The image above is credited to Geoff Burke of USA TODAY Sports.

The twelfth installment of the Philly Sports Stat of the Week had multiple candidates. The Eagles, Sixers, and Flyers are in full swing. Out of all the options I reviewed, most of them were positive. That made it more challenging to decide which to highlight. But this is sports and there are always winners and losers. I now declare The Philly Sports Stat of the Week DeVonta Smith 95 receptions in a season. 

The second-year Eagles wide receiver’s accomplishment is noteworthy because it is now the team record for most receptions. This accolade is a bit unexpected if you remember how Smith’s season started out against the Lions in Detroit. Smith recorded zero catches on only four targets in the Eagles’ Week 1 38-35 shootout victory. After that, Smith was incredibly productive for Jalen Hurts and as A.J. Brown’s running mate.

Smith finished the season averaging close to six catches per game on eight targets per game. Smith, aka Slim Reaper/Smitty/Skinny Batman, built upon his historic rookie season where he etched himself in the Eagles’ record books. Slim toggled 916 receiving yards to set the benchmark for incoming receivers for Philly. Smitty slightly edged out Jordan Matthews (remember him?!) by four yards to be the lone holder of the record. 

Smith’s sophomore leap in productivity is a three-part plan. Skinny Batman was able to benefit from it being his second year in the offense, Jalen Hurts’ second year in the offense, and playing off of A.J. Brown. The trio is all 25 and under, which means the Eagles have this explosive offensive to build around for the next 5 years at the minimum. In closing, doesn’t it feel great as a fan and watcher of the Philadelphia Eagles that the team FINALLY hit on a wide receiver draft pick? 

Honorable Mention Number One: The Philadelphia Flyers are repeating offenders at this spot. For the second week in a row, in my eyes, the club just missed out on the coveted PSSOTW. 25-year-old center Travis Konecny led the Flyers to a 5-3 win with a hat trick on Wednesday, January 11th against the Washington Capitals. Konecny has already tied his career-high in goals at 24  in a season with the hat trick. It was the second hat trick of his career. His first was recorded on 1/15/21 against the hated Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Honorable Mention Number Two: Joel Embiid made easy work of the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, January 10th. Embiid recorded 35 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks on 12-20 shooting from the field and 11-11 from the foul line in 24 minutes. In one half of basketball, Embiid led the way in a 147-116 blowout of the lowly Pistons. The entire team played in the game which was a small victory as the starters’ sat the whole fourth quarter.