elementary school.
Zoe Schemm, 26, was attempting to catch a bus near 19th and Lombard Streets when the driver of another vehicle struck her at 6:42 a.m. Wednesday. Schemm suffered severe injuries after becoming trapped underneath the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
The driver of the white Audi sedan was traveling west on Lombard when the car hit Schemm while she was crossing the street. The driver remained at the scene. Police are investigating but have made no arrests.
Schemm was a teacher at Belmont Charter Elementary School in West Philadelphia. Belmont Charter’s elementary and middle school held classes virtually Thursday to give its community space to grieve Schemm’s death.
“Belmont Charter Network is heartbroken by the unexpected death of a member of our school community. She was a valued teacher who cared deeply for her students and made a lasting impact during her time at Belmont. Her loss is being felt deeply across our community,” Aquilla Waller, Belmont Charter’s head of school, said by email.
“I’m heartbroken that a young Belmont Charter teacher lost her life after being struck by a vehicle. … This is another somber reminder of how important it is to make sure our streets are safe,” City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents West Philadelphia, said in a social media statement.
A Philadelphia man who thought he was waiting for approval of a green card was deported to London on Wednesday night, his wife said, removed a month after being arrested by ICE at a California airport.
Michael “Sandy” Sims, 42, had flown to California in September for what was supposed to be a short business trip, but was stopped outside the San Jose airport when he arrived to fly back to Philadelphia. He was held at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Bakersfield, Calif.
His wife, Jennifer Sims, 46, an American citizen, said Thursday that she had spoken to her husband, who was safe and in England. He was deported days before a scheduled Oct. 8 bond hearing that the couple had hoped would free him from detention.
Jennifer Sims said she and her husband were now trying to figure out the next steps for their future.
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that Sims was “a criminal illegal alien” who on Wednesday was lawfully deported to the United Kingdom.
“This administration will not ignore the rule of law,” the department said in a statement.
Sims’ Sept. 2 arrest came as American airports have become risky places for foreigners, even those who are here legally.
Sims, a veteran of the entertainment-lighting industry, was born in Ireland and raised in London. He had been expecting approval of a green card that he and his wife sought after they married in 2017.
He told his wife that immigration agents had been waiting for him when his Lyft driver pulled up at the San Jose airport. He was confined at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield, a 400-bed facility operated by the for-profit, Florida-based GEO Group.
The Department of Homeland Security earlier said Sims had entered the country legally but overstayed his visa.
“Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” DHS said in a statement. “Under President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences.”
The department said earlier, and repeated on Thursday, that Sims faces a criminal charge of domestic battery in Nevada, where he lived at one time. DHS provided no further details and, along with ICE, did not respond to requests for information on what allegedly happened and when.
In a search of Nevada court documents, The Inquirer could find no record of any criminal case against Sims. And Sims’ Philadelphia immigration lawyer said he had no knowledge of and could locate no record of such a case.
His wife said he had never been charged with a crime.
Sims’ wife said he legally entered the U.S. on a work visa in 2016.
When that expired, he was approved for entry under ESTA, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. That is an online initiative the federal government uses to prescreen travelers before they visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.
Jennifer Sims said after they wed, she filed Form I-130, the document required to prove a valid family relationship with a foreigner who wants to immigrate to the United States.
That application, she said, was approved in March 2020 ― a key step toward a green card. Her husband had completed his biometrics appointment, where the government collects the applicant’s fingerprints, photograph, and digital signature, three months earlier, she said.
The couple thought they were waiting for approval of his green card when he was arrested, Jennifer Sims said.
NEW YORK — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate jumped this week to its highest level in nearly three years.
The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 7.28% from 7.03% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday, the biggest leap in four years. A year ago, the average rate was 6.34%.
It is the sixth consecutive week that mortgage rates have increased.
The average rate is now the highest it’s been since Nov. 22, 2023, when it reached 7.29%, and it’s not climbed this fast week-to-week since October 2022.
Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also climbed this week. That average rate increased to 6.60% from 6.42% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.55%.
Higher mortgage rates can add hundreds of dollars a month to borrowers’ costs, limiting homebuyers’ purchasing power. As rates rise, that can also lead prospective home shoppers to delay buying.
In late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage briefly dipped to 5.98%, its lowest level going back to late 2022. The roughly 1 percentage point increase in the rate since then translates roughly into an additional $276 a month cost for a borrower financing a $400,000 home loan at the current average rate.
Depending on a borrower’s income, credit, and other factors, they may qualify for a rate on a 30-year mortgage that is below or above the current average.
Mortgage rates are influenced by inflation, Federal Reserve policy, and bond-market investors’ expectations for the economy, among other factors. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.
Expectations of higher inflation amid surging oil prices have pushed up the 10-year Treasury yield, which was at 3.97% in late February, before the war began. It surged to 5.34% in midday trading but then pulled back to 5.23% Thursday.
The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low.
Last month the National Association of Realtors said that existing home sales fell 2% in August from July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million units. That was their slowest annual pace in more than a year.
And many potential homeowners are now hitting the brakes.
Mortgage applications, which include loans to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage, tumbled 6% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. This marks the fourth straight weekly drop.
Applications for loans to refinance existing mortgages also declined.
The elevated mortgage rates are driving more prospective homebuyers to adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs. Such loans, which typically offer lower initial interest rates than traditional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages, accounted for more than 10% of all mortgage applications last week, MBA said.
NEW YORK — The finishing point from the end of last season is where the Villanova men’s basketball team starts — at least on paper — to begin the 2026-27 basketball season.
The Wildcats landed as expected in the third spot behind Connecticut and St. John’s in the preseason Big East coaches poll announced Thursday morning in New York at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.
St. John’s went 18-2 in Big East play last season, UConn went 17-3, and third-place Villanova was 15-5. Fourth-place Seton Hall, meanwhile, was 10-10. Villanova’s offseason was spent reloading a roster in the hopes that the Wildcats, who reached the NCAA Tournament in Kevin Willard’s first season, close the gap between themselves and the top two teams in the conference.
Villanova coach Kevin Willard with forward Devin Royal during an open practice on July 27.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The roster looks a lot different. Only two players returned, including senior Tyler Perkins, who was selected preseason first-team all-conference. Matthew Hodge, the other returning player, is recovering from ACL surgery.
Villanova will begin its season in Rome vs. Notre Dame on Nov. 1. Its new-look starting lineup is projected to feature Perkins and four new players: point guard Elijah Crawford, forwards Kwame Evans Jr. and Devin Royal, and Italian big man Luigi Suigo, a 7-foot-3 center who is projected to be a first-round pick in next year’s NBA draft. Evans and Royal were both named to the all-Big East second team announced Thursday.
UConn received eight first-place votes while St. John’s received two and Marquette got one. Coaches cannot vote for their own team.
Wildcats women picked second
Like the men, Denise Dillon’s Villanova women’s team also is where it was at the end of last season: staring up at powerhouse UConn from the No. 2 spot.
The Wildcats received one first-place vote, which had to be from UConn coach Geno Auriemma, considering the rest of the first-place votes went to the Huskies.
Villanova had its fifth consecutive 20-win season last year. The Wildcats finished 25-8 and 16-4 in Big East play. They reached the NCAA Tournament and lost a first-round game to Texas Tech.
Villanova’s Jasmine Bascoe averaged 18.9 points and 4.0 rebounds last season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Leading scorer Jasmine Bascoe, a junior guard, is back after averaging 18.9 points and 4.0 rebounds. She was a unanimous first-team all-conference player last season and landed on this year’s preseason all-Big East team alongside sophomore guard Kennedy Henry.
The full men’s and women’s preseason polls are below:
ATLANTA — For years, the Phillies applied a pitching formula to optimize success in short postseason series.
“Wheeler, Nola, and it’s all o-vah.”
It was their twist on “Spahn, Sain, and pray for rain,” and it worked, at least in best-of-three wild-card series in 2022 and 2023. Now, facing a third elimination game in less than a week Thursday night, they will lean on their two longtime horses again.
Aaron Nola will start Game 3 here against the Braves. Zack Wheeler is expected to be available to follow Nola.
Nola will be on full rest, four days after starting on only two days’ rest and lasting only one inning in a desperate gambit to clinch a playoff spot last Saturday night. But the Phillies will take an “all hands on deck” approach to their pitching plan, interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday.
Wheeler, who would be on three days’ rest after starting the regular-season finale, is almost certainly part of that plan. It’s possible the Phillies could take a similar approach to Game 3 of the division series last year in Los Angeles, when Nola faced eight batters in two innings before yielding to fellow starter Ranger Suárez.
Nola said Sunday that he felt “a little bit more [sore], for sure” after his first-ever start on short rest. But he threw a between-starts bullpen session Monday in Atlanta.
“I could throw 40 to 50 pitches in a bullpen, and it’s never going to be the game situation, the adrenaline rush,” Nola said. “But I feel good.”
Aaron Nola (left) and Zack Wheeler, pictured in spring training, will factor into the Phillies’ Game 3 pitching plan, with Nola making the start.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Nola has made 41 career starts against the Braves, posting a 3.71 ERA in 252⅓ innings. In three starts this season, he has a 4.50 ERA, with the Braves batting .250 with a .500 slugging percentage.
In the postseason, Nola has twice faced the Braves in a series that was tied at one game apiece. He allowed one unearned run in six innings against the Braves in Game 3 of the 2022 NL division series and two runs in 5⅔ innings in Game 3 of the same round in 2023. The Phillies won both games — and both series.
Jesús Luzardo could possibly sit in the bullpen for Game 3, although it’s unclear if the Phillies would use him on two days’ rest after he missed three weeks in September with an inflamed left shoulder.
Rookie starter Andrew Painter saved the Phillies’ season in Game 2 against the Braves by making his postseason debut as a reliever and tossing three scoreless innings in a 4-3, 10-inning victory.
NBC Sports Philadelphia was first with the news that Nola would start Game 3.
‘This team needs changes’: Reaction to Phillies season-ending loss to the Braves
Alec Bohm walks off the field after the final out in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
NBC analyst John Kruk: “People are going to say the Braves wanted it more… The Phillies battled, but they just got beat by a better team.”
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ricky Bottalico: “This is disappointing in so many different ways. It’s not just because of Aaron Nola, it’s because the hitting didn’t show up [and a] lot of things didn’t come to fruition. This is a team that it may have been their last chance as is.”
Jayson Stark, The Athletic: “Watching Otto Kemp make the last out of a postseason series sends a fitting message to Phillies management. Depth. They’ve had way too little of it in every aspect of their roster construction. With an aging roster, that can’t happen again.
94.1 WIP’s James Seltzer: “This team needs changes. Big changes. This era of the Phillies has to end and a new one has to start. This group has gone as far as they’re going to go together. They’re just not good enough.”
Chris Sale sealed the Braves’ win against the Phillies.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It ended with Otto Kemp, whose last major-league at-bat came on May 20, striking out against Chris Sale.
The Phillies season is over.
Another year that began with the promise of a star-laden $322 million payroll ended with a 6-2 drubbing by the Braves in winner-takes-all Game 3 of the wild-card series.
The Phillies have made the postseason in five consecutive years but haven’t won a postseason series since the 2023 NL division series against the Braves.
Atlanta will move on to face the Dodgers in the division series.
Despite holding a four-run lead, they brought in ace Chris Sale with two out in the eighth inning to face Bryce Harper. And Sale struck out Harper on four pitches, the last of which was so far outside that it was in the right-handed batter’s box.
The ball skipped away from catcher Drake Baldwin, but Harper didn’t run immediately and was thrown out at first base.
And the Phillies are down to their last three outs.
Phillies pull Zack Wheeler and immediate regret it.
Jonathan Bowlan took the mound in the seventh inning of Game 3. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies pulled Zach Wheeler going into the bottom of the seventh inning and replaced him with reliever Jonathan Bowlan, his first appearance since Sept. 17.
Matt Olsen made the Phillies pay, crushing a solo bomb off Bowlan to extend the Braves’ lead 6-1.
Wheeler’s final line in Game 3? He gave up three hits and walked three in four innings, giving up two earned runs while striking our three.
Bryce Harper hits a double during the sixth inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It took three games, but we finally got the long-awaited Bryce Harper-Robert Suarez postseason rematch.
Harper took Suarez deep in Game 5 of the 2023 NL Championship Series for his famous pennant-clinching “Bedlam at the Bank” homer. And when they met again in the sixth inning here, Harper roped a double into the right-field corner.
Of course, the Phillies were trailing by five runs at the time.
But Harper’s double followed a single by Kyle Schwarber, who scored one batter later on Alec Bohm’s groundout. The Braves happily traded the out for the run and hold a 5-1 lead with nine outs to get.
Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler after giving up a two-run homer in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
While the Atlanta Braves jumped out to the early lead, NBC analyst and former NL MVP Joey Votto offered words of optimism with Phillies ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.
“As good as Zack Wheeler looks, this game is as in play as it gets,” Votto said during the broadcast. “I do not see the Braves scoring any more runs the rest of the way.”
Four pitches later, Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies crushed a Wheeler fastball over the wall in right-center field, extending the Braves’ lead to 5-0.
“Joey, I’ve had a lot of fun working with you over these last three days, man,” said fellow analyst C.J. Nitkowski. “Do not check your mentions.”
After a nine-pitch walk to Austin Riley, Zack Wheeler left a fastball over the middle of the plate for Ozzie Albies, who deposited it over the right-center field wall. It’s 5-0 Braves in the fourth, and the Phillies’ at-bats have hardly been competitive so far.
ATLANTA — That’s it for Braves opener Ray Kerr, who is lifted with one out in the fourth for Grant Holmes.
Kerr did his job, shutting down the Phillies for three innings and leaving a runner on first for Holmes, who will face Alec Bohm. The Phillies saw Holmes four times this year, and he held them to a 3.05 ERA. He is expected to be the bulk pitcher for Atlanta the rest of the way, as the Phillies are still staring down a 3-0 deficit.
Were Phillies wrong to turn to Aaron Nola on short rest?
Aaron Nola leaves Game 3 in the second inning. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It’s fair to wonder, especially now, about the potential toll that pitching on two days’ rest took on Aaron Nola.
Nola, starting on full rest in Game 3, exhibited none of his typical precision command in lasting only 1 ⅔ innings. Ten of his first 13 pitches were balls. J.T. Realmuto wanted the 14th pitch low and away. It ran back over the plate for a three-run homer to Michael Harris II.
Last Saturday, in their desperation to clinch a wild-card spot before the last game of the season, the Phillies started Nola on two days’ rest. He lasted only one inning in a loss.
The next day, during the Phillies’ clinching celebration, I asked Nola how his arm felt one day after starting on short rest for the first time in his career.
“A little bit more [sore] than after a bullpen,” he said. “A little bit more, for sure. Obviously it was a game situation. I could throw 40 to 50 pitches in a bullpen, and it’s never going to be the game situation, [with] the adrenaline, rush.
“But I feel good.”
Nola threw a bullpen session here Monday without issue. But he was able to face only nine batters and get five outs in the winner-take-all Game 3 before being lifted for lefty Tim Mayza, who got the final out of the second inning.
Zack Wheeler, on three days’ rest, is on for the third inning with the Phillies trailing 3-0.
Aaron Nola didn’t make it through the second inning of Game 2.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Zack Wheeler has begun throwing in the Phillies’ bullpen in left field.
After Aaron Nola allowed a two-out single up the middle to nine-hole hitter Dominic Smith, his night ended there. Lefty Tim Mayza entered the game tasked with finishing off the second inning, while Wheeler continues to warm.
Wheeler will be appearing on short rest, after throwing 97 pitches on Sept. 27 to help the Phillies finally clinch a playoff berth in Game 162.
Braves pitcher Ray Kerr during the second inning in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — The Phillies haven’t figured out Braves opener Ray Kerr.
The lefty, who was only promoted to Atlanta’s major league roster on Aug. 16, did his job of handling the top of the Phillies’ order, outside of a single from Kyle Schwarber. He returned for a 1-2-3 second, as that single remains the Phillies’ only hit of the night so far. It’s unknown how long Kerr is expected to remain in the game, but if he continues to be this efficient — 28 pitches — it could be another turn through the lineup.
The Braves have one hit, too, but it happened to be a three-run homer. The Phillies offense has some work to do.
The Braves’ Michael Harris II hits a three-run home run off Aaron Nola in the first inning.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA – It’s already a nightmare start for Aaron Nola and the Phillies.
Nola has not had his command early. After a first-pitch flyout from Drake Baldwin, he issued back-to-back walks to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson. He started Michael Harris II off with consecutive balls, too, before Harris went down to get a sinker below the zone and sent it 387 feet out of the stadium.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is projected to start Game 1 of the NLDS for the Dodgers. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
If the Phillies defeat the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 Thursday night, they’ll advance to the National League divisional series and take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Here is the full NLDS schedule:
Game 1: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. (FS1)
Game 2: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Game 3: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6 p.m. (FS1)
Game 4*: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m. (FS1)
Game 5*: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m. (Fox)
‘A cool ride’: Justin Crawford enjoying his postseason debut
Justin Crawford bunts during Game 2 against the Braves.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Justin Crawford’s father, Carl, was six years into his career before he got his first taste of postseason baseball.
Carl Crawford debuted for Tampa Bay in 2002, but didn’t play his first game in October until 2008. Fans of his son’s team know well how that story ended: with the Phillies beating the Rays in five games in the World Series, and a parade down Broad Street.
Justin, 23, didn’t have to wait nearly that long. His first experience in the postseason is coming in his rookie year. He started in Wednesday’s Game 2 and is also in the lineup against Atlanta for Game 3, batting ninth and playing center field.
“It’s been really cool,” Crawford said. “At the end of the day, I’ve kind of had to remind myself it’s still baseball. The game stays the same. So go out there, compete, work your tail off, and leave it all out there on the field and see what happens. I would say the biggest thing was definitely the adrenaline, and just the adrenaline factor and seeing how much that kind of played. But it was a really cool feeling to be out there and competing.”
He’s also been enjoying sharing the experience with some of the other rookies on the team. Alex McFarlane and Andrew Painter both played key roles in relief in Wednesday’s Game 2 victory, with McFarlane getting a big out to end the seventh and Painter pitching the final three innings to earn the win.
“Obviously, all three of us came up playing with each other,” Crawford said. “And especially me and Alex, we were drafted the same year and really have played with each and every level with each other. It’s really cool being able to go out there and compete with those guys, and being able to enjoy the moment with them as well. It’s really fun to be able to go out there and just contribute anyway we can. It’s been a cool ride.”
Phillies first baseman Alec Bohm works with interim manager Don Mattingly ahead of Game 3 at Truist Park in Atlanta. Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhillies shortstop Trea Turner fields during warmups. Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEdmundo Sosa will start Game 3 at third base after suffering a groin injury Wednesday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
// Timestamp 10/01/26 7:08pm
Mattingly: ‘All hands on deck’ for Game 3
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — A couple of hours before game time, Phillies manager Don Mattingly and Braves counterpart Walt Weiss both used the same phrase when addressing questions about the availability of certain pitchers in Thursday night’s decisive Game 3.
“I’d say all hands on deck today,” Mattingly said when asked if Zack Wheeler will be available in the bullpen on three days’ rest.
It’s a somewhat ironic choice of words for Mattingly, given the number of Phillies relievers he seems determined to avoid using.
The point stands, though. Aaron Nola will start the Phillies off. From there, everything will be depend on the score and the situation. If the Phillies need Zack Wheeler or even Game 1 starter Jesus Luzardo to throw, I wouldn’t expect Mattingly to hesitate.
Duran’s availability will be a game-time decision; Sosa won’t be 100%
Phillies closer Jhoan Duran will test his arm before deciding if he can pitch in Game 3.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Jhoan Duran’s availability to pitch in the Phillies’ win-or-go-home Game 3 of the wild-card series will be determined in the same way that it was for Game 2.
Duran will play catch and report back on how he feels.
“I’m expecting him to be good,” interim manager Don Mattingly said here Thursday in a pregame meeting with reporters.
But Mattingly was hopeful of getting a thumbs-up from the star closer and the medical staff before Game 2, too. Instead, Duran wasn’t ready to pitch after throwing 27 pitches over two innings and giving up a go-ahead three-run homer to Austin RIley in a 5-3 loss in Game 1.
Mattingly clarified that Duran wasn’t injured but rather sore after the heavier-than-usual workload in Game 1. It marked only the second time all season that the Phillies called on Duran to get more than three outs in a game.
“It was a couple of different factors, without having to go into all of them,” Mattingly said. “But mainly just he was beat up, arm-wise. Because he pitched the last game [of the regular season], too.”
Meanwhile, infielder Edmundo Sosa went through an early workout to test his injured groin. He passed the test and will be in the lineup, although Mattingly noted Sosa won’t be able to run full speed.
All-Star Brandon Marsh starting an elimination game on the bench
Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh isn’t starting Game 3 even though lefty Ray Kerr is only expected to pitch a few innings.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Remember when Brandon Marsh started in right field for the National League in the All-Star Game?
Three months later, he isn’t in the Phillies’ lineup for an elimination game.
Amid a deep second-half slump, Marsh fell into a platoon in which he typically starts only against right-handed pitchers. But he will begin Game 3 of the wild-card series on the bench here Thursday night, even though Braves lefty Ray Kerr is an opener and expected to pitch only a few innings.
Instead, the Phillies went with righty-hitting Bryan De La Cruz in left field.
“I think De La’s better equipped either way [vs. lefties or righties],” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “And then I’m able to, kind of the way we’re set up, we’re able to pinch hit where we need to pinch hit and give us some sort of leverage.”
It was telling, though, that Mattingly stuck with lefty-hitting Justin Crawford in center field against Kerr. Derek Hill, a right-handed hitter who splits time with Crawford, will be on the bench.
Marsh batted .319/.352/.530 with 15 homers through July 1. After that, he batted .177/.241/.241 with three homers. He came off the bench and got a hit in the ninth inning of Game 1 against the Braves before starting and going 1-for-3 in Game 2.
Edmundo Sosa is back in the Phillies lineup a day after leaving the game early win an injury.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies are trotting out a very similar lineup to Game 2, especially at the top. The first five spots remain unchanged. Bryan De La Cruz replaces Brandon Marsh in the sixth spot with lefty Ray Kerr starting. The only other change from the last game is J.T. Realmuto and Justin Crawford swapping spots at the bottom of the order.
That also means that Edmundo Sosa, who came up limping after trying to beat out a ground ball in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s win and had to leave the game, is back in the lineup for the Phillies. He’ll bat seventh.
Trea Turner (R) SS
Kyle Schwarber (L) DH
Bryce Harper (L) RF
Alec Bohm (R) 1B
Bryson Stott (L) 2B
Bryan De La Cruz (R) LF
Edmundo Sosa (R) 3B
J.T. Realmuto (R) C
Justin Crawford (L) CF
Meanwhile, the Braves have changes up and down the lineup against righty Aaron Nola after facing lefties in Games 1 and 2.
Now the Phils have every advantage to become just the fourth team in the new postseason format to win a wild-card series after dropping Game 1.
The key to winning this series was forcing a third game as Atlanta entered the playoffs unsure who would be its third starter. They’ll use Ray Kerr, a reliever who returned in August from Tommy John surgery, as an opener likely followed by Grant Holmes as a bulk reliever.
Now that they’ve reached a decisive Game 3, the Phillies know what they need from their pitchers.
Nola needs to … do what he did last year against the Dodgers in an elimination game. He pitched two innings, navigating one turn through the L.A. lineup in Game 3 of the National League Division Series before passing it to Ranger Suárez. Nola and Suárez combined for one run over seven innings. The plan was then to use Duran for six outs but that wasn’t necessary as the Phils took a seven-run lead in the eighth. The Phils will ask more from Nola than two innings but the task will be the same: Keep it close and get the ball to Wheeler.
Wheeler needs to … do what he always does. The Phillies looked ready to collapse last week until you saw that Wheeler was starting Game 162 and the Phillies just needed a win. Did anyone doubt Wheeler? He threw 97 pitches on Sunday so he’ll be pitching in Game 3 on three days’ rest. How many innings can the Phils expect from him? Two or three would be ideal. If Nola goes four or five and Wheeler gets you to the seventh, then Duran can take it from there.
Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber reacts after hitting a solo homer in the eighth inning against the Braves.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The Phillies’ Game 2 win over the Braves was a lot of different things.
It was playoff baseball at its finest, not to mention its most hazardous to a fan’s cardiac health. It was a showcase: of the razor-thin margins that will determine which of these two teams advances, and of the strengths that once again have the Phillies on the verge of an NLDS berth.
Mostly, though, Game 2 was a story. First, of failure. Then, of overcoming it.
Whether the story endures is a question that will be decided on Thursday in a decisive Game 3. The winner will move on to face the Dodgers in a best-of-five series. The loser will move on to face the haunting what-ifs of an early offseason.
But if momentum is real, and if adversity is a buoy, the Phillies have to like their chances, whatever the odds say. There’s also some history. Once upon a time, this Phillies team had a mojo that forced you to believe, regardless of circumstance, that they would overcome.
“It’s in our DNA,” Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said. “We’re not going to quit.”
Hayes: Grant Alec Bohm’s wish to be a Phillie for life
Alec Bohm celebrates after hitting a 10th-inning solo home run to lift the Phillies over the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of their National League wild-card series.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Alec Bohm sat behind a microphone for what could have been the last time as a Phillie on Wednesday morning, and he reflected on his 6½ seasons in the majors as a Phillie, supporting rosters dotted with future Hall of Famers. He will be a free agent this winter, and his inconsistent play combined with his occasional truculence have led to assumptions that he will be moving on.
Then, five hours later, Bohm, hitting in the No. 4 spot, rocked the winning home run in the 10th inning of Game 2 of the wild-card series against the Braves. The Phillies took a 4-3 lead, which held up in the bottom of the inning as rookie Andrew Painter dealt the third of his three scoreless innings, and the season was saved.
With it, Bohm might have saved his future in Philadelphia and erased some of the less jubilant moments of his past.
The Phillies have tried to platoon him, they’ve benched him in the playoffs, they’ve shoved him from the cleanup spot to the bottom of the order, and they’ve put him on the trading block so often he might as well have been a bale of beaver pelts in the Old West. He never much cared, it seemed, until now.
Once a Philly hater, he now desperately wants to be a Phillie for life.
“I would love nothing more than to stay,” he said afterward. “I mean, if you think about it, like, not that often does a guy get to play his whole career in one place.”
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola will start Game 3 against the Braves, and will have some support out of the bullpen.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
ATLANTA — Facing their third elimination game in five days, the Phillies will hand the ball to their longest-tenured player.
Aaron Nola will start Thursday night in Game 3 of the best-of-three wild-card series, according to a major league source. The Phillies had not yet announced a starter.
Nola will be on full rest four days after starting on only two days’ rest and lasting only one inning in a desperate gambit to clinch a playoff spot last Saturday night. But the Phillies will take an “all hands on deck” approach to their pitching plan, interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday.
Zack Wheeler is expected to be available out of the bullpen on three days’ rest. It’s possible the Phillies could approach the game similar to Game 3 of the division series last year in Los Angeles, when Nola faced eight batters in two innings before yielding to fellow starter Ranger Suárez.
Nola has made 41 career starts against the Braves, posting a 3.71 ERA in 252⅓ innings. In three starts this season, he has a 4.50 ERA, with the Braves batting .250 with a .500 slugging percentage.
In the postseason, Nola has twice faced the Braves in a series that was tied at one game apiece. He allowed one unearned run in six innings against the Braves in Game 3 of the 2022 NL division series and two runs in 5⅔ innings in Game 3 of the same round in 2023. The Phillies won both games — and both series.
The Braves are turning to lefty Ray Kerr to start Game 3.Gene J. Puskar
The Atlanta Braves are turning to lefty Ray Kerr as their Game 3 starter.
Kerr, a reliever who returned in August from Tommy John surgery, as an opener likely followed by Grant Holmes as a bulk reliever.
And we thought Don Mattingly’s options were limited this postseason.
Kerr throws in the mid-90s and faced the Phillies twice in September, holding them scoreless over 6⅓ innings in relief in a pair of games the Phils won. Holmes is a middle-of-the rotation starter with a low-90s fastball who blanked the Phillies for six innings in a 1-0 Phils victory on Sept. 7.
Kerr and Holmes handled the Phillies in September. But then again, who didn’t?
The toughest game of the series was always going to be Game 1 against Chris Sale, and the Phillies nearly won. The level of difficultly eased up in Game 2 against Tyler Mahle. The Phillies won that. The key to winning this series was always if the Phils could force a third game, knowing Atlanta could not match their starters. The Phillies got to Game 3. There’s no excuse not to finish the job.
Braves manager Walt Weiss runs on the field before Game 1.Brynn Anderson
Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly was picked apart after Game 1, so how about the Braves not using Robert Suarez in Game 2?
Suarez returned from the injured list in September and pitched twice in the season’s final week before being added to the postseason roster. He was lights out as Atlanta’s setup man before injuring his elbow in June and his velocity last week was about where it was preinjury.
So how does Suarez — who the Braves signed before the season to a three-year contract worth $45 million — not get used in Game 2?
The Braves played matchups in the eighth and got burned by left-hander Dylan Lee giving up back-to-back left-on-left homers to Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Suarez, a right-hander, had better numbers this year against lefties than righties. That could’ve been his spot.
In the 10th, Bohm homered against Didier Fuentes, who pitched for a second straight day after giving up a two-run triple in Game 1 to J.T. Realmuto. That could’ve been Suarez, too.
The winner of the Phillies-Braves series will move on to face Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
The winner of Game 3 between the Phillies and Atlanta Braves will punch a ticket to the National League divisional series to face the No. 2 seed Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Phillies went 2-4 against the defending World Series champs this season, though the last time the two teams faced off was way back in July. It would also be a replay of last year’s NLDS, which the Dodgers handily won 3-1.
Here is the NLDS schedule:
Game 1: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Saturday, Oct. 3, 4 p.m. (FS1)
Game 2: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. (FS1)
Game 3: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Tuesday, Oct. 6, TBD
Game 4*: Dodgers at Braves/Phillies, Wednesday, Oct. 7, TBD
Game 5*: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, Friday, Oct. 9, TBD
Phillies-Braves Game 3: Start time, how to watch and stream
NBC wild-card announcers (from left) C.J. Nitkowski, John Kruk, and Matt Vasgersian.NBC Sports
The Phillies face the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of their National League wild-card series Thursday night. The winner moves on to the National League divisional series, the loser’s season is over, and everyone will have to stay up late.
With the three other wild-card series already decided, first pitch of Game 3 between the Phillies and Braves Thursday night is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.
NBC will once again broadcast the game, with John Kruk in the booth alongside play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian and fellow analyst C.J. Nitkowski. Joey Votto is back as the on-field analyst, while Ashley ShahAhmadi will report from Truist Park.
Fans can also stream the game on Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming service. But if you live in and around Philadelphia, you can stream the game for free using a digital antenna, since it’s being broadcast on NBC.
94.1 WIP will broadcast the game on radio, with Scott Franzke and Kevin Stocker on the call.
NBC Sports Philadelphia will offer pre- and postgame coverage, featuring Michael Barkann, Ricky Bottalico, Ben Davis, and former Phillies general manager turned broadcaster Rubén Amaro Jr.
After suffering their first loss of the season, the Eagles (2-1) look to bounce back in Week 4 as they host the Los Angeles Rams (1-2) at Lincoln Financial Field. As both teams prepare to meet, here’s a look at updated game odds and some interesting prop bets from two of the biggest sportsbooks:
Eagles vs. Rams updated odds
Both teams are heading into Sunday with something to prove. The Rams are coming off a 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos after blowing a 16-0 halftime lead. And the Eagles struggled against the Chicago Bears and third-string quarterback Case Keenum in a 27-7 loss.
Entering the week, the FanDuel and DraftKings have the Eagles as three-point underdogs at home.
Hurts threw for over 200 passing yards in Weeks 1 and 2, with 203 yards against the Washington Commanders and 264 yards against the Tennessee Titans. But during Monday’s game against the Bears, he was limited to 153 passing yards.
Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford is coming off a game in which he threw for 390 yards — making it the second time he has eclipsed 300 passing yards this season, after a 327-yard game against the New York Giants in Week 2.
Over the last three weeks, Hurts has thrown for five touchdowns — three in Week 1 and two in Week 2. However, he recorded zero passing touchdowns vs. the Bears.
Stafford has thrown for six touchdowns in three weeks, including two passing touchdowns in Week 3 against the Broncos.
In last week’s meeting with the Bears, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley led the team in rushing with 82 yards. Meanwhile, Kyren Williams led the Rams in rushing with 88 yards.
DeVonta Smith led the team in receiving yards in the last two weeks, recording 65 yards in the Birds’ loss to the Bears and 117 yards in their win over the Titans.
Meanwhile, Rams receiver Davante Adams has led the team in receiving yards for the last two weeks in the absence of Puka Nacua, who was out because of groin and hip injuries. The receiver is expected to play on Sunday.
