On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles will play a home game against the Green Bay Packers in the wildcard round of the NFC playoffs. This will be a rematch of the Week 1 game in Brazil. If the Eagles want to advance, they will have to play a full 60-minute game. The first quarter of the first game was probably the weakest quarter the whole season, and if the Birds repeat this, they’ll be out after this week.
On a more positive note, Jalen Hurts is most likely going to be available to play in this game after his two weeks off from a concussion. He will also have his three top receivers at full or almost full strength. The game is on Sunday at 4:30 p.m., so I hope that by then all the snow will be over and it’ll warm up at least a little bit. One of the biggest keys to the game will be the pass rush the Eagles’ defense will be able to muster against the Packers’ high-powered offense. Regardless of how good their secondary is, if the Eagles don’t get any pressure on quarterback Jordan Love, it will be a difficult game to win.
The college football playoff is down to the last three. The first game was between my two favorite teams, Notre Dame and Penn State. The teams for the national final will be determined by Friday night. Entering Thursday’s game, I thought Notre Dame was the favorite to get to the finals because they are the more well-rounded team. Their offense and defense are both equally dangerous. In the other semifinal, Ohio State is facing Texas. Despite the fact that Texas has a virtual home game in Arlington, Ohio State is definitely predicted to win this game. Ever since they lost the last regular season game to their archrival Michigan, they’ve been on a mission for redemption. Their whole team has played great in the two previous playoff games against Tennessee and Oregon, and their offense has been unstoppable so far. Should be a fun game to watch.
There is a new indoor virtual golf league that just premiered on ESPN this week. Tiger Woods and Rory McElroy are the big superstars who are coproducing this new venture. The technology is amazing, but I don’t know how sustainable it is over a period of years. The technology itself has to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. It’s basically professional players playing indoor simulator golf with a robotic motorized putting green. It looks a little like a traveling circus. The whole thing is an interesting concept, but I don’t know how it’s going to do on cable TV or streaming. I will follow this for a while and say more after I give it a chance to develop.
I am already tired of snow. I hope everyone else is too! Is it Spring yet?
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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.
