On Monday, the Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the score of 25 to 11. The defense had their best performance in a long time. The Buccaneers offense couldn't do anything right and the Eagles defensive line played great the entire game, including one of the easiest safeties I’ve ever seen. The offense played somewhat better and most importantly, AJ Brown had his best game of the season so there is no more drama with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The next game for the Eagles is at 1 o’clock on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. This is shortened week for preparation, but I don’t think it will affect the Eagles that much because the Commanders are not very good this season.
The Phillies had a very successful week. They have won seven straight games, enough to clinch the first wildcard seed in the playoffs with five games to go. They have an impressive 90 wins, especially considering the slow start to the season. They will either play the Chicago Cubs or the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the playoffs starting in the first week of October. I'd prefer to play the Cubs because the Arizona Diamondbacks seem to have a more consistent pitching staff.
There is no obvious favorite to win the World Series in either league like there was last year with the Houston Astros. It’s going to be nice to have the Baltimore Orioles back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. When the Orioles are good, Camden Yard is always packed.
In golf, for the first time ever, the women's Solheim Cup ended in a tie and because Europe won the cup last time they retained it. I think this is a fitting ending to the event. We only have to wait until next year to try again, which will add to the drama, because the event will be in Washington, DC. The US got off to a great start leading 4-0 after the first session but Europe just continued to chip away at the lead for the rest of the event. It was definitely fun to watch.
I believe this week‘s mens Ryder Cup will be just as close, even though the US dominated two years ago in Wisconsin. The US has not won on European soil since 1993, and I don’t think Viktor Hovland, Jon Rahm and Rory Maclroy are going to make it easy for the US to win again. I think the winning score will be 15 and 13 with the US victorious. We will see. The coverage is on USA network and NBC throughout the weekend.
Go USA!
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
