Sports
Eagles ride Saquon Barkley, defense to NFC Championship Game in win vs. Rams: Key takeaways
The Philadelphia Eagles advanced to the conference championship game for the second time in the last three seasons after a snowy 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Lincoln Financial Field was covered in snow in the second half of the tightly contested NFC divisional matchup, but Philadelphia’s usual strengths — its No. 1-ranked defense (by yards allowed) and its Saquon Barkley-led rushing attack — were the difference yet again. That was especially key after quarterback Jalen Hurts was hampered by a left knee injury sustained while absorbing a sack late in the third quarter.
In addition to a pair of long touchdown runs, Barkley’s 205 rushing yards were good for the fifth-best postseason rushing total in NFL history, a fitting follow-up to his 302-yard performance during the two teams’ Week 12 meeting.
Philly now turns its attention to Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders with a Super Bowl appearance on the line when they play next Sunday. The NFC East rivals split their 2024 season series. They have met only one other time in the postseason, a 20-6 wild-card win by Washington in January 1991.
You’ve been Snoquon Barkley’d ™️ ❄️@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/SBV0ltUG5j
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 19, 2025
Defense continues its dominance
The Eagles’ defense gave Philadelphia chances to put the Rams away early. It forced two first-half field goals while backed up in the red zone. On the first instance, C.J. Gardner-Johnson supplied a major tackle for loss, following the motion on the play into the backfield. In the fourth quarter, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith forced fumbles that gave the Eagles the ball in Rams territory. Both turnovers only resulted in field goals.
The Eagles forced a three-and-out with 4:47 left in the game, and Barkley immediately rushed for a 78-yard touchdown to threaten to put the game away. But the Eagles’ defense subsequently gave up a 10-play touchdown drive, which, followed by a three-and-out by the Eagles’ offense, forced Philly to defend the field one last time. They did. A turnover on downs deep in Eagles territory ended the game. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles staff writer
Ailing Hurts not playing at his highest level
Hurts, who finished with 128 passing yards Sunday, has now twice thrown for under 200 yards in the playoffs. Nick Sirianni has defended his franchise quarterback throughout the season, sermonizing different variations of “Jalen is a winner.” Indeed, Hurts fulfills a different role in this offense this season. He is more conservative in the pocket, leveraging Barkley and a top-rated defense on the way to more physical victories.
It’s fair to say Hurts was conservative last week against the Green Bay Packers. His play against the Rams on Sunday was poor. He took far too many sacks in consequential situations, including a safety that allowed the Rams to crawl to within one point, 16-15. He missed open receivers on multiple plays.
A.J. Brown had his own blunders, dropping two passes, including a deep ball near the pylon. The Eagles simply need better play from Hurts to fully take advantage of the opportunities their defense is supplying them. — Kubena
Eagles still waiting for offense to click
The Eagles failed to fully capitalize on offensive opportunities, and it nearly cost them. They built a 13-7 first-quarter lead on a 44-yard touchdown run by Hurts and a 62-yard touchdown run by Barkley. They were disjointed for most of the rest of the game. Hurts was sacked six times — three times in the final two possessions of the first half, in which the Eagles punted twice in Rams territory. Brown also dropped the well-placed pass from Hurts near the pylon in that stretch.
In the second half, the Eagles failed to score touchdowns off two defensive turnovers in Rams territory. Most inexcusable: Lane Johnson was flagged for a false start, wiping out a Brotherly Shove touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the 1. Jake Elliott, who struggled for stretches of this season, came through for the Eagles when it mattered most. He made all three of his field goal attempts on a field blanketed in snow.
This is the second straight week the Eagles offense has needed the defense to bail it out and give Hurts and company time to put the game on ice. Can the Eagles advance to the Super Bowl that way next week, hosting the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game? — Kubena
Required reading
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
Sports
‘Quad God’ Ilia Malinin avenges Olympic disappointment with backflip for third straight world title
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
It seems like Ilia Malinin, the “Quad God,” has done a nice job of moving on from his Olympic heartbreak.
Last month, the 21-year-old Team USA star was the overwhelming favorite to bring home the gold in the men’s free skate. But the unimaginable happened as he fell twice and dropped all the way to eighth place.
However, he has begun to avenge the loss and is now a three-time world champion.
Ilia Malinin from the United States competes during the men free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days of being tormented by his mistakes.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total of 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Malinin was blunt about his Olympic performance when speaking to NBC afterward, saying simply, “I blew it,” and said it was a clear mental hurdle from start to finish.
“I just had so many thoughts and memories flood right before I got into my starting pose, and almost, I think, it maybe overwhelmed me a little bit. I’ve been through a lot in my life, a lot of bad and good experiences,” Malinin told reporters.
Gold medalist Ilia Malinin from the United States waves to spectators after the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
LINDSEY VONN KEEPING RETURN TO SKIING ON TABLE DESPITE INJURIES: ‘I DON’T LIKE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANYTHING’
“So, I just feel like it’s the pressure of especially being that Olympic gold medal hopeful. It was just something I can’t control now. The pressure of the Olympics, it’s really something different, and I think not a lot of people understand that. They only understand that from the inside and going into this competition, especially today, I felt really confident, really good,” he added. “But it really just went by so fast I did not have time to process.”
But with some pressure off, Malinin was able to show who he truly is on the ice.
Gold medalist, Ilia Malinin from the United States waves before the medal ceremony after the men’s free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Ilia Malinin bounces back from Olympic nightmare to win third straight world figure skating title
PRAGUE — Ilia Malinin is back on the top step of the podium.
Six weeks after a disastrous skate knocked the Olympic gold-medal favorite off the podium, the “quad god” reeled off one huge jump after another, and a backflip for good measure, to retain his world championship title for the third year running.
Malinin shouted and punched the air with relief after finishing a skate that showed he had achieved his desire to “move on” from the Olympics after days tormented by his mistakes.
He praised the crowd’s support, saying: “It was really challenging, really hard but with you guys I was able to make it through.” His aim, he added, had simply been to get through the free skate “in one piece.”
Skating last after leading the short program, just as he did in Milan, Malinin landed five high-scoring quadruple jumps but not his pioneering quad axel, a jump he didn’t attempt at the Olympics.
Malinin scored 218.11 in the free skate for a total 329.40, far ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan on 306.67. Another Japanese skater, Shun Sato, was third on 288.54.
Ilia Malinin performs a backflip during his free skate at the World Figure Skating Championships on Saturday in Prague.
(Petr David Josek / Associated Press)
Kagiyama beat his personal-best free skate score but still had to make do with a fourth career world championship silver in a career which includes four Olympic silvers and five total worlds medals, but no gold from either event. He still embraced Malinin after his skate and they jumped together in celebration.
In a showcase of top-level skating, there was no podium spot for France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who had been in second after the short program but dropped to fifth overall after a fall. Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko also fell dropped from third to sixth.
Malinin had no rematch with Mikhail Shaidorov, the skater from Kazakhstan who won the Olympic gold, because he opted against competing again this season.
That’s relatively common in figure skating for gold medal winners who face a rush of media and commercial opportunities after a grueling four-year Olympic buildup.
Malinin becomes the first skater to win three consecutive men’s world titles since fellow American Nathan Chen, who achieved the feat in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after the 2020 event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last competition of the championships is the free dance portion of the ice dance event later Saturday. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are in the lead after Friday’s rhythm dance.
Sports
Tiger Woods released from jail after DUI arrest; eyes appear bloodshot in booking photo
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Tiger Woods was released from jail Friday night after he was arrested earlier in the day on a DUI charge following a car crash in Florida.
In a mugshot released hours after his arrest, Woods’ eyes appeared bloodshot, as he donned a blue polo inside the Martin County Jail in Florida.
Woods was seen leaving the jail in the passenger seat of a black SUV after his release on bail late Friday, according to The Associated Press.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek confirmed in a news conference that Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, resulting in his vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side.
Tiger Woods was booked into Martin County, Florida, jail on March 27, 2026. (AP)
Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.
“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Budensiek added.
“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Woods was spotted on the phone after the crash, wearing navy blue shorts.
Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test, all misdemeanor charges. No one was injured, authorities said. Woods was alone in the car and crawled out of the passenger door after the crash.
Tiger Woods was driven from the Martin County Jail after being arrested for driving under the influence following a car crash on March 27, 2026, in Stuart, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
VANESSA, KAI TRUMP TAKE IN TIGER WOODS’ RETURN TO GOLF AT TGL FINALS
“This could’ve been a lot worse,” Budensiek noted.
President Donald Trump commented on the arrest of his “very close friend.”
“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”
Woods has not commented on the arrest.
Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after getting into a car crash on Friday. (Associated Press)
Woods currently is dating Trump’s ex-daughter-in-law, Vanessa, whose daughter, Kai, is set to play college golf in Miami next week.
This is Woods’ second DUI arrest within the last decade. In 2017, he was taken into custody, also in Jupiter Island, after taking prescription drugs and being asleep behind the wheel of a running car at 3 a.m.
In 2021, he got into a wreck that resulted in serious leg injuries that kept him off the golf course for the entire year.
Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026. (Jason Oteri/AP)
Woods made his return to competitive golf earlier this week in the TGL championship after rupturing his Achilles just before last year’s Masters (this year’s tournament is in less than two weeks). Woods has not appeared on the links since the 2024 PGA Championship, in which he missed the cut.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter
-
Movie Reviews1 week ago‘Youth’ Twitter review: Ken Karunaas impresses audiences; Suraj Venjaramoodu adds charm; music wins praise | – The Times of India
-
Sports1 week agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico6 days agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Tennessee5 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Technology7 days agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Minneapolis, MN3 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Texas1 week agoHow to buy Houston vs. Texas A&M 2026 March Madness tickets
-
Science1 week agoRecord Heat Meets a Major Snow Drought Across the West