PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Detroit Lions may be ready to pounce on the Eagles, Joel Embiid struggling to be at 100% with right knee soreness, and, believe it or not, the Flyers actually look pretty good.
Here are the top games to watch this week.
Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) at Detroit Lions (0-7), Sunday at 1 p.m.
Don’t assume Sunday is a lock for Nick Sirianni’s Eagles. The Detroit Lions may be winless, but they gave the potent Los Angeles Rams a good run for their money, and they’re hungry for a win.
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Notably, one of the coaches on the other sideline this weekend will be Lions assistant head coach/ running backs coach Duce Staley, who is a former Eagles player and coach. Many folks outside the Eagles building hoped the team would have promoted Staley as head coach after Doug Pederson was fired, instead of hiring the unknown Sirianni.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Atlanta Hawks, Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the Sixers will take on the Hawks for the first time since Atlanta flew into Wells Fargo Center and left with a Game 7 win in last season’s playoffs.
This is part of the 76ers’ first homestand of the season — four games against the Pistons Thursday night, the Hawks Saturday, Trail Blazers Monday, and the Bulls on Wednesday.
Ben Simmons has been out due to personal reasons, and though Joel Embiid has played, some argue he’s not 100%. Embiid banged his right knee in the opener against the Pelicans on Oct. 20 and has been on the injury report with right knee soreness ever since.
After struggling in their 112-99 loss to the Knicks, Embiid didn’t want his knee to be an excuse. It’s the same knee that he had a small lateral meniscus tear in this past postseason. He chose not to get surgery.
Philadelphia Flyers at Vancouver Canucks, Thursday at 10 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at Calgary Flames, Saturday at 10 p.m.
The Flyers’ western Canada trip is off to a really good start, with a 5-3 win at the previously undefeated Edmonton Oilers.
Carter Hart, who grew up in that area, made 34 saves in the win. New Flyer Cam Atkinson scored twice, including a buzzer-beater at the end of the first period. Atkinson has six goals on the season through five games.
Heading into Thursday night, the Canucks are 3-3-1 and the Flames are 4-1-1. Vancouver already beat the Flyers this season in a shootout, and Calgary is off to a good start, so these games will continue to be a test for the 3-1-1 Flyers.
No. 20 Penn State (5-2) at No. 5 Ohio State (6-1), Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The Nittany Lions will look to bounce back from two losses in a row, including to unranked Illinois at home, when they visit the Ohio State Buckeyes.