October is always a great time to be a sports fan. Whether you're a fan of football, baseball, hockey or basketball — and especially if you enjoy all four — there's always something to watch.
For bigger cities that support teams in all four of those sports, it's especially an exciting time, with the NFL and college football seasons in full swing, the NHL now underway, the NBA beginning soon and MLB's postseason rolling toward the World Series. Ask a Philadelphia sports fan in your life how they've enjoyed October, though, and you may not get a very kind response.
Over the last two weeks, Philadelphia-based fans have been put through some misery, from the Eagles' three-game losing streak to the Phillies' postseason exit and Flyers' winless start to the season. Philadelphia fans may be hesitant to call Penn State a "Philly school," but if you also loop in the Nittany Lions' struggles on the football field recently, it's been an incredible run of struggles in eastern Pennsylvania lately, drawing theories that it's all a sacrifice for the 76ers' acquisitions of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.
Here's a look at all of the losses, injuries and more to haunt Philadelphia sports fans in the last few weeks.
MORE: Why not to panic about the Eagles, thanks to Hurts and Nick Sirianni
Philly sports timeline of misery
Sept. 26: Penn State collapses vs. Wisconsin
Whether Penn State can be considered a Philadelphia school is often a subject of debate among the fanbases — State College isn't very close to Philadelphia, but there's plenty of overlap between the Nittany Lions' alumni base and sports fans in the City of Brotherly Love. For those who consider Penn State within the Philly sports universe, the Nittany Lions haven't helped the misery much lately.
Coming into the season, Penn State had reasonable expectations of Big Ten contention under first-year head coach Matt Campbell, who brought plenty of Iowa State talent along with him. With a lighter schedule than usual, it wasn't hard to envision the Nittany Lions pushing for 10 wins.
After three non-conference wins, though, Penn State's losing streak began with a rough defeat to Wisconsin at home in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions led 17-0 at one point in the second quarter, but allowed a massive Badgers run.
Wisconsin won it on a 72-yard Jacob Harris touchdown play late in the fourth quarter, stunning Happy Valley.
BADGERS TAKE THE LEAD 🚨 Jacob Harris finds the end zone as @BadgerFootball takes its first lead of the night! Watch on Peacock https://t.co/IKa8zPbCQX
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 27, 2026MORE: First look at college football's loaded Week 7 slate
Sept. 27: Phillies barely avoid disastrous collapse to make postseason
On one hand, the fact that the Phillies were a playoff team in 2026 was a miracle in itself, considering they fired manager Rob Thomson in April after a terrible start to the year. On the other hand, the Phillies put their fans through a lot of pain just to make the NL bracket.
After having a few opportunities to make the NL East interesting late in the season, trailing the Braves by only a few games, the Phillies went 10-14 in September, including a four-game losing streak from Sept. 23-26. Over that span, the team could have clinched a postseason berth with a win on multiple occasions.
For a moment, it looked like the Phillies were about to orchestrate a 1961-esque collapse to miss the postseason. But after beating the Rays on the last day of the regular season, they managed to at least secure an NL Wild Card berth.
Sept. 28: Eagles blown out by Case Keenum, Bears on 'MNF'
The Eagles were in a fine place coming into a Week 3 matchup with the Bears on "Monday Night Football." Starting the season 2-0, Philadelphia's offense was still clearly working through some kinks, but a favorable matchup against the Caleb Williams-less Bears was a good opportunity to stay unbeaten.
Instead, the Bears dominated the Eagles 27-7 behind a vintage performance from their QB3, veteran Case Keenum, who hadn't started an NFL game in years. Keenum diced up Philadelphia's defense, while Jalen Hurts and Andy Dalton both threw interceptions for the Eagles.
Considering the circumstances, it was a rather embarrassing first loss of 2026 for the Eagles.
MORE: NFL Week 6 power rankings
Sept. 30: Flyers drop 7-0 season-opener vs. Penguins
The Flyers' season began on Sept. 30 against the Penguins, and after snapping a five-year postseason drought in 2025-26, hopes were high for Philadelphia to take another step forward. So far, those expectations have been crushed.
The Flyers were dominated 7-0 in their season-opener, with Nick Robertson scoring two goals for Pittsburgh while Arturs Silovs shut out Philadelphia.
The deflating loss would be a sign of more to come for the Flyers.
The Flyers are booed off the ice as they lose their home opener to the Penguins 7-0 😬😶 https://t.co/w6xnLK3MBg
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 1, 2026Oct. 1: Phillies eliminated from postseason by rival Braves
After barely sneaking into the postseason, the Phillies were pinned against a team they're well-familiar with, the Braves. Atlanta took Game 1 of the series thanks to a three-run home run from Austin Riley off Philadelphia star closer Jhoan Duran. In Game 2, the Phillies bounced-back with a clutch 4-3 win in extra innings, highlighted by home runs for Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Alec Bohm.
AUSTIN RILEY GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN HOMER ATLANTA IS GOING WILD 🤯 https://t.co/XrPQnazvVO
— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2026Ultimately, the Braves were able to close out the series at home in the winner-take-all Game 3. The Phillies' bats went quiet in a 6-2 loss, with Aaron Nola allowing a home run to Michael Harris and Zack Wheeler doing the same to Ozzie Albies.
OZZIE ALBIES! THE BRAVES ARE FLYING IN GAME 3! https://t.co/rncAxpkV4Y
— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2026The Phillies' season came to an abrupt and frustrating end, marking their fifth-consecutive postseason exit overall and third-straight year they failed to win a postseason series.
Oct. 2: Penn State blown out by Northwestern
The Wisconsin loss wasn't good, but Penn State's early-season outlook only plummeted more when it was blown out by an unranked Northwestern team on the road early in October.
The Nittany Lions lost 34-13 to the Wildcats, who totaled a whopping 413 rushing yards on the day as a team. Campbell's defense had no answers for an opponent it was favored to beat, and quarterback Rocco Becht also threw two interceptions.
Northwestern debuts its new stadium with a 34-13 rout of Penn State. Their *413* rushing yards was the school's most in a game since 2003.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 3, 2026Oct. 3: Flyers drop 2nd-straight OT matchup, fall to 0-1-2
The Flyers had consecutive opportunities to claim an overtime win early in their season after the Penguins loss, but capitalized on neither.
First, they fell 3-2 to the Devils on Oct. 1, as Jack Hughes scored the winner in overtime. Two days later, they lost 3-2 to the Hurricanes in overtime, with Shayne Gostisbehere's goal ending it for Carolina after a two-goal performance for Sebastian Aho.
The Flyers dropped to 0-1-2 early in their 2026-27 season.
Oct. 4: Rams come back to stun injury-ravaged Eagles
The Eagles came into Week 4 short-handed. Tight end Dallas Goedert and wide receiver Devonta Smith were ruled out for the offense, right tackle Lane Johnson was ruled out for personal reasons, and early in the matchup against the Rams, running back Saquon Barkley went down with a hamstring injury.
For a while, it didn't matter. Vic Fangio's defense was all over Matthew Stafford to allow Philadelphia to take a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter, with Hurts playing well enough to put the team on the verge of its third win of the season.
Instead, as more big names began going down with injuries, including pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and backup running back Tank Bigsby, the Eagles collapsed. Los Angeles came storming back in the fourth quarter, going on consecutive 10-play touchdown drives in the final few minutes of the game to claim a 24-20 win.
The Eagles fell to 2-2 with the deflating loss despite contending with one of the NFC's most talented teams.
The Rams stunned the Eagles in Philly with a dramatic comeback win 📈 https://t.co/2mvL3FFxcf
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 5, 2026Oct. 6: 76ers backup center Ariel Hukporti tears Achilles, ending season
In 76ers news, for the most part, it's been a joyous last few weeks for the franchise. The additions of Brown and James have added a level of hype to the 76ers that they haven't seen in quite some time, and there's real excitement about the ceiling of a dynamic starting five that will soon begin its season against the Knicks.
It hasn't all been perfect, though. One of the few weaknesses on Philadelphia's roster is size behind the often-injured Joel Embiid — and during the Sixers' first preseason game, their projected backup center went down with an injury.
Ariel Hukporti was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon, ending his 2026-27 season before it began and thinning the 76ers' center rotation already.
Ariel Hukporti leaves the game after suffering a non-contact injury. https://t.co/IRjPYGhfYA
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 5, 2026MORE: The Sporting News ranks the best point guards in NBA for 2026-27
Oct. 6-8: Eagles' offensive line revamped with Lane Johnson retirement, Cam Jurgens trade
Following the consecutive losses to the Bears and Rams, on top of the growing list of injuries, things only continued trending downward for the Eagles before Week 5.
Johnson, a franchise legend who has held down the team's right tackle spot with elite play for over a decade, officially announced his retirement mid-season, leading to a shuffle on the offensive line. With the Eagles historically only playing well when Johnson was active, it led to major questions about their offense.
Then, Howie Roseman struck a deal to trade two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens, parting with another offensive lineman who helped guide the Eagles to their 2024 Super Bowl title. While Philadelphia was praised for getting a second-round pick in return, its offensive line depth evaporated in the span of a few weeks.
Moving foward without Johnson and Jurgens, the Eagles have far more questions on their offensive line than they've ever had under Nick Siranni.
Thank you. 🦅 https://t.co/up2kH1K40p
— Lane Johnson (@LaneJohnson65) October 6, 2026Oct. 10: Penn State loses 'White Out' to USC
Coming in on a two-game losing streak with no Power 4 wins, Penn State could have reclaimed some momentum for its 2026 season by beating a ranked USC squad at home in its annual "White Out" game at Beaver Stadium. It didn't happen.
The Trojans took a 31-23 lead early in the fourth quarter after the Nittany Lions threatened an upset, hanging around for a bit. That score would stick, with Penn State unable to respond late.
A HUGE ROAD WIN for the Trojans as they take down Penn State at the White Out game! 🫡 https://t.co/DzLYkRBPnO
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) October 11, 2026With the loss, Campbell's debut Nittany Lions squad fell to 3-3 with no Big Ten wins in three tries, and Penn State once again dropped a "White Out" matchup that one would think provides an intimidating atmosphere to opponents.
MORE: College Football Playoff Forecast entering Week 7
Oct. 10: Flyers fall 5-1 to Bruins
The Flyers' early downfall in the standings continued over the weekend, falling 5-1 to the Bruins in a blowout loss.
Fraser Minten put up three points for Boston in the easy win, with the Flyers' struggles continuing.
Oct. 11: Jaguars pull off miraculous comeback to beat Eagles in London
Even with the blowout Bears loss and the Rams' comeback in Philadelphia, no Eagles loss was more deflating than Week 5's against the Jaguars.
Once again coming in short-handed with injury issues, the Eagles managed to consistently stop the Jaguars on the goal line in London, holding onto a 14-7 lead at halftime and a 14-10 lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Philadelphia's defense was doing its job, even with Hurts and the offense struggling at times.
That luck only held for so long against one of the AFC's best teams. Parker Washington gave the Jaguars a lead with a wild one-handed touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Jake Elliott then gave the Eagles a 17-16 lead with under 10 seconds remaining, and it looked like Philadelphia got a huge win in London.
Instead, the Eagles were left stunned, with Sirianni making a questionable kicking decision that led to a huge Jaguars special teams return, then a Cam Little walk-off field goal for a 19-17 Jacksonville win.
Sirianni faced more criticism than ever after the loss, sending the Eagles under .500 for the first time in years with their 2-3 record.
JAGS HUGE KICK RETURN. They're in range for one more shot at a field goal! @PHIvsJAX on NFL Network Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/XSWbKBTvW2
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026UNBELIEVABLE. JAGS WIN. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!?! https://t.co/O7x8JTgPeK
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026MORE: Nick Sirianni owns up to clown management mistake in London loss
Oct. 11: Flyers clinch worst start in franchise history, remain winless
On the same day the Eagles were shocked in London, over in Philadelphia, the Flyers weren't doing much to reconcile the Philly fanbase, securing their official worst start in franchise history at 0-5-2.
Carolina beat the Flyers 4-1 on the road, with Aho and Andrei Svechnikov each putting up one goal and one assist for the Hurricanes. Like Sirianni for the Eagles, calls for Rick Tocchet to be fired by the Flyers picked up among the Philadelphia fanbase.
Per ESPN, fans could be heard chanting "Fire Tocchet" as the Flyers lost to the Hurricanes, remaining the only winless team in the Eastern Conference. They have been out-scored 28-8 over seven games.
"I think we go off the rails at certain points of the game," Tocchet said postgame, per ESPN. "I don't know if it's experience, pressure, I don't know.
The Flyers are booed off the ice (by the fans still remaining in the building) as they drop their SEVENTH (7th) game in a row to start the season 🫣 https://t.co/7arKZINPyR
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 12, 2026After their win, the Hurricanes even took a dig at Philadelphia fans on X:
We've won more games in Philly in the last nine days than the Flyers, Eagles, and Phillies combined this month.
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 12, 2026MORE: Rangers get season-changing Igor Shesterkin news after devastating injury
