The Ramos roundup is a weekly sports column highlighting all the news of the week featuring the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Union.
Eagles Edge Chiefs 20-17
Saqoun Barkley toted the ball 22 times and rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles improved to 2-0 on Sunday in Kansas City. Despite the offense being dormant for most of the afternoon, it was the Eagles defense that kept the Chiefs at bay, holding quarterback Pat Mahomes to under 200 yards passing. Perhaps though, the key that turned the tide for the Eagles was rookie Andrew Mukuba’s interception.
With 13 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Mukuba intercepted Mahomes, as the Chiefs’ QB looked to hit Tight End Travis Kelce on a slant route. Kelce bobbled the football on the throw and gave Mukuba an opportunity to pick the pass. Reed Blankenship also was in on the coverage too, providing just enough pressure to disrupt Kelce on the catch attempt.
Back in the preseason and really back to his college days, Mukuba is routinely ball-hawking. His innate ability to find the football and turn it over is his best asset and it’s carrying over into his pro career too.
All in all, it’s been a mix bag for the Eagles through two weeks, especially on offense. However, 2-0 is 2-0. We’ll surely take it.
Schwarber Launches 52nd HR, but Phillies Fall to Royals
The Phillies entered Sunday with an opportunity to win the NL East crown. The Royals, however, had other plans. Kyle Schwarber swatted a first-inning home run that give Philly an early 1-0 lead. The round tripper is Scwarber’s 52nd homer of the season, continuing a banner year in a contract year. J.T. Realmuto added a solo homer of his own two batters later, while Aaron Nola was cruising through four scoreless innings to begin the game. Then, Nola ended up getting touched up for six runs in the middle innings, while the Royals got their bats going to put the finishing touches on a 10-3 victory.
With the loss, the Phillies magic number remains one to clinch the NL East. Nevertheless, the Phills were still able to clinch a playoff spot for a fourth straight season. It’s an inevitable at this point that the Phillies will also be NL East Champions as they begin a three-game series against the Dodgers on Monday in Los Angeles.
Flyers Host Rookie Showcase Game; Fedotov Traded
The Flyers and Rangers participated in their annual rookie series this weekend. On Friday, prospect Nikita Grebenkin scored in 3-vs-3 overtime to win game one. On Saturday, the Rangers’ rookies answered with a 5-2 win in game two. Despite the loss, Grebenkin logged a pair of assists and generally played well over the weekend, showcasing a nose for the net and a willingness to engage physically.
With training camp is set to begin next week, Grebenkin should be in the mix for a roster spot in a bottom six role. Additionally, expect Alex Bump to get a long look as well. Bump, 21, went scoreless this weekend, but that shouldn’t affect his chances to make the team.
In other Flyers news, the club announced they traded goaltender Ivan Fedotov to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. In return, Philly received a sixth round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The move helps the Flyers clear some cap space, but additionally clears up some congestion the team has had in goal. As it stands, the Flyers now have Sam Ersson and Dan Vladar as the main roster goalies, with Alexei Kolosov and rookie Carson Bjarnason splitting time with the Phantoms.
Whitecaps Crush Union 7-0
Disaster struck the Union on Saturday night, as they were soundly defeated 7-0 in Vancouver. Thomas Müller tallied a hat trick in the match, while Emmanuel Sabbi beat Philly keeper Andrew Rick twice as well. For more on the match, check out this piece here.
Philly now turns their attention to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinals matchup with Nashville SC on Tuesday, September 16th. The match will be streaming on Paramount+ and is set for 8:00 p.m. kickoff.
