The Sportsletter - Swift Shifts Gears 🦅

BY JEFF YODER

SEPT. 15, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

You want ugly football? We have ugly football.

The Week 2 opener on Thursday Night between the Eagles and Vikings started off as one of the most lackluster games I’ve ever watched — four first-half turnovers, no touchdowns in the first 20 minutes, and don’t get me started on Amazon Prime’s broadcast. Call it Week 1B for everybody involved. I love Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit as football analysts, but this production (behind Amazon's streaming paywall) is an atrocity against football.

Pipe some crowd noise into the booth or something. What do you think?

👍 I Like Amazon's Thursday Night Football

👎 I Don't Like Amazon's Thursday Night Football

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  NFL   

Swift Shift: A Philly Homecoming 🦅

Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images

Eagles Hold Off Vikings’ Comeback (34-28) on TNF Behind RB D’Andre Swift’s Career-High 181 Yards in Philly Homecoming

All complaints about the TNF production aside... How about the welcome home party for Eagles RB D’Andre Swift?! Philly added the former hometown kid in a draft-night trade with the Lions last April, and he popped off in his first home game for career numbers (more on that in a moment). The Philly fight song of “Fly, Eagles, Fly” became “Run, Eagles, Run” on Thursday Night. Here's how it went down:

The Thursday Night matchup left a lot to be desired for both teams (and viewers) after three Vikings fumbles in the first half, including one from Justin Jefferson that cost Minnesota a touchdown before halftime. Eagles’ kicker Jake Elliot slammed a 61-yard field goal seconds later to give the Birds a 13-7 halftime advantage. A sack-fumble for the Birds to open the third quarter and a deep ball to WR DeVonta Smith helped Philly open up a 27-7 lead, but Kirk Cousins didn’t go quietly. Minnesota tacked on three touchdowns down the stretch before the Eagles clocked it on the ground with more Swift in the fourth quarter.

⚠️ Philly doubled Minnesota in time of possession (40 min — 20 min) and dashed for eight times as many yards on the ground (259-28).

🚨 Yikes, Vikes: The Vikings were 11-0 in one-score games last season. They're 0-2 in one-score games to start 2023, and they have seven turnovers.

⚙️ Swift Shifts Gears (181 yards, 1 TD)

Hats off to the the Philly kid who has battled injuries early in his career. He got one handoff for three yards in Week 1, but Week 2 was a complete shift. With Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell on the IR, Swift made a statement. Once the Vikings started dropping the secondary to defend the deep ball, Philly gave it to their shiny new running back 28 times. Behind a crazed offensive line that steamrolls grown men, Swift went for 175 yards rushing (career-high) before punching in the insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter. Talk about a homecoming!

QB Comparison

K. Cousins (MIN): 31/44, 364 yards, 4 TDs

J. Hurts (PHI): 18/23, 228 total yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

*Hurts had 12 carries for 35 yards and 2 rushing TDs

Other Top Performers

WR J. Jefferson (MIN): 11 receptions, 159 yards

WR D. Smith (PHI): 4 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD

TE T.J. Hockenson (MIN): 7 receptions 66 yards, 2 TDs

WR J. Addison (MIN): 3 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD

Watch: Eagles Use Ground Game to Hold Off Vikings on TNF (34-28)

Read More

B/R: D’Andre Swift, Young Talent Show Glimpses of How Special Eagles Can Be

SI: Eagles’ Linemen Remain Lifeblood of NFC’s Best Franchise

Yahoo! Sports: Eagles Run Wild Behind Mighty O-Line, Survive Vikings’ Rally

  MLB   

The Great Rivalry Recession

Photo: JIm McIsaac / Getty Images

Yankees & Red Sox Split Thursday Doubleheader: How This Iconic Rivalry Became an Afterthought in 2023

The Rays and O’s were dueling in Camden Yards. The Blue Jays got swept by the Rangers, but they’re still breathing. And in the midst of this September Wild Card race, one iconic rivalry has become something of an afterthought. Sure, Aaron Judge hit a grand slam and provided some excitement in Game 2 of Thursday’s doubleheader between the Yankees and Red Sox, but who cares? New York vs. Boston is the still the premier rivalry in American sports history, historically speaking. But in 2023? They’re dead even, and dead last, in the thriving AL East that’s leaving both franchises in the dust.

AL East Standings

Orioles (91-55)

Rays (91-57)

Blue Jays (80-67)

Red Sox (74-73)

Yankees (74-73)

With the Rays now one game back of the Orioles in a two-horse race for the division crown, the Blue Jays are still within striking distance of the wild card. And that means three of the five teams in the division could go to the postseason. If you don’t understand the significance of that, let me break it down.

Only once in the last 30 years have the Yankees and Red Sox failed to miss the playoffs in the same season (2014). Before that, it was 1993 (30 years), before there was a wild card in baseball. Imagine a Yankees-Red Sox September series that holds little-to-no meaning. It just happened. This week’s series-opener at Fenway featured the lowest attendance for a Red Sox-Yankees game since May 27, 1999 (not including COVID-restricted seasons).

The toughest pill to swallow for New York and Boston fans? The O’s, Jays and Rays are all young, and they’re not going anywhere. The Red Sox fired GM Chaim Bloom yesterday, and the Yankees may be ever closer to parting ways with manager Aaron Boone. This rivalry is in a recession...

Watch: Judge’s Grand Slam Saves Yankees-Red Sox Split in Forgettable Doubleheader

MLB Quick-Hitters

Roberto Clemente Day: Friday is Clemente Day in baseball! Today, all 30 MLB teams will be celebrating the 22nd annual Roberto Clemente Day, honoring the legacy of the Puerto Rican player and humanitarian who died in a plane crash in 1972.

Raley’s Rays Get Big Win: The Rays-Orioles weekend series is off and running, and Luke Raley got things started for the Rays with a go-ahead home run in Game to lift Tampa Bay (4-3). The Rays are just one game back of Baltimore, and this weekend’s series could see the AL East shift.

Rangers Sweep Jays: Back-to-back sweeps? After the Rangers saw their backs against the wall, Texas has strung together a six-game win streak, including a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays — their competitor in the AL Wild Card hunt. Despite bidding for a wild card, the Rangers still lead the AL in offense (812 runs scored).

  NEWS   📰 

• Red Sox Fire Chaim Bloom After 4 Seasons as Team’s Chief Baseball Exec (CBS Sports)
• Steelers DT Cam Heyward Out 8 Weeks After Groin Surgery (Yahoo! Sports)
• Colorado State Head Coach Throws Shade at Deion Sanders Ahead of In-State Rivalry Game (B/R)
• Former NFL QB Andrew Luck Working as High School Coach While Pursuing Master’s Degree (SI)
• Jadon Sancho to Train ‘Away From the Team’ Amid Spat With Manager Erik Ten Hag (ESPN)

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Military Media is lead and written by Adrian Bonenberger, a journalist and essayist with extensive experience covering national security, international relations (Eastern Europe), the military and veterans affairs.

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️ 

The Weekend Must-Watch List

It’s another big football weekend! Today’s weekend watch-list features our five top picks for NFL, MLB and College Football games/series to watch in an oversized slate this weekend. The WNBA Playoffs roll on, and a handful of soccer matches have our eyes before next week’s return of the Champions League. Here’s what we’re watching:

🏈 NFL Week 2 (Sunday)

Ravens at Bengals (1:00 pm)

Chiefs at Jaguars (1:00 pm)

49ers at Rams (4:05 pm)

Jets at Cowboys (4:25 pm)

Dolphins at Patriots (8:20 pm)

Full NFL Week 2 Schedule

⚾️ MLB

Rays-Orioles Series

Red Sox-Blue Jays Series

Rangers-Guardians Series

Cubs-Diamondbacks Series

Dodgers-Mariners Series

Full MLB Weekend Schedule

🏈 College Football Week 3 (Saturday)

#3 Florida State at Boston College (Noon)

#7 Penn State at Illinois (Noon)

South Carolina at #1 Georgia (3:30 pm)

#11 Tennessee at Florida (7:00 pm)

Colorado State at #18 Colorado (10:00 pm)

Full CFB Week 3 Schedule

⚽️ Soccer

MLS: Atlanta Utd. vs. Inter Miami (Sat. 5:00 pm)

MLS: LAFC vs. LA Galaxy (Sat. 10:30 pm)

ITA: Inter vs. AC Milan (Sat. Noon)

EPL: Everton vs. Arsenal (Sun. 11:30 am)

🏀 WNBA Playoffs

Gm 1: Mystics at Liberty (Fri. 7:30 pm)

Gm 1: Dream at Wings (Fri. 9:30 pm)

Gm 2: Lynx at Sun (Sun. 1:00 pm)

Gm 2: Sky at Aces (Sun. 3:00 pm)

Download The Sportsletter's Must-Watch Calendar

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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