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10 months ago longtime Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce announced his retirement with a message for fans.
"Thank you, Philadelphia. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for letting me represent this city and allowing me into your homes every Sunday," he said in a statement at the time. "It has truly been a privilege. You have all been so good to me and my family. Growing up in Cleveland, I watched all of my favorite athletes leave the city. Hell, a whole team left the city."
"It has always been a goal of mine to play my whole career in one city. And I couldn't have dreamt of a better one and a better fit if I tried. I don't know what's next, but I look forward to the next challenges and opportunities that await, and I know that I carry with me the lessons from my time here and that, forever, we shall all share the bond of being Philadelphians. That's all I got."
10 months later, the Philadelphia Eagles are headed to the Super Bowl after taking down the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game.
So what does Kelce think of the Eagles making the Super Bowl the season after he retired? He's fired up, of course.
"Well that was fun, these dudes are ridiculously good! GO [expletive] BIRDS!!" he said on social media.
He clearly doesn't regret his decision to retire as the Eagles head to another Super Bowl. Philadelphia will face off against either the Buffalo Bills or Kansas City Chiefs.
More must-reads:
- Another positive update emerges on Lions player who was hospitalized
- Cowboys QB Dak Prescott makes big proclamation he probably can't keep
- The 'NFL Defensive Players of the Year ' quiz
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Notable PFF grades, standouts from Vikings' preseason win over Texans
The big storyline from Saturday's Vikings preseason opener was how J.J. McCarthy looked in his first game since tearing his meniscus a year ago. But what the preseason is really about are younger players and guys on the roster bubble looking to make an impression. After some starters played a bit in the first quarter, it was the second and third and fourth-stringers who got the rest of the work in the Vikings' 20-10 win over the Texans. Let's take a look at the Pro Football Focus grades from the game to see who stood out. Top 5 grades on offense (minimum 10 snaps) 1. RG Joe Huber — 94.7 (55 snaps) 2. C Michael Jurgens — 80.0 (43) 3. WR Jordan Addison — 79.6 (12) 4. LT/RT Walter Rouse — 78.4 (36) 5. WR Myles Price — 76.8 (15) Huber, an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin, played more snaps than any other Viking in this game, so his team-best 94.7 grade is incredibly impressive. He was PFF's highest-graded rookie across all eight games in the NFL on Saturday. The catalyst was his 93.9 grade in the run blocking phase. Huber still faces an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster, but he's a lock to at least stick around on the practice squad if the Vikings try to get him through waivers. Jurgens and Rouse also impressing is an encouraging sign for the Vikings' offensive line depth. Those two second-year players should have a good shot to make the roster alongside veteran backups Justin Skule and Blake Brandel if the Vikings keep nine offensive linemen. Price, who has had a solid camp, caught a couple passes from Max Brosmer in the fourth quarter, including a touchdown. He feels like a strong practice squad candidate. Two other standouts on offense who finished just outside of the top five were RB Zavier Scott (75.9) and QB Sam Howell (75.8). Scott racked up 51 yards from scrimmage on eight touches and stated his case to be the Vikings' No. 3 running back this year. Howell was 11 of 13 for 105 yards and at least temporarily quieted some of the doubts about his ability to be an adequate backup. The five lowest grades on offense went to WR Silas Bolden, WR Thayer Thomas, WR Dontae Fleming, TE Giovanni Ricci, and RG Will Fries (all on fewer than 20 snaps). Top 5 grades on defense (minimum 10 snaps) 1. OLB Gabriel Murphy — 80.2 (30 snaps) 2. DL Elijah Williams — 79.9 (21) 3. CB Reddy Steward — 76.5 (11) 4. S Tavierre Thomas — 76.5 (32) 5. CB Ambry Thomas — 75.4 (12) Murphy had 1.5 sacks and a team-high five pressures on just 19 pass-rush snaps. The second-year undrafted player out of UCLA was fantastic for the Vikings and looks like the obvious candidate to be the team's No. 4 outside linebacker this season, which is a role that comes with real playing time. "Gabe’s been a guy that has shown up daily at camp, I've highlighted it in front of the team," head coach Kevin O'Connell said. "He's, it feels like a man on a mission right now, in a lot of ways. And I'm just proud of him, proud of where he's at in camp right now, and now he's just gotta set his sights on continuing to compete." Williams was also outstanding. He had four pressures on 15 pass-rushing snaps. Williams, who starred at FCS Morgan State, signed with the Vikings after attending their rookie minicamp as a tryout player. "I remember vividly (assistant D-line coach) Marcus Dixon coming to me after day one of that tryout," O'Connell said. "And I always like to check in with all the coaches. 'Anybody catch your eye for me to look at tomorrow?' Just observing (Williams), the effort, had a little pop to him throughout the drills, and that's really what's shown up throughout training camp. He sits in the first row of my team meetings every single day. There's a lot to like about him, and it was good to see him make some plays tonight, too." Steward, Tavierre Thomas, and Ambry Thomas are veteran defensive backs hoping to make the roster. Another player in that category, safety Kahlef Hailassie, had two interceptions and nearly made the top five with a 75.1 grade. The five lowest grades on defense went to S Theo Jackson, LB Eric Wilson, S Jay Ward, DT Levi Drake Rodriguez, and CB Jeff Okudah. Most of those guys have had strong training camps, so there's no need to put much stock into this one-game sample. More Vikings coverage
Atlanta Dream Coach Has Strong Words for Brittney Griner on Sunday
The Atlanta Dream returned one of their most prized possessions, Brittney Griner, for a matchup against the Phoenix Mercury. Griner had missed three straight games ahead of the team's matchup against Phoenix. She was working through a neck injury that kept her sidelined, joining Rhyne Howard as another Dream star to be dealt an unfortunate injury. After missing three straight games, Griner returned to the lineup to play her former team, helping Atlanta earn a 74-66 victory over the Mercury. Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko discussed the return of Griner after the game, mentioning that she had a great performance against one of the best teams in the WNBA. "I thought BG was great," Smesko said. "She was moving great. She looked really good out there. Defensively, she was excellent. She was controlling the point. I thought really good first game back for her." Griner finished the win over the Phoenix Mercury with two points, two rebounds and one assist. She capped off the night playing 13 minutes in her first game back with the Atlanta Dream. Griner is currently playing in her first season with the Dream, looking to help lead Atlanta to a WNBA title alongside stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. While the Dream have dealt with several injuries and setbacks during the season, they have climbed up the league standings, holding the No. 3 slot in the entire WNBA. Throughout her first season with the Dream, Brittney Griner has posted 10.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.
Packers' Josh Jacobs speaks out on Matt LaFleur’s unclear plan
There is no denying who the alpha is in the Green Bay Packers running back room. After burning rubber for 1,329 rushing yards to go with 15 rushing touchdowns on 301 carries in the 2024 NFL season, Jacobs is expected to carry most of the load again in the Packers’ ground attack in 2025. Besides being a reliable and effective weapon on offense for the Packers, Jacobs was also durable in his first season with the team, having appeared in all of Green Bay’s 17 games in the regular season and in the lone contest in the NFL playoffs. Look for the 27-year-old former Alabama Crimson Tide star running back to be there starting in the backfield along with quarterback Jordan Love in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. But as for his availability and usage in this coming Saturday’s preseason opener at home versus the New York Jets, it won’t be surprising if he gets zero snaps at all, considering that there’s really nothing important on the line. Jacobs is ready whenever he’s called upon by the Green Bay Packers Jacobs said on Thursday that Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has yet to convey a concrete plan for the Jets game. Nevertheless, he’ll be ready. Via Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers’ official website: Jacobs is on board with whatever direction LaFleur and the coaches decide to go but said wouldn’t mind getting “a couple series” to reacclimate to tackling. “We’ll see how it’ll play out,” Jacobs said. “(LaFleur) hasn’t really told us what we’re gonna do. But I think I’ll get a couple hits, get a little feel of it and be cool.” The Packers will also play the Indianapolis Colts on the road in Week 2 of the preseason before meeting the Seattle Seahawks for their final assignment before the regular season starts.
Mets' slide continues with arguably their worst loss of the season
The New York Mets are trending in the wrong direction, and their slide continued on Sunday with what might have been their worst loss of the season. The Mets not only were on the losing end of a 7-6 walk-off loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, they blew a 5-0 lead in the process and extended their losing streak to seven consecutive games. Even worse, they have lost 11 out of their past 12 games during a time where the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to pull away in the National League East race. The biggest issue for the Mets for most of this slump has been an offense that has gone ice cold. But that wasn't necessarily the problem on Sunday as they pushed six runs across the plate. The problem on Sunday was a rough start for Sean Manaea (four earned runs in four innings) and a bullpen that was unable to hold on to a late lead. Trade-deadline addition Ryan Helsley allowed the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning when he allowed an RBI single to Joey Ortiz. That set the stage for star closer Edwin Diaz to serve up a walk-off home run to Isaac Collins. The Mets are still holding a playoff spot in the National League, but it is getting more uncomfortable by the day. After Sunday's games they are in the third and final wild-card spot in the National League, and only have 1.5 games of cushion between them and the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets had sky-high expectations this season after making the playoffs a year ago and then adding Juan Soto in free agency. While Soto's bat has ended up being everything the Mets hoped it would be, the rest of the offense has struggled in the heat of the summer and now the pressure is only going to keep mounting if they do not get out of this slump soon. With nine of their next 12 games coming against the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals — two of the worst teams in the National League — there is at least an opportunity for them to maybe get back on track. They need to, because after that stretch they have a three-game home series against the Phillies that could go a long way toward determining the path of their season.
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