Delta Air Lines will begin operating a new daily flight between Philadelphia and Los Angeles next summer.
The airline will debut the nonstop route between Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on June 7, officials said in an announcement last week. Tickets are already available for purchase.
The addition comes as Delta said it was also adding or increasing flights to LAX from several other destinations. Delta is PHL’s third-largest carrier by passenger volume, having carried nearly 2 million passengers through the airport in 2025. It currently offers nonstop service from PHL to five U.S. cities.
PHL’s largest carrier, American Airlines, also offers several daily nonstop flights to Los Angeles.
The airport is in the midst of a nearly $2 billion renovation, having spent significant amounts in recent years on upgrades to bathrooms, landscaping, painting, and more.
The airport has nonetheless continued to rank poorly in a prominent traveler satisfaction survey: Last week, JD Power said that for the sixth year in a row, PHL received the lowest score among large U.S. airports in its annual passenger satisfaction rating.
On Sunday, the Eagles defeated the Titans, 24-20, in a thriller in Nashville. With his team down by three points and 1 minute, 56 seconds left, Jalen Hurts marched the Eagles downfield to win the game. Wide receiver Darius Cooper, who competed for a roster spot this summer, sealed the victory with a 3-yard touchdown catch.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-0.
If you made the trip to the Music City or just couldn’t tune in, here’s what you may have missed from Sunday’s broadcast on Fox:
‘The biggest catch of his life.’
The highlight of the broadcast was play-by-play commentator Adam Amin’s electric call of the Eagles’ game-winning play.
“Hurts, rolling right, floats it, back of the end zone. And it is caught!” Amin’s voice boomed. “Darius Cooper, the biggest catch of his life. Philadelphia’s got the lead.”
Amin let the moment breathe after the call, allowing the at-home audience to hear the Eagles faithful serenade Cooper with cheers. The play came after Hurts hit DeVonta Smith on a toe-tapping 19-yard reception on third-and-6 from the Titans’ 22-yard line.
“When the pressure is at its greatest and the backs are furthest up against the wall, Jalen Hurts often comes through,” Amin said.
Drew Brees, who lent his voice to Sunday’s broadcast as the analyst, looked to praise Hurts following the Eagles final drive.
“No guy better in end of game situations than Jalen Hurts,” Brees said. “And no better execution today or on that drive.”
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni (left) and assistant to the head coach Cole Peterson (right) dance off the field after beating the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville, Tenn. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after the Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates with running back Saquon Barkley after throwing the game-winning touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after they beat the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerHappy Philadelphia Eagles fans after the Eagles scored a touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens lifts up Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper after Cooper makes the winning touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter. David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan holds up a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith jersey with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws the football late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter gets help coming off the field in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan is sweating it out with the Eagles trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon gets stopped by Tennessee Titans cornerback Marcus Harris.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches first down pass against Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen defends Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles out of trouble and throws an incomplete pass with 8 seconds left in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Johnny Mundt is brought down by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni while the Tennessee Titans are driving in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stop Tennessee Titans running back Nicholas Singleton in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley pushed out of bounds by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith hauls in a pass, but it was incomplete during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott watches his long field goal in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley running with the ball in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson (left) and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) try to block a field goal as time runs out in the first half against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn. David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun brings down Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor after Titans’ drive to the end zone late in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley runs along the sideline with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans cheer as the Eagles drive towards the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head of security Big Dom DiSandro stops Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as he is running out of bounds so he doesn’t hurt himself in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby runs with the football during the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby celebrate Bigsby’s touchdown in the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks gets a first-down catch passed Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton and Tennessee Titans linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerTennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker intercepts the ball from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the first quarter and runs it just short of the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith gets a first down pass with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey returns the first punt of the game, defended by Tennessee Titans safety Erick Hallett, in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans get ready for the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
‘I had to finish it’
During his postgame interview with Fox sideline reporter Kristina Pink, Hurts had some choice words for Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who seemed to take a shot at Hurts earlier this week.
On Wednesday, when asked a question about the Eagles quarterback, Simmons told ESPN, “We just need to make Jalen Hurts be a QB. Stop his runs, make sure Hurts doesn’t get out of the pocket and make plays.”
The internet ran rampant with the quote, but the Eagles locker room did not seem to pay it much attention. After Sunday’s game, Simmons embraced Hurts during his interview with Pink.
“You started that s—; I had to finish it,” Hurts said to Simmons with a smile.
Brees’ broadcasting career did not start the way he wanted.
The first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer looked to be the eventual replacement for Cris Collinsworth on Sunday Night Football but was let go by NBC after a lackluster playoff debut in 2021. Brees got a second chance last season, replacing Mark Sanchez after the former Eagles quarterback was arrested for allegedly assaulting a truck driver.
Sunday marked Brees’ 10th game with Fox and his first time calling the Eagles. So what did he have to say about the Birds?
The Super Bowl XLIV MVP was very impressed by the Eagles offense early. Following a designed sweep to new Eagles wideout Hollywood Brown in the second quarter, Brees lauded offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s variety in play-calling.
“I love the variety that Philly has incorporated today,” said Brees, who played 20 NFL seasons for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints. “This is the best looking Philly offense that I’ve seen in a long time. I know it’s just two drives, and I know the first drive unfortunately resulted in the interception in the end zone. But just as far as the steadiness of it and the play-calling and the tempo, they just incorporated so much so far.”
However, Philly fans tuned into Fox seemed to ignore much of Brees’ praise and narrowed in on one curious comment. Later in that drive, on a third-and-long scramble, Hurts slid 3 yards short of a first down. Despite two Titans defenders converging on Hurts, Brees felt the quarterback should have fought for the extra yardage.
“I was hyping up Jalen Hurts, and now I’m going to get on him,” Brees said. “Lower your shoulder and go get the first down. “You slide, they’re going to mark the ball where you started the slide, not where you end the slide. So it’s not a Tush Push situation. It’s not fourth-and-1. It’s fourth-and-3.”
The Eagles ended up converting for a first down, but Birds fans on social media held onto Brees’ words. Many questioned why Hurts would risk an injury by fighting for the first down.
Drew Brees telling Jalen Hurts to “lower your shoulder & get that 1st down” when he slid on 3rd & long is truly one of the more outrageous things I’ve ever heard a commentator say, let alone coming from a Hall of Fame QB who famously NEVER lowered his shoulder to get the 1st down
“It is hot, it is humid, it is a game of attrition,” Amin said with the game tied, 17-17, in the fourth quarter.
If you were one of the many Eagles fans who made the trip to Nashville, you don’t need to be reminded how hot Sunday’s game was. But for everyone else at home, the broadcast made sure to emphasize the on-field conditions.
Before the game kicked off, Pink pointed a thermometer gun at Nissan Stadium’s turf. The thermometer showed that the field was 133 degrees. Later, the broadcast revealed that it had reached 157 degrees on the field.
Fox offered plenty of visuals to show off the Tennessee heat. In the first quarter, the broadcast panned to Simmons pouring water on himself. Then at halftime, Hall of Famer and Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw marveled at Titans players pouring water on their cleats to cool off.
Brees also gave some insight on how an offense can use the heat to its advantage. Although he played in a dome with the Saints, Brees had his fair share of road games in the heat.
“When you start thinking about the heat conditions, the ability to commit yourself to the 2- and 3-yard gains,” Brees said in the first quarter. “Not only is it going to set you up for third-and-manageable, but as this game goes on, you can wear down a defense that way.”
NASHVILLE — The name on Jalen Hurts’ mind wasn’t the one you might’ve expected.
An hour after the Eagles quarterback uploaded the latest clip to his resumé tape with a 3-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Darius Cooper to lead the Eagles to a 24-20 win over the Titans on Sunday, he settled into a chair in a cramped interview room and spoke like a man who felt like he’d proven something. Hurts had spent the previous several days aware that his quarterbacking abilities had once again become grist for the NFL’s talk show circuit. The genesis of the debate — this time, at least — was a comment by Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who said that the key to beating the Eagles was to “make Jalen Hurts be a quarterback.” Tennessee achieved that objective, limiting Hurts to 16 yards on five mostly inconsequential carries. The quarterbacking they wanted to force proved lethal.
Yet it wasn’t Simmons who was at the forefront of Hurts’ mind. Though he admitted he’d heard the lineman’s comment, and though he strongly implied that he’d been motivated by the ostensible slight, it was Titans head coach Robert Saleh who drew a couple of unprompted mentions from Hurts in the wake of the wild win.
“It felt good to get him,” Hurts said. “He’s posed some great challenges, but I kind of checked that off.”
It was an interesting admission. One of the more undercovered story lines leading up to the game was the track record of success that Saleh’s defenses have had against the Eagles during Hurts’ tenure as QB1. Most notable was Saleh’s architecting of the 49ers’ wild-card win at Lincoln Financial Field last January, when his injury-ravaged unit limited Hurts to 168 yards on 20-of-35 passing. But Saleh was also at the scene of the crime in Week 6 of 2023, when the Jets picked Hurts off three times en route to a 20-14 upset win, a performance that prompted the Packers to enlist him as a consultant the following season as they were preparing to face the Eagles in the playoffs.
“Coach Saleh is always known for having a really good front, and it starts with Jeffery Simmons in the middle, and the disruption he brings,” Hurts said. “He was definitely disruptive and I think for the most part we managed it well. A lot to learn from. A lot to build forward on.”
Here, it seemed, was the actual window into Hurts’ competitive psyche on a Sunday afternoon that saw him overcome two interceptions and will the Eagles down the field on a masterful nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive after the Titans had taken a 20-17 lead with 1 minute, 56 seconds remaining. While everyone else focused on Simmons, and while Hurts happily played his part in that game, he drew a much deeper pregame motivation from the memory of his failures. Sure, Sunday’s game was a chance to stick it to Simmons and by extension to those who share his sentiments. But it was much more substantively an opportunity to deploy the lessons he’d learned in his previous go-rounds against a defensive scheme the Titans now featured under Saleh as their first-year head coach. As Hurts himself might say, there is no motivator as powerful as an opportunity to show growth.
Darius Cooper catches the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Both he and the Eagles showed it on Sunday, albeit in an unconventional manner. They spent most of the first half looking every bit the superior team they were believed to be. Hurts was remarkably calm, poised and accurate with the football while dealing with a patchwork interior offensive line and dysfunctional running game amid a suffocating blanket of heat and humidity amplified by the artificial turf at Nissan Stadium. The Eagles entered halftime having run 40 plays: 15, 11 and 14 on three possessions covering 210 yards. That they led 14-10 rather than 21-3 was a function entirely of Hurts’ lone miscue: an end zone interception that Titans safety Amani Hooker returned 92 yards to set up a touchdown.
It would be easy to focus on the Eagles’ second half struggles, when Hurts was off-target on a number of big throws and thus left the Eagles at the mercy of their ineffective running game and a startlingly vulnerable defense. Except, those things ultimately set the stage for two of the finest minutes of Hurts’ career.
Rarely will you see a quarterback make a more consequential series of throws than the ones Hurts made while marching the Eagles 65 yards down the field. The headline, highlight, and game-ender was a 3-yard toss to Cooper in the back of the end zone with 9 seconds left. It was also a formality by that point. On the previous play, Hurts had hit DeVonta Smith with a 19-yard throw to convert a third-and-6. Two plays before that, he somehow managed to muscle himself outside of the tackle box and throw an incompletion while wrapped up by Titans defensive end Jacob Martin for what would have been a significant loss to push the Eagles back toward the fringe of field-goal territory.
“Huge,” was how left tackle Jordan Mailata described that moment.
Just as huge was Hurts’ 20-yard completion to Dontayvion Wicks on third-and-6 at the beginning of the drive.
Take away any one of these moments, and the Eagles would have been trying to explain the inexplicable instead of shrugging off another flawed victory over a vastly inferior team.
Instead, we can focus on that which is perfectly explicable.
“He didn’t flinch,” Smith said.
Video: Nick Sirianni greets Eagles players outside of locker room after win vs. Titans
The best thing you can say about Hurts, the highest compliment you can give him, is that he has shown us that we should expect everything that we saw in the closing minutes on Sunday. The calm, the rhythm, the blankness of mind. Apart from his self-evident physical gifts, his greatest competitive advantage has always been a near-total self belief that prevails regardless of circumstance. He has shown it time and again at every level of football, from Alabama to Oklahoma to the second round of the NFL draft to the questions that seem to swirl around his future on a weekly basis, with Simmons’ comment as the most recent example.
“It’s a sense of belief,“ Mailata said. ”It’s more like a knowing. I know he’s going to go down and lead us, I know he’s going to make the right reads, I know he’s going to make the right throws.”
More often than not, the talent prevails. The poise prevails. The unflinching self-belief prevails.
You can say a lot of things about Hurts. The list starts with those three truths.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni (left) and assistant to the head coach Cole Peterson (right) dance off the field after beating the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville, Tenn. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after the Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates with running back Saquon Barkley after throwing the game-winning touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after they beat the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerHappy Philadelphia Eagles fans after the Eagles scored a touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens lifts up Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper after Cooper makes the winning touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter. David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan holds up a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith jersey with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws the football late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter gets help coming off the field in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan is sweating it out with the Eagles trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon gets stopped by Tennessee Titans cornerback Marcus Harris.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches first down pass against Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen defends Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles out of trouble and throws an incomplete pass with 8 seconds left in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Johnny Mundt is brought down by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni while the Tennessee Titans are driving in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stop Tennessee Titans running back Nicholas Singleton in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley pushed out of bounds by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith hauls in a pass, but it was incomplete during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott watches his long field goal in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley running with the ball in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson (left) and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) try to block a field goal as time runs out in the first half against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun brings down Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor after Titans’ drive to the end zone late in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley runs along the sideline with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans cheer as the Eagles drive towards the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head of security Big Dom DiSandro stops Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as he is running out of bounds so he doesn’t hurt himself in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby runs with the football during the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby celebrate Bigsby’s touchdown in the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks gets a first-down catch passed Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton and Tennessee Titans linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerTennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker intercepts the ball from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the first quarter and runs it just short of the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith gets a first down pass with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey returns the first punt of the game, defended by Tennessee Titans safety Erick Hallett, in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans get ready for the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Ed Sheeran took the stage in South Philadelphia on Saturday night for the first time since the British singer-songwriter became the unwitting center of international political debate.
“This week has been the worst of my life, and today has been the weirdest,” Sheeran said to the sizablecrowd to begin his performance at Lincoln Financial Field.
Rapper Macklemore was fired as the opener of Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” last week after he performed his 2024 protest song “Hind’s Hall,” about pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia University while showing footage of the war in Gaza and repeatedly shouting “Free Palestine.”
Macklemore’s dismissal from the tour led to outcry among some, who saw it as the quashing of free speech.Other opening acts subsequently left the tour in protest, including Sheeran’s backing band.
He began the show solo, stepping onto an empty stage at 8:14 p.m. and delivered a speech seemingly read off a teleprompter, at one point getting emotional, saying he never wanted to be a political artist. He opened his set addressing the controversy.
“I’ve had to take and make difficult decisions, and I am making mistakes, and I am so, so sorry,” he told the crowd.
FILE – Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran performs during “Ed Sheeran’s Play: Live from New York” presented by TikTok at Domino Square in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Sept. 13, 2025. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)Andy Kropa
He directly addressed the war in Gaza saying, “What happened in Israel and at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7 was horrific, and compounded centuries of Jewish pain. What is happening in Gaza is catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate. My heart has been broken by the scale of devastation and the loss of civilians’ lives. Children’s lives.”
Healso said that his show had to be altered because of the events of the previous week — including his stage setup and backing band. Later in the three-hour set, he admitted that Macklemore’s exit from the tour led to a lost connection with longtime friends, many of whom urged him to cancel his tour. The new band and the broader audience on Saturday encouraged him to go on, he said.
Throughout the night, the sympathetic audience cheered and shouted “We love you, Ed” when Sheeran reaffirmed his intention to make music that unifies fans of differing creeds and political views. The crowd ranged from young children to gray-haired fans, each appearing to have their own distinct relationship to the songs sprawled across Sheeran’s catalog.
Concertgoers arrive at Lincoln Financial Field before Ed Sheeran’a concert on Saturday. (AP Photo/Allie Ippolito)Allie Ippolito
Sheeran may not consider himself a political artist, but the blowback from last week’s events largely altered his stage show.
“I hope you enjoyed my supporting acts,” he jokingly said to the amused audience. Of course, there were no supporting acts after the likes of Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Lukas Graham, and his backing band, Beoga, quit in solidarity with Macklemore.
Sheeran said that he removed a secondary stage that had been a part of his other concert stops, fearing retribution from the audience. “I took the B stage out because I was afraid of what would happen if I stood in the middle, and I will admit that,” he said.
But that change was unwarranted in South Philadelphia, as the outside pressures had little effect on the crowd, who danced in the aisles and aimed their cell phone cameras at Sheeran throughout the night.
He also introduced his new backup band, consisting of a drummer, guitarist, bass player, keyboardist, and violinist, who came on board on three days’ notice, knowing “the world may hate them” for performing along his side. The band impressed with its sharp performances of “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan.”
People gather for a protest near NRG Station, outside the Ed Sheeran concert at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
In a show that was marked by inconsistency, the musical star glided through his catalog of hits with an acoustic guitar and a series of loop pedals at his feet. As he sang hits like “The A Team” and “Castle on the Hill,” Sheeran layered his vocals and percussions, creating a live arrangement of synchronized sounds and stacked melodies.
The experience, with pyrotechnics and vibrant graphics displayed on a background screen, was akin to attending what felt like an open-air studio session. Though the clashing of unregulated sounds on songs like “Take It Back” occasionally drowned out his lyrics.
Sheeran’s pensive demeanor at the top of the show soon grew to comfort, as he rattled off jokes and peppered the crowd with stories linked to his songs.
Thousands gathered at Lincoln Financial Field for Ed Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” on Sept. 19, 2026.Earl Hopkins
Sheeran seamlessly transitioned from jubilant, up-tempo records like “Sapphire” and “Galway Girl” to emotional tracks such as “Eyes Closed.”
But the stories Sheeran shared of his first cheesesteak experience in Philadelphia back in 2012 and the past heartaches that led to songs like “Old Phone” often spiraled into disconnected tangents that pulled audiences out of an already lengthy concert experience.
“This is where we can congregate, and we all have differing opinions, but then we all come together for one night and agree on the same thing. And I think it’s a wonderful thing,” he said.
After what started as a week like no other Sheeran has faced in his music career, he said Saturday was “the best show [I’ve] ever had.”
Ed Sheeran performs in Tampa, Fla., as a part of his “Subtract Tour.” The tour made a stop at North Philadelphia’s the Met on June 2, 2023.Mark Surridge
NEW YORK — Alex McFarlane decided to challenge him.
The rookie reliever inherited a runner from Cristopher Sánchez in the seventh on Sunday, and allowed two singles to flip the Mets’ lineup back over. To get out of the jam, he now had to contend with New York’s biggest power threat: Juan Soto.
But in the two months that McFarlane has been a mainstay in the Phillies bullpen, he’s been put in a lot of tough situations. Soto, even with his 1.001 OPS against righties like McFarlane, was hardly any different.
“Big spot,” McFarlane said. “Just went at him.”
He attacked Soto with three straight heaters, dialing it up to 100 mph to blow it by the Mets slugger for the strikeout. McFarlane stranded the tying run at first base in a key moment in the Phillies’ rain-soaked 7-2 win over the Mets, as the club shrank its magic number to clinch the playoffs to three.
McFarlane’s performance, which lowered his ERA to 2.35, was also significant in light of the recent turmoil in the bullpen. The Phillies optioned Orion Kerkering to triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier on Sunday after his second-half struggles reached a boiling point. Brooks Raley has allowed at least one run in his last four appearances. Jonathan Bowlan has been progressing, but is still down with a groin strain. The bullpen has been hanging by a thread, but McFarlane again proved his mettle.
Interim manager Don Mattingly lifted Sánchez after 98 pitches and one out in the seventh — to Sánchez’s visible frustration — to allow McFarlane to face a pocket of right-handers at the bottom of the Mets order.
NL wild-card standings
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But New York wound up using two pinch-hitting lefties, who both singled to drive in the inherited runner, bringing up switch-hitting Francisco Lindor and then Soto.
“Obviously gave up a couple hits on the breaking ball, and then just kind of popped up Lindor, and then attacked Soto,” Mattingly said. “First time probably seeing him, it’s a kind of advantage our guy. Didn’t quite know the movement. Just coming right after guys.”
Justin Crawford hit a bases-clearing triple in the eighth inning.Noah K. Murray
And McFarlane wasn’t the only rookie to come through. An inning later, Justin Crawford delivered a three-run triple with a line drive that split the Mets outfielders. Even a minor collision with an umpire on the base paths couldn’t stop J.T. Realmuto from scoring from first base.
Mattingly was planning to bring McFarlane back out for the eighth as yet another test for the 25-year-old as the playoffs near, but Crawford’s big hit gave the Phillies plenty of separation and Chase Shugart took the ball instead.
Crawford helped out defensively as well, recovering from an initial misread on a liner from Bo Bichette to make a sliding grab. Bryson Stott also made the catch on a fly ball while falling down for the second out.
Sánchez turned in 6⅓ innings to reach 200 on the season for the second time in his career. The lefty threw his changeup less than normal for him — just 26% of the time, compared to his season average of 37% — but filled the strike zone with his fastball. Three of his six total strikeouts came on his slider.
“I think I looked way better today,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I mean, changeup was working and the slider was working as well.”
He made some mechanical changes since his previous start against the Nationals, when he gave up five runs on eight hits. Sánchez has been doing extra work with the Phillies training staff to help him feel smoother on the mound, and he thought it paid off Sunday.
“We’ve also been working on some mobility, working on my body, and adding some mobility to it,” Sánchez said.
Bichette spoiled the shutout in the sixth inning with his 17th homer of the year. Sánchez had him in an 0-2 count, but Bichette fouled off six straight pitches until he got a slider over the plate.
Mattingly said the decision to pull Sánchez in the seventh was with the bigger picture of the postseason in mind, wanting to keep his pitch count in the 90 range. As he walked off the mound, Sánchez let out a yell in frustration.
Kyle Schwarber scores in front of Mets catcher Luis Torrens on Sunday.Noah K. Murray
“That’s just me, just part of who I am and what I do on the field when I’m on the mound, and trying to stay in competition right there,” Sánchez said. “So that’s just me. That’s how I felt. I wanted just to give the team the best chance, put them in a good position to win.”
The Phillies led all game, jumping on Mets right-hander Jonah Tong early. Kyle Schwarber started the first and third innings by drawing a walk, and both times it sparked a rally from the top of the order. He was aggressive on the base paths, successfully tagging up on a Luis Arraez sacrifice fly to left field in the first inning, and then scoring from first base on a double from Trea Turner in the third.
Schwarber finished with four walks while Turner worked two. In the four-game series in Queens, Turner finished 4-for-13 (.308) to go with six total walks.
“We need him to get on base,” Mattingly said of Turner. “When he’s on base, we’re better.”
Brandon Marsh struck out three times in his first three plate appearances, once looking, but saw a positive result in the eighth inning with a single off Kodai Senga.
NASHVILLE — Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 24-20 win over the Tennessee Titans:
Quarterback – B+
Jalen Hurts was excellent. Yeah, he tossed two bad interceptions. But good far outweighed the bad and Hurts ultimately drove the Eagles to victory with his two-minute, touchdown scoring drive. He threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on 26 of 37 passing. Hurts also had some key moments on the ground. He did all of this despite the schematic and execution issues with the offensive line.
Aside from the interception, Hurts was nearly flawless in the first half. He kept bailing the offense out on third-and-longs and converted five first-downs of four yards or more. He also did it with his legs once, running for a first down on third-and-4. Hurts has a 7-yard scramble that set up a fourth-and-2 he would subsequently convert with a throw to Wicks.
Video: Jalen Hurts lauds the Eagles’ perseverance after win over Titans
Hurts looked comfortable in the pocket despite some pressure. He hooked up with Wicks for a 27-yard pass over the middle with a rusher in his face, and later got the ball out to Wicks for a 15-yard gain on third-and-12 — just before Simmons hit him. His 22-yard touchdown pass to Smith before the break came on second-and-19.
There was the costly interception on third-and-goal, of course. The pass to Smith was undercut by safety Amani Hooker, who went 92 yards the other way. The Titans converted the turnover into a touchdown.
Saquon Barkley left on the first play when he suffered a stinger. He returned to the sideline after a brief stay in the locker room, but didn’t play until the second half. Barkley caught an 11-yard swing pass on third-and-5. As a rusher, he finished with just nine yards on four carries.
With Barkley out for most of the first half, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley shouldered the load in the backfield. They ran hard and had some nice moments, but the blocking up front was mostly porous. The duo rushed 17 times for a combined 51 yards (3.0 average) before the break.
Tank Bigsby (8) found the end zone in relief of an injured Saquon Barkley. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Bigsby kept churning on a 9-yard carry down to the 2-yard line early in the second quarter, and went into the end zone on the next play for the Eagles’ first touchdown. He slipped and lost two yards on his first carry of the second half.
Shipley got the nod on the Eagles’ last drive. He helped pick up the blitz on Hurts’ 20-yard throw to Wicks.
Video: Gameday Central: Initial reaction to the Eagles’ comeback win vs. Titans
Receiver / Tight end — A-
Receiver DeVonta Smith did all could do. He made one tough catch after another and led the Eagles with 10 catches for 117 yards. He caught a 22-yard touchdown on a corner route in the second quarter. Smith converted an early third down on an 8-yard slant. He also had a key lead block on Hurts’ third-down conversion on the ground in the second quarter. He made a difficult toe-dragging grab near the sideline and then a 19-yard snag down to the 3-yard line on the final drive.
Dontayvion Wicks was just as reliable when targeted. He caught a 27-yard pass over the middle on third and 12 on the Eagles’ first drive. Wicks converted fourth down with a 5-yard catch in the second quarter. He finished with five receptions for 74 yards, but left late with an injury. Rookie Makai Lemon is still finding his NFL legs.On his first career first down, he pulled in a 14-yard grab on third down late in the first quarter. Another screen pass, though, resulted in Lemon getting dropped for a loss in the second quarter. He had nowhere to go.
Dontayvion Wicks continued to add value for the Eagles passing game. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Darius Cooper made the game-winning touchdown catch when he went up for Hurts’ lob and kept both feet inbounds. Earlier in the fourth quarter, he got open and picked up 23 yards.
Tight end Dallas Goedert got upended while run blocking in the second quarter and didn’t return because of the knee injury. Johnny Mundt had more receiving responsibility with Goedert out. He drew an illegal use of the hands penalty in the second quarter. Mundt seemed to miss his assignment on an outside zone run that netted few yards just before the half. He held on a Hollywood Brown end around in the fourth quarter.
After not playing a snap in the first game, Brown was featured at times on offense. He ran nine yards on a sweep play in the second quarter.
To some surprise, the Eagles made changes at two spots when they only needed to replace Landon Dickerson. They moved Cam Jurgens to left guard and started Drew Kendall at center. It was often ugly. But it was another shaky outing from new O-line coach Chris Kuper’s entire group. The run blocking just wasn’t sound. The pass protection was only a little better.
There was the matter of containing Jeffery Simmons. The All pro defensive tackle owned Kendall on the Eagles’ opening drive and forced Hurts to burn a throw into the ground. Kendall appeared to miss a block. The second-year O-lineman had a tough assignment, but it was a grind.
Drew Kendall (66) and the Eagles offensive line had its struggles on Sunday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Jurgens struggled vs. Simmons and others. He got spun around by the defensive tackle on a run play in which Bigsby was stretched out for no gain. Jurgens also got knocked off balance by Titans D-tackle John Franklin-Myers in the second quarter. He was a turnstile on edge Jacob Martin’s third-down sack of Hurts in the third quarter.
Right guard Tyler Steen didn’t hold up either. He got beat by D-tackle Nazir Stackhouse and later by Simmons on late second quarter runs that resulted in losses. He committed a holding penalty to open the second half. Steen got beat again on a third-down rush in the third quarter in which Hurts had to escape.
Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata were decent in pass protection, but they had breakdowns, too. Johnson struggled with his block on the play in which Barkley got hurt. He also lined up illegally early in the second half. Mailata got surprised by an outside twist by Simmons, and landed on his rear on Hurts’ touchdown throw to Smith.
Defensive line — B-
The front looked gassed at times, and understandably so. It was hot. There were a lot of D-linemen with hands on their hips at the end of the Titans’ 12-play touchdown drive late in the third quarter. The run defense was leaky at times. There wasn’t enough pressure on the few times quarterback Cam Ward dropped on obvious pass downs. They did stand tall and force a field goal at the end.
Jalen Carter, playing with a soft cast on his wrist, was relatively quiet for the first three quarters. He did bust through on a run play in the third quarter and sacked Ward late in the fourth. Jordan Davis didn’t dominate in the run game like he normally does. Moro Ojomo had a big tackle for loss in the fourth quarter.
Nolan Smith Jr. (3) had a sack of Cam Ward on Sunday. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Edge Jonathan Greenard (pectoral) was out for a second straight week. Jalyx Hunt got things started with a tackle for loss on Pollard’s first carry. Hunt later squeezed into the backfield to force running back Tyjae Spears into Davis’ arms. As a pass rusher, he drew a face mask when he penetrated on an inside stunt in the second quarter.
In the second half, his edge setting contributed to a Pollard run for no gain. Nolan Smith Jr. got home for a sack with an inside rush late in the second quarter. Smith also had a tackle for loss on a run in the fourth quarter.
Defensive tackles Byron Young and Ty Robinson got some snaps in the heat.
Linebacker — C+
There was just too much leakage against a Titans offense that looked near-pathetic in the first week, and the off-ball linebackers were just as responsible. Zack Baun appeared to over-pursue on Pollard’s 13-yard run on third-and-1 in the second quarter. Baun also missed an open field tackle on a dump pass that sprung Spears for 27 yards just before the half. He did stop Titans running back Nick Singleton for a loss in the third quarter.
Jihaad Campbell didwell to shed a block and stop a screen for no gain on the Titans’ first possession. He was targeted through the air several times. Both linebackers bit on a play fake and Ward hit receiver Calvin Ridley for a 25-yard catch in the third quarter.
Riq Woolen and the Eagles cornerbacks had their share of challenges against a nondescript Titans receiving corps. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Cornerback — B
Ward didn’t drop to throw much downfield, but when he did he was more efficient than he should have been. Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen did keep Titans receivers from winning often on the outside. Receiver Calvin Ridley hauled in a first down on a slant in front of Mitchell. His run defense on Spears’ 27-yard run was not ideal.
Cooper DeJean rebounded from last week’s rough outing. He tackled rookie receiver Carnell Tate short of the sticks on third down in the third quarter. Mitchell and Cooper were victimized by a soft zone on third and 13 when Ward hit receiver Elic Ayomanor for 28 yards on a slant route.
Safety — C-
The tackling at the safety spot just wasn’t good enough. Andrew Mukuba played despite being questionable after suffering a knee injury in practice. He drilled Tate over the middle early on. Mukuba appeared to lose receiver Wan’Dale Robinson on a third-and-5 conversion in the third quarter. It came when DeJean blitzed off the edge.
Mukuba made a strong run stop at the goal line in the third quarter. But he had a weak tackle tackle on a Pollard 18-yard bolt up the middle in the fourth quarter.
Marcus Epps was in the vicinity over the top on Ayomanor’s 28-yard catch in the middle of the Eagles’ Bermuda Triangle. Epps got hurdled over in the fourth quarter. Later in the drive, he totally overran the play on Spears’ 27-run on third-and-22.
Jake Elliott (4) nailed a 58-yarder in the Nashville heat. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Special teams — A
Kicker Jake Elliott nailed a 58-yard field goal in the third quarter. It tied the fourth-longest kick of his career.
Braden Mann averaged 50.5 net yards on two punts. His first punt didn’t come until the third quarter when he booted a 57-yarder that was fair caught. Britain Covey averaged 15.5 yards on two punt returns and had a 23-yarder. He was also back on kickoffs, along with Shipley, given Titans kicker Joey Slye’s ability to hit knuckleballs. Alas, Slye never tried one.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni (left) and assistant to the head coach Cole Peterson (right) dance off the field after beating the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville, Tenn. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after the Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates with running back Saquon Barkley after throwing the game-winning touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after they beat the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerHappy Philadelphia Eagles fans after the Eagles scored a touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens lifts up Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper after Cooper makes the winning touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter. David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan holds up a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith jersey with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws the football late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter gets help coming off the field in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan is sweating it out with the Eagles trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon gets stopped by Tennessee Titans cornerback Marcus Harris.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches first down pass against Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen defends Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles out of trouble and throws an incomplete pass with 8 seconds left in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Johnny Mundt is brought down by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni while the Tennessee Titans are driving in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stop Tennessee Titans running back Nicholas Singleton in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley pushed out of bounds by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith hauls in a pass, but it was incomplete during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott watches his long field goal in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley running with the ball in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson (left) and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) try to block a field goal as time runs out in the first half against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn. David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun brings down Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor after Titans’ drive to the end zone late in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley runs along the sideline with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans cheer as the Eagles drive towards the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head of security Big Dom DiSandro stops Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as he is running out of bounds so he doesn’t hurt himself in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby runs with the football during the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby celebrate Bigsby’s touchdown in the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks gets a first-down catch passed Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton and Tennessee Titans linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerTennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker intercepts the ball from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the first quarter and runs it just short of the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith gets a first down pass with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey returns the first punt of the game, defended by Tennessee Titans safety Erick Hallett, in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans get ready for the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Coaching — B-
Coach Nick Sirianni ended the Eagles’ streak of forgettable trips to the Music City. It looked like they might exit Tennessee with another nasty loss. But Hurts carried his team to victory and a 2-0 record despite the sloppy game against an inferior opponent. Real tests are forthcoming.
We saw the return of the Tush Push for the first time this season. It led to a Titans offsides penalty on the first try and Hurts converted on the second.
Video: Nick Sirianni greets Eagles players outside of locker room after win vs. Titans
Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is still feeling his way in the new job. The new stuff he brought from the Kyle Shanahan scheme just hasn’t clicked enough. Hurts had more success when he was in shotgun on third downs. Mannion’s play-calling had more rhythm than it did in the first week, but the issues on early downs continued. There just wasn’t a good plan nor execution on first- and second-down run plays.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit held the Titans to just 20 points, but it’s not like Ward and Co. were considered a top offense. Fangio had some suspect calls on third down and probably played it too passive on third-and-13 before the half.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — On Sunday afternoon in the Music City, the Tennessee Titans wound up singing the blues.
After the Titans took a three-point lead on a 32-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles got the ball back with 1 minute, 56 seconds left to play.
Jalen Hurts, who threw two interceptions earlier in the game, orchestrated a nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive, capped by a 3-yard Darius Cooper touchdown catch in the back of the end zone to seal the 24-20 Eagles comeback victory.
Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter on Sunday against the Titans. David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
DeVonta Smith also came up clutch. His 19-yard reception on an out-breaking route toward the left sideline, in which he managed to tap his toes inbounds, kept the drive alive on third-and-6 from the Titans’ 22.
Here’s our instant analysis of the Eagles’ narrow victory in Week 2:
Hurts throws two picks, but rebounds
Disaster seemed to strike early for the Eagles when Saquon Barkley went down with a stinger on the first play and was absent for the rest of the first half. Then, after leading a 15-play, 59-yard drive down the field, Hurts tossed an interception in the end zone on a pass intended for Smith and picked off by Amani Hooker.
The Titans safety returned the interception 92 yards, setting up a four-play scoring drive which was capped off by a Cam Ward touchdown on a quarterback sneak. His score put the Titans up, 7-0, late in the first quarter.
But Hurts and the Eagles offense initially responded well to his early blunder. In the first half, the group amassed 210 yards on 40 plays, going 6-for-9 on third down (67%) and 1-for-1 on fourth.
The Eagles’ efficiency on third and fourth down was critical. Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, and Makai Lemon all had third-down snags. Lemon made the biggest play of his young career on the final play of the first quarter with his 14-yard catch over the middle of the field on third-and-8.
Even with Barkley out of commission, the Eagles managed to run the ball. Tank Bigsby shouldered most of the load on the ground in his absence, including a 1-yard rushing touchdown that tied the game, 7-7, early in the second quarter.
Barkley returned to action in the second half. He continued the Eagles’ positive trend on third down, reeling in an 11-yard pass in the flat on third-and-5 halfway through the third quarter. His play kept the drive alive, but the offense sputtered just beyond midfield, leading to a 58-yard field goal from Jake Elliott that put the Eagles up, 17-10.
Hurts stepped up on third-and-12 from the Eagles’ 29 halfway through the fourth quarter, delivering a 13-yard strike to Smith just past the marker to keep the drive alive. A Johnny Mundt holding penalty on the next play put the Eagles behind the sticks, but Cooper compensated for it, going 23 yards on a catch-and-run reception over the middle.
Titans cornerback Marcus Harris intercepts the pass by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Disaster struck again, though, with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Hurts threw another interception on an underthrown deep pass down the left sideline intended for a wide-open Smith, this time to Titans cornerback Marcus Harris, with the game tied, 17-17.
While the Eagles lost the turnover battle, Hurts still managed to keep the offense in it thanks to his game-winning touchdown drive. Hurts finished the game going 26-for-37 passing for 264 yards and two touchdowns, plus the two interceptions.
“I don’t even think words can describe how much you’ve got to manage as a quarterback in this league from a responsibility standpoint,” Hurts said. “The weight that comes with the position. And the responsibility. Ultimately, you’ve got to keep the main thing the main thing throughout that. You’ve got to keep your poise and keep your focus. Today we were able to do that.”
Video: Breaking down Jalen Hurts’ first game in Sean Mannion’s offense
O-line shuffles
With Landon Dickerson (knee) on injured reserve, the Eagles reconfigured their offensive line, moving Cam Jurgens from center to left guard and slotting Drew Kendall in at center.
Kendall, the Eagles’ 2025 fifth-round pick out of Boston College, previously had just one start at center, which came during his rookie year in the Week 18 game against the Washington Commanders in which the starters rested.
All eyes were on the interior offensive line, with All-Pro Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons lined up on the opposite side.
Simmons gave the offensive line fits all afternoon. Just before the two-minute warning in the first half, Hurts managed to deliver a big-time 27-yard completion to Wicks on third-and-12 at the Eagles’ 26 with Simmons bearing down on him. Simmons pancaked Jordan Mailata on a stunt and hit Hurts, but the 28-year-old quarterback managed to get the ball out in time.
The Eagles didn’t do themselves any favors on their first possession of the second half, as Tyler Steen (holding) and Lane Johnson (illegal formation) both incurred penalties. On third-and-12 that same drive, another stunt involving Simmons resulted in a sack for defensive end Jacob Martin, forcing the Eagles to punt.
Drew Kendall and Cam Jurgens in the second quarter on Sunday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
On third-and-8 late in the third quarter, the pocket collapsed again, forcing Hurts to throw incomplete to Mundt. Braden Mann punted for a second time in the third quarter.
Simmons was behind Hurts’ second interception. He hit Hurts on a Titans simulated pressure on third-and-12 from the Tennessee 44. But Simmons’ efforts weren’t enough to help the Titans to victory.
Jurgens said after the game that he learned he would be starting at left guard at the start of the week. He acknowledged that he will learn a lot from his first outing at left guard.
“Jeffery Simmons is a damn good player,” Jurgens said. That’s a good defensive front. Yeah, it was a challenge. I was excited for it. Nervous, anxious. Everything that goes along with playing a football game and playing a really good player.”
The Titans capitalized on Hurts’ interception early in the first half. Still, the Eagles were up 14-7 with just under two minutes to play before halftime. They were the dominant team in terms of time of possession.
But the Titans weren’t dismayed. They broke off a couple of explosive plays inside of the two-minute warning — a 28-yard catch for Titans rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor and a 27-yard catch-and-run for running back Tyjae Spears.
Their efforts brought the Titans into the red zone, where they would settle for a 37-yard field goal. The Eagles led, 14-10, going into halftime.
As the Eagles offense struggled to stay on the field in the second half, the Titans offense got into a rhythm. Halfway through the third quarter, Ward led a 12-play, 69-yard scoring drive. Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley came to life, contributing a 25-yard catch and a 10-yarder.
Again, Ward capped off the drive with a touchdown run, this time on a 1-yard hurry off a fake handoff, tying the game, 17-17.
However, the Eagles’ defense held strong at the start of the fourth quarter. A tackle for a loss from Nolan Smith Jr. on a Tony Pollard carry on first-and-10 from the Titans’ 39 led to third-and-9, in which Ward threw an incomplete pass for rookie receiver Carnell Tate on the run with Moro Ojomo in his face.
Pollard got into a rhythm on the ground following Hurts’ second interception. He rattled off back-to-back 9-yard carries. Then, Ward connected with Ayomanor for 41 yards on an out-breaking route, the rookie tight end hurdling over Marcus Epps on his way to the Eagles’ 24.
After a pair of Titans penalties, Spears kept the momentum going, ripping off a 29-yard run and forcing a missed tackle from Epps. Jalen Carter sacked Ward, who was attempting to roll out on a bootleg, on first-and-goal from the 9-yard line.
“It was a little boot action,” Carter said. “I was studying it through the game … it’s a feel out there where you can just feel it. That’s pretty much it. Coach Vic [Fangio] called a good call, where I was able to beat the guy who contains if it was a boot. That was it.”
Eagles defensive tackles Ty Robinson and Jalen Carter try to block a field goal as time runs out on Sunday.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Moro Ojomo tackled Spears for a loss of 3 yards with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, a glimmer of hope for the Eagles defense.
Latham was called for illegal formation on the following play. The Eagles initially declined the penalty, but they pivoted and decided to enforce it, bringing up second-and-28 from the Eagles’ 42. Carnell Tate had a 5-yard reception, then Spears followed it up with an explosive 27-yard carry on third-and-22, forcing a missed tackle by Marcus Epps.
The Titans went up 20-17 on the 32-yard field goal from Joey Slye. But it wasn’t enough to win, as the Eagles pulled off the late comeback.
Tight end Dallas Goedert left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return to action.
Barkley declined an interview request after the game, but he said that he was “all right” and that the team would know more about his injury later in the week.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni (left) and assistant to the head coach Cole Peterson (right) dance off the field after beating the Tennessee Titans 24-20 in Nashville, Tenn. on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerEagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after the Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates with running back Saquon Barkley after throwing the game-winning touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerEagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper catches a touchdown with 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni celebrates after they beat the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerHappy Philadelphia Eagles fans after the Eagles scored a touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens lifts up Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper after Cooper makes the winning touchdown with seconds left in the fourth quarter. David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan holds up a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith jersey with seconds left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws the football late in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter gets help coming off the field in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fan is sweating it out with the Eagles trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Makai Lemon gets stopped by Tennessee Titans cornerback Marcus Harris.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith catches first down pass against Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen defends Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate with 12:50 left in the fourth quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles out of trouble and throws an incomplete pass with 8 seconds left in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles tight end Johnny Mundt is brought down by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni while the Tennessee Titans are driving in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stop Tennessee Titans running back Nicholas Singleton in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley pushed out of bounds by Tennessee Titans linebacker Cedric Gray in the third quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith hauls in a pass, but it was incomplete during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott watches his long field goal in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley running with the ball in the third quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles defensive tackle Ty Robinson (left) and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (right) try to block a field goal as time runs out in the first half against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn. David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun brings down Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor after Titans’ drive to the end zone late in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Will Shipley runs along the sideline with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans cheer as the Eagles drive towards the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles head of security Big Dom DiSandro stops Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts as he is running out of bounds so he doesn’t hurt himself in the second quarter.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby runs with the football during the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby celebrate Bigsby’s touchdown in the second quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks gets a first-down catch passed Tennessee Titans linebacker Cody Barton and Tennessee Titans linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerTennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker intercepts the ball from Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the first quarter and runs it just short of the end zone.David Maialetti / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith gets a first down pass with Tennessee Titans cornerback Alontae Taylor defending in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey returns the first punt of the game, defended by Tennessee Titans safety Erick Hallett, in the first quarter.Yong Kim / Staff PhotographerPhiladelphia Eagles fans get ready for the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
Nasir “Gillie da King” Fard is back for the 2026-27 Eagles season with a new pregame Instagram dance, and it’s giving uptown funk.
Perhaps the new kickoff song is a nod to Gillie’s proud North Philly roots.
The two-step Philadelphia Eagles love fest is definitely a soul-filled shout-out to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ 2014 hit “Uptown Funk,” complete with the fancy footwork, twists, turns, and the shoulder shimmies Eagles fans have come to expect.
Gillie begins the two-minute video — with almost 40,000 likes before Sunday’s game even started — with his signature bravado.
“Rain, sleet, or snow, the Eagles train to go,” Gillie begins, wearing his trademark colossal Noggin Boss hat in black and a Brian Dawkins No. 20 jersey in classic midnight green.
Then, using a flurry of colorful language, Gillie promises the Eagles will dominate the Birds’ Week 2 foes: the Tennessee Titans.
“This ain’t no movie,” Gillie says, in a playful reference to the 2000 film starring Denzel Washington. Then his message turns humorously dark. “This is dismember the Titans.”
Ouch.
And just like that, Gillie proceeds to get his dance on, a mashup of moves from the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s. He starts off with a little bit of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever and mixes in a few Michael Jackson “Thriller” shoulder shrugs. It’s clear Gillie means business.
After, the steps get current: a more dramatic version of Gillie’s favorite Little Duval dance from his 2018 hit, “Smile,” with extra shoulder oomph. Another of his favorites in the video is the Kodak Black.
Just like the previous two years of Gillie’s viral pregame performances featuring 1986 old school grooves: Cameo’s “Candy” and Cheryl Lynn’s “Encore” in 2024 and 2025 respectively, this is a video you want to watch over and over again.
So fun.
Not to worry, an Eagles win still calls for an homage to Too Short’s 2006 earworm “Blow the Whistle,” featuring JoJo the Bird and Broom Man, excited to sweep up the competition.
In the last two years, the videos have become so popular, celebrities like Patti LaBelle, Meek Mill, Jazmine Sullivan, and Kevin Hart have posted, reposted, and filmed themselves doing the Gillie Dance. Even actor Morris Chestnut, who turns out to be a diehard Eagles fan, has been in on the fun.
The Birds have made it to the finals each year since Gillie’s dance became a part of the city’s pregame ritual. Gillie led the Eagles through the tunnel in the championship games.
NASHVILLE — Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger on the opening offensive play for the Eagles and missed the rest of the first half before returning for the first series of the second half.
Barkley only played a few snaps before again leaving. He did not return.
Barkley was stuffed by Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on a running play that went up the middle for no gain. The running back was slow to get up and appeared to be favoring his left arm.
After spending several minutes in the medical tent, Barkley then jogged off the field and later returned to the sideline after the first quarter. He appeared to be wearing a neck roll.
The Eagles’ first drive ended with a Jalen Hurts interception in the end zone on the 15th play. Amani Hooker returned the ball 92 yards, setting up a short field for Tennessee, which took advantage and grabbed an early 7-0 lead.
With Barkley sidelined, the Eagles had Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley at running back. Bigsby’s 2-yard touchdown knotted the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Barkley declined to be interviewed after the game but said “I’m all right. We’ll know more later in the week.”
One play before Bigsby’s touchdown, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert was banged up. He had a brief stay in the medical tent before returning to the bench. The Eagles said he was questionable to return with a knee injury, and he was without a helmet on the sideline as the second half began.
Ed Sheeran walked onto a big stage at Lincoln Financial Field Saturday night with nothing but his guitar to support him. Surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, a massive global pop star may have never felt so all alone.
Sheeran knew he couldn’t hit his first note without addressing everything that had happened in the last few days: the dropping of hip-hop’s Macklemore from his U.S. football stadium tour after onstage comments supporting a free Palestine riled one team owner, and the massive backlash that had turned a pop festival into a solo gig.
That’s how an artist who’s sold more than 200 million records and became one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world by mostly avoiding politics could no longer avoid politics. He condemned both the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas and Israel’s deadly three-year response in Gaza, which he called “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate” — essentially the same sentiment that got Macklemore canceled.
That will be the headline in most news articles, but as I watched the viral video Saturday night, I was wondering if Sheeran would tackle the other elephant in the room. He did.
“I am deeply worried about the idea that venues should preapprove content for performers,” Sheeran proclaimed in his native Yorkshire accent. “This happens in so many places around the world, but it should never happen in the free world.”
But just a couple blocks away at the headquarters of the Philadelphia Eagles, the only sound Saturday was crickets chirping.
The main antagonist that triggered the dropping of Macklemore was indisputably New England Patriots owner and Donald Trump pal Robert Kraft, who called it “hate speech” when Macklemore donned a keffiyeh, shouted “Free Palestine!” and performed his song “Hind’s Hall” about 2024’s pro-Palestinian campus protesters at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium earlier this month. Kraft moved to block Macklemore from performing at the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, and reportedly rallied other NFL stadium operators to lean on Sheeran’s tour operator.
But while the Eagles and their longtime owner Jeffrey Lurie weren’t lead actors in this drama, the operators of the city of Philadelphia-owned Linc are said to have played a critical supporting role.
The Wall Street Journal and other outlets identified Lurie as one of a gaggle of owners who agreed with Kraft and supported throwing a crackback block on Macklemore. Lurie, who has seen his $185 million 1994 purchase of the Birds skyrocket to a value of more than $10 billion, was identified by the Journal as part of a group that also included Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons and David Tepper of the Carolina Panthers, who agreed to support the rapper’s cancellation.
The Eagles’ reported involvement in this story troubled me for two reasons. One, of course, was the action itself. Sheeran — whatever else you think about how he handled this mess — was 100% right when he declared this “never should happen in the free world.” But even worse, it happened in what should be a planetary mecca for free expression — Philadelphia, the city where the Declaration of Independence was written and ratified exactly 250 years ago.
But honestly, I found it even more disturbing that neither Lurie nor anyone from the Eagles organization feels they owe any explanation at all to the city, let alone thousands of people who drained their bank accounts for a concert that was nothing like it had been advertised. To be sure, there’s no harder dialogue in the world than the conflict in the Middle East, but the Birds committed two penalties against open expression — one of alleged censorship, and one of their own public silence.
On Thursday, I texted Bob Lange, the Eagles’ senior vice president for communications, with questions about Lurie’s reported role in collaborating with Kraft and for a clarification on what their policies are around free speech at football games, concerts, and other events that take place at the stadium they operate.
“If we have anything to share, we will let you know,” Lange responded.
Three days later, I am still staring at the pale glare of my iPhone here in my darkened column-writing lair, wondering if I can get up to at least make some toast, lest I miss the Birds’ response. OK, that was a joke. I didn’t really expect the Eagles to explain their involvement, at least not voluntarily.
We’ve come to expect this in 2026 — whether it’s government officials signing nondisclosure agreements with companies building hideous data centers, or police chiefs making secret deals with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and telling public dissenters they are sick of “listening to this crap,” or all-powerful Fortune 500 corporations channeling the spirit of the Irish Republican Army: “Say nothing.”
The public’s right to know is probably a hilarious joke these days behind the locked doors of city council executive sessions and penthouse corporate boardrooms.
Thousands gathered at Lincoln Financial Field for Ed Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” on Saturday.Earl Hopkins
But let’s be clear: Lincoln Financial Field is a public edifice, full stop. We, as city and state taxpayers, contributed $188 million to build the Linc back in 2003, and the city owns the stadium, leasing it to the Eagles for them to host and profit from games and concerts. The team should be compelled to explain why it’s not a violation of the First Amendment to bar a performing artist from presenting a legitimate political viewpoint here. The Birds’ silence on this is a deafening roar.
Maybe they’re channeling the spirit of the late, great Chuck Bednarik, but the Eagles are a two-way player when it comes to the question of whether they are a cherished public good in Philadelphia, or just another unaccountable multibillion-dollar corporation.
The team certainly implied that it’s a civic institution with its most famous ad campaign — “One Team, One City, One Dream,” rolled out as the Birds drove toward the Super Bowl in 2004-2005, its second year at the Linc. The Eagles, their in-house PR machine, and a vast network of friendly influencers and websites produce a massive flow of information, but it’s a one-way street. The Macklemore debacle suggests an organization that wants all the benefits that flow from being a public institution but none of the responsibilities.
Yet, the concert controversy also felt jarring here in Philly because for most of the last decade the Eagles have earned a reputation as one of the better franchises in the NFL for free expression — an admittedly low bar in the Colin Kaepernick era. On their way to a championship during the 2017 season, Lurie and the front office supported All-Pro safety Malcolm Jenkins and others who raised fists and locked arms during “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest racial injustice.
Eagles strong safety Malcolm Jenkins raises his fist with teammate defensive end Chris Long (left) and free safety Rodney McLeod during the national anthem before they played the Washington Redskins in September 2017 in Landover, Md.YONG KIM / Staff Photographer
Right before the Super Bowl in 2018, the Nation’s sportswriter Dave Zirin made “The Progressive Case for the Philadelphia Eagles (Seriously).” Yet the reality is that the Eagles have supported free expression when it supports their incessant branding operation.
But the essence of free speech is to allow its most wildly imperfect avatars. None more so than Macklemore, who was guilty of either antisemitism or remarkable ignorance when he donned a bearded, hook-nosed mask at a 2014 concert. That appears to be an isolated instance for which he has since apologized.The views Kraft described as “hate speech” — criticizing the military actions of Israel’s right-wing government in Gaza and backing Palestinian liberation and the right of U.S. students to hold demonstrations to express their feelings — are supported by a majority of Americans.
Not that popularity matters when it comes to principle.
And most people, myself included, don’t have a problem when the team bans any and all political expressions in the stands during a game, since banners or noisy protests would mar the experience fans paid to see. And it’s worth noting the Eagles’ best-known enforcement of this, involving a certain South Jersey politico, happened when they barred him from waving a pro-Israel flag.
Political expression by performing artists is very different. From blasting the cops on Sunset Strip to fighting the powers that be, protest is the essence of every musical genre from rock to hip-hop to country, and the Eagles have made millions of dollars in concert fees off of that.
Of course, Kraft’s ham-handed cancellation of Macklemore that infected the Eagles wasn’t just a personal foul against free speech, but wildly counterproductive. It triggered a boisterous pre-concert protest outside the Linc, forced Sheeran to denounce Israel’s actions in Gaza, and prompted an outpouring of support for Palestine from the likes of rocker Dave Matthews, who waved a “STOP GENOCIDE” placard at his concert stops.
If the Streisand effect means amplifying a rumor by denying it, then spreading a protest by trying to crush it needs to be called the Kraft effect.
In addition to censorship and secrecy, another hallmark of the 2020s is insanely profitable sports franchises demanding new stadiums when their current home would be barely old enough to drink. The Eagles recently announced they’re exploring the possibility of a new stadium when their lease expires in 2032 — even though the Linc was considered state-of-the-art when it opened just 23 years ago — and politicians like Gov. Josh Shapiro are already working to make sure the team stays in Philadelphia.
Imagine if some of our political leaders got a spine transplant and — instead of throwing incentives at the Eagles like they were Mardi Gras beads — demanded a free speech policy that would ensure something like the Macklemore debacle never happens again. If the Birds want to build a $2 billion censorship palace, they can spend their own money.
But they shouldn’t do that. Instead, the Eagles need to embrace the idea that you can’t have “One Team, One City, One Dream” without a multitude of voices.