The Ramos roundup is a weekly sports column highlighting all the news of the week featuring the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Union.
Eagles Claim NFC Crown for Second Straight Year
On Saturday, the Eagles picked up a 29-18 win over the Commanders to claim the NFC East title for a second consecutive year. This is now the eighth time in nine seasons the birds will be in the playoffs.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts returned to form in the win, going 22-of-30 for 185 yards and two touchdowns, with a 111.1 passer rating. Additionally, Saqoun Barkley picked up 21 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown as well.
Although this season has gone off the rails for Washington, the game didn’t lack of intensity, by evidence of the way it ended. A fight broke out during the in the fourth quarter, resulting in ejections for Washington’s Javon Kinlaw, Quan Martin and Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen.
You can see that clip above.
Washington and Philadelphia will meet again in two weeks. It could potentially be a powder keg.
Phillies Trade LHP Matt Strahm to Royals
On Friday, the Phillies traded reliever Matt Strahm to the Royals in exchange for right-hander Jonathan Bowlan. The move hopes to benefit both pitchers, as a change in scenery may be what’s best at this point. For Strahm, he’ll return to a familiar place; the 34-year-old was originally drafted by Kansas City in 2012 and played his first two big league seasons with them. After three seasons in Philadelphia, one of which saw him make an all star appearance, Strahm joins a Royals team that has been among the busiest in the league.
Bowlan, on the other hand, is a player that has dealt with injuries (Tommy John in 2021) but is known for good control of his pitches. He’ll join a Phillies bullpen that has already added Brad Keller and Kyle Backhus this winter.
Sixers Stay Hot, Defeat Knicks, Mavs in Weekend Slate
Something special might be cooking with the Sixers’ dynamic backcourt of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. After beating the Knicks on Friday, the Sixers returned home Saturday to beat the Dallas Mavericks 121-114. Philly has won three of their last four and sit at 16-11 overall, thanks in large part to Maxey and Edgecombe. In fact, the rookie Edgecombe posted his fourth straight 20-point performance on Saturday and very much looked comfortable matching up against 1st overall pick Cooper Flagg.
Maxey, on the other hand, dropped 38 points in the Saturday win and very much looks like a trendy early-season MVP pick. The Sixers will be back in action Tuesday when they host the Brooklyn Nets.
Flyers Cough up Two Leads, Lose to Rangers in Shootout
Mika Zibanejad scored a game-tying power-play goal with 2:34 left in the third period, helping the Rangers rally for a 5-4 shootout win against the Flyers.
Travis Sanheim had a goal and an assist, while Denver Barkey picked up his first two career points in his NHL debut for Philadelphia in the loss. Sam Ersson allowed four goals on 27 shots as well.
The Flyers have now lost for the fifth time in six games, with the club finding difficulty playing with leads and protecting them. They’ll return home on Monday and play host to the Vancouver Canucks.
