On Sunday, the Eagles crushed the Cowboys by the score of 41-7. I was surprised how much the Eagles overwhelmed the Cowboys. These games are usually quite competitive, even if one team is out of playoff contention. Saquon Barkley was able to pass the 2,000-yard barrier. He becomes only the ninth running back in NFL history to do that. Because the team can’t improve its playoff seeding, he will be resting for the last game against the New York Giants, a good decision considering how easy it is to get hurt in an NFL football game (a good example is what happened to Kenny Pickett, the backup quarterback, who got knocked out of the last game in the third quarter last week.) Saquon is much too important to take that risk in a meaningless game.
I hope the Eagles take a similar approach with their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, if he is available after his concussion from two weeks ago. I would like to see him play for one series and then get out of the game so he’s not completely rusty going into the playoffs. Even though the Eagles are the No. 2 seed, they will have a tough game against either the Washington Commanders or the Green Bay Packers. Both those teams have explosive offenses.
The college football playoff is in full swing and Texas, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State have advanced to the semifinals. The fact that Penn State has advanced this far was unexpected considering the offense had not been very impressive during the regular season. In the last playoff game against Boise State, Penn State’s offense played its best game of the season. We’ll see if this continues next Thursday.
In the Rose Bowl, Ohio State dominated No. 1 seed Oregon by overwhelming them in the first half, scoring the first 31 points of the game. Texas played a close game against Arizona State, the result here may have been affected by the referees missing an obvious targeting. It was definitely the most exciting game so far.
The 76ers are continuing to play pretty well now, but they’ve lost their last two games against the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. They were outscored 15-0 to end the game against the Kings and it put an end to their four game win streak. Because they dug themselves such a deep hole to start the season, they have to stop losing very winnable games like the one with the Kings.
Happy New Year to everyone!
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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.
