Eagles get on track... kind of

On Christmas day, the Eagles were able to squeak past the New York Giants by the score 30-25, but it was way too close for comfort again. At the end of the game, the Giants were able to throw a pass into the end zone to almost win the game, but thankfully it was intercepted. The Eagles were able to secure that win by a hair.

This victory should have been a lot easier, but the Eagles played a terrible third quarter. It included them dropping the second-half kickoff return because two players ran into each other, causing a fumble to the Giants. That was brutal to watch. And then another offensive possession was ended by an interception for a touchdown, which gave the Giants a chance to win the game just on the defensive side of the ball. It was hard to watch. While I'm at it, may I say that the Eagles pass rush still needs to get better.

I sure hope they show up this week and play a lot better, and get, what should be, an easy win against the Arizona Cardinals. They got two Christmas gifts from the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens, so it is still possible for them to be the first seed in the NFC playoffs if they can win out and San Francisco loses a game. Lots to hope for!

On a different note, the 76ers are still playing pretty good basketball, but Joel Embiid has an injured ankle. There is no definitive timetable for his return. He has missed two games so far and I hope he can come back soon because if he misses more than 17 games over the whole season, he’s not eligible for the MVP award in the league.

Currently, the 76ers are in third place in the Eastern Conference. They have a lot of work to do if they want to chase down the first-place Boston Celtics. I think the 76ers have a slightly better chance of winning the NBA Championship this year than the Eagles do in getting back to the Super Bowl, but I still hope both of those occur.

I was able to go back to the Slam Dunk to the Beach basketball tournament this year. I saw two games. All four teams were from out of state. Both games were tied at halftime and were very enjoyable to watch. In the first game, Roman Catholic of Philadelphia was able to pull away from Cardinal Ritter Prep of Missouri for a 20-point victory, and in the second game, Moravian Prep of North Carolina was able to close out the Bullis School of Maryland for a double-digit victory.

The tournament has been held for over 20 years and I have only missed one year. It is really great to have an event like this so close to home. I hope the rest of the tournament goes well.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Hopefully it's a good one.