The Eagles and Penn State both went on the road this past weekend and won convincingly in big games to close out the month of October. The 76ers started the season hot, the Flyers turned in a good week and the Phillies decided on the next man to lead their club, making for a great week for Philly sports.
Eagles
Coming off an embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles took their frustration out on the Buffalo Bills in a convincing 31-13 victory.
They looked a lot more like the team fans expected this week, rushing for 218 yards and three touchdowns and shutting down the Bills’ offense with four sacks on the other side of the ball.
The win didn’t come without its concerns, however, Carson Wentz only threw for 172 yards and a touchdown on 17 completions, Zach Ertz only had two catches on four targets, and the Birds’ biggest playmakers continued to struggle to find their footing.
The win was a big step in the right direction, but this success isn’t sustainable unless their stars can step up and produce as such.
Up next: 11/3 vs. Chicago, 1:00 p.m./FOX
Penn State
Last week, I wrote about how Penn State’s matchup with Michigan State was a classic example of a trap game. Then, they went into East Lansing and stomped the Spartans 28-7 on their way to claiming the #5 spot in the AP rankings.
Quarterback Sean Clifford led the way with four touchdown passes and the defense completely shut down MSU’s offense until the third quarter and forcing four turnovers, setting up the offense with great field position all night.
That win was big, and now the Nittany Lions have a week to rest and prepare for a big road matchup with #13 Minnesota.
Up next: Bye week
Phillies
The Phillies have their new manager. I previously predicted them to hire Buck Showalter in a move to bring in a veteran presence to lead a young squad. They did even better than that, bringing in former World Series winner Joe Girardi, whose Yankees beat the Phils in the 2009 fall classic.
This was a great hire, not only because Girardi is a fantastic manager who was only forced out in New York because he couldn’t get past a loaded Red Sox team, but also because he was considered the Mets’ favorite candidate as well.
They killed two birds with one stone, and now they look like serious contenders for the division in 2020.
76ers
The Sixers shot out of the gates with a dominant win over Boston last Wednesday and followed that up with a 117-111 win in Detroit on Saturday.
Ben Simmons led the way against the Celtics, dropping 24 points, and Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris both put up double-doubles as well. In Detroit, Harris led the charge with 29 points against his former team and the third-year Australian Simmons added 13 points and 10 assists in the win.
The Sixers have three this week including road tilts with the upstart, Trae-Young-led Hawks and the 2-0 Portland Trail Blazers, who once again boast one of the top backcourts (point guard and shooting guard) in the league.
Up next: 10/28 @ Atlanta, 7:30 p.m./NBCS Philly
10/30 vs. Minnesota, 7:00 p.m./NBCS Philly
11/2 @ Portland, 10:00 p.m./NBCS Philly
Temple
The Owls hung with UCF for a half on Saturday, then allowed 28 points in the third quarter and the offense couldn’t keep up as Temple fell 63-21. The loss dropped the team to 5-3 on the season and 2-2 in conference play.
It’s become apparent that this team just overachieved for the first half of the season. Their once tough, physical defense has been exposed the last two weeks, allowing 45 points in a loss to SMU and the 63 to UCF on Saturday.
They now have a week off to rest and get back on track before a Thursday night matchup with South Florida on Nov. 2.
Up next: Bye Week
Union
The Union’s season ended last Thursday in a 2-0 loss to Atlanta United. They finish the season in 5th place, their highest finish in club history, and tied their all-time high goal differential from 2011, their second year in the MLS.
Flyers
The Flyers bounced back nicely from a four-game skid, going 3-1 in four games last week. The offense hammered home 17 goals in wins over Vegas, Chicago and Columbus, simply out-scoring their opponents.
The Flyers next travel to Pittsburgh to face off with their rival Penguins on Tuesday followed by games at New Jersey and home against Toronto this weekend.
Up next: 10/29 @ Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m./NBCS Philly
11/1 @ New Jersey, 7:00 p.m./NBCS Philly
11/2 vs. Toronto, 7:00 p.m./NBCS Philly
The Good, the Bad and the Weird
The Good – Houston Astros
Houston opened the World Series with a pair of crushing losses in games 1 and 2 at home against the Nationals, falling down 2-0 as the series transitioned to DC.
With the series in danger of being put out of reach, the Astros rallied to win games 3, 4 and 5 on the road to grab a 3-2 series lead heading back to Houston with Justin Verlander set to pitch for their second championship in three years on Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.
The Bad – Big 12
The Big 12 entered Saturday’s games with three teams ranked in the top 25, and Oklahoma in the top five, looking like a surefire playoff contender.
They all lost.
#6 Oklahoma fell in dramatic fashion at Kansas State 48-41, having their last-minute onside kick recovery overturned (illegal touching on OU) to ice the game. #15 Texas got beat 37-27 by a TCU team that has underachieved to this point in the season. #23 Iowa State lost at home 34-27 to Oklahoma State, who has been in and out of the top 25 all season but are inconsistent.
Now only Oklahoma stands in the AP poll, ranked at #10 in the country, in the same ballpark as other College Football Playoff longshots Georgia, Oregon, Florida and Utah.
The Weird – New England Patriots
The Patriots have the top scoring offense in the league through eight weeks. They also have the top scoring defense in the league through eight weeks.
The last time a team had the top offense and top defense in the league, either by yards or scoring, was the 2010 San Diego Chargers. They went 9-7 and missed the playoffs. The Patriots are 8-0 and one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl.
