Posted December 28th, 2025 | 6 Comments »Winning in Buffalo isn’t easy. It is even harder when your offense gains 16 yards in the second half. But the Eagles did win. Vic Fangio’s defense played a great game that allowed the Eagles to escape with a 13-12 victory. I sure did not see that coming.
The Bills came into the game as the #1 running offense and #3 scoring offense. The Eagles held them to a season low in points. You have to go back to September of 2024 to find a lower total when the Ravens held them to 10 points. The Eagles sacked Josh Allen 5 times, came up with a takeaway, had a goal line stand and limited the Buffalo ground game.
Nick Sirianni praised the defense for their “relentless effort” after the game. They chased Allen all over the field. They flew to the ball and tackled well. They made Buffalo earn every single yard. This wasn’t one guy. The whole unit played lights out. Jalen Carter had a sack, a pass deflection and a crucial blocked extra point in his return to action. You can see what a special player he is.
Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell combined for 13 tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery. Those guys were all over the field, making plays in coverage and against the run. They were a big reason Allen was held to 7-27 on the ground. Baun tripped up Allen just shy of the goal line on the series where they held the Bills out. Marcus Epps might have played his best NFL game. He led the team with 9 tackles and had a TFL near the goal line.
Weather was a factor for both teams. It rained for most of the game. This wasn’t misting. It was a legitimate downpour. Tom Brady said during the broadcast that he felt the receivers for both teams were wearing the wrong set of gloves (plastic vs leather).
The Eagles offense put up 174 yards and 13 points in the first half. Jalen Hurts made some really impressive throws. Saquon Barkley had room to run and the offense was very promising. Then halftime came. And the offense disappeared.
They went 5 & out on the first drive. The next four drives were all 3 & outs. The offense ran 18 plays for 16 yards in the second half. That does include a kneel-down, but you still get the point. That’s awful. The offense went run heavy.
That makes total sense when you have Saquon Barkley and the other team is 29th in run defense. But give the Bills credit. They were very aggressive in the second half and shut down the run. Once it got to third down they blitzed and the Eagles stalled. The play-calling needs to be better. When the run isn’t working, you have to adjust.
Execution wasn’t great in the run game or pass game. The Eagles also had bad field position. One drive started at their own 16. Another started at the half-yard line. Not ideal.
I know some people will talk about officiating. Buffalo got away with a clear PI that would have put the Eagles inside the 10-yard line in the first half. The officials overturned a catch by DeVonta in the second half that made no sense. There was nothing clear or obvious about that. The Eagles offense must be able to overcome tough circumstances if they are going to get back to the Super Bowl. Things don’t go smoothly in January.
At least the team knows the defense is playing at an elite level. That should give them a chance in every game. The win keeps the team in the hunt for the second seed in the NFC. As much as you may hate it, pull for SF to beat the Bears.
The Eagles won a tough game in a tough place. That is to be celebrated, even if the offense opened up a bunch of frustrating questions. The Eagles are 11-5, NFC East champs and overall pretty healthy. Life is pretty good.
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Posted December 26th, 2025 | 4 Comments »Back in the summer the Eagles at the Bills seemed like a Super Bowl preview. It still could be, but the season hasn’t gone as expected for either team. The Bills aren’t going to win their division, which is shocking. The Eagles have clinched the NFC East, but are likely to end up the #3 seed. This is a pair of good teams. They just weren’t as dominant as expected.
When you talk about Buffalo, you start with Josh Allen. Right now he’s the best QB in the league. Allen is a truly unique player. Justin Herbert is similar in some ways, but Allen is more dynamic. He’s got 25 TD passes and 12 rushing TDs. Buffalo is #3 in points and yards on offense, largely because of Allen. He is one of the rare guys who can carry an offense.
Allen is special because of his ability to make plays out of structure, as a runner and passer. His goal is to buy time and get the ball downfield, but he will also take off running. He has a rare combination of size, speed and strength. Defenders struggle to get him to the ground. Allen’s strength can also be a weakness. He will hold the ball a long time as he’s trying to make a play. That leads to sacks and fumbles.
The pass rush must be smart. Don’t fly up the field wrecklessly. The pass rush was very good in the Chargers game, but Herbert still burned them as a runner and with last second throws. Allen is a step up so the defense has to be very disciplined. The back six or seven must plaster their guys in coverage. If you leave someone open, Allen has the arm strength to get the ball to them.
There is one huge difference in the Bills and Chargers offenses…the OL. Buffalo has a good OL. It isn’t full of high picks or household names. The guys function well together and they are a tough, aggressive unit. I think their OL could tilt the game in their favor. The last good OL the Eagles faced was Chicago’s and that game didn’t go so well.
RB James Cook leads the NFL with 1,532 yards. He is an interesting runner. He’s patient to the hole and then explodes upfield. He’s very good at cutback runs, something that killed the Eagles in the Bears game. Cook is really good in open space. He’s able to weave in traffic and get the most out of his runs. He’s got a handful of long TD runs this year.
The WRs aren’t special at all. Buffalo has tried to find a top end guy for a few years now and it just hasn’t worked. Khalil Shakir is dangerous because he is so good at RAC. Allen will flick him the ball and Shakir flies upfield. Buffalo does have a pair of good TEs in Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid. Those guys can make plays. Their #3 TE is Jackson Hawes. He is a stud blocker.
The key to defending Buffalo is to keep things in front of you and tackle well. You need to fly to the football because they have so many players who excel after the catch. Make them sustain drives.
They are the top rushing offense in attempts and yards. It will be interesting to see how Vic Fangio defends them. Will he play more base defense? Will he go with more eight-man fronts? It is a good thing Jalen Carter is back for this game. The Eagles will likely need to rotate up front and will need Carter’s ability to make plays. If you get them off-schedule, they are easier to defend. It does hurt that Nakobe Dean is out. He’s a strong run defender and blitzer. Jihaad Campbell is good, but this will be a big test for his run defense. Buffalo will use 6 OL more than most teams and they do it very effectively. Another thing for Fangio to worry about.
Buffalo tends to run hot and cold. That inconsistency has led to some big deficits. They are so good they were able to make impressive comeback wins over the Ravens (down 15 late) and Patriots (down 17 at the half). They are relentless, largely due to Allen.
The Eagles offense is going to be critical in this game. If they go 3 & out too often, Buffalo will run away with the game. Luckily the Bills defense has some issues. They are 15th in points allowed and 11th in yards allowed. They are 29th in rushing yards allowed. This is a team you can run on. Teams average 5.4 ypc against the Bills. They have allowed 160 or more yards seven times this season. Not good.
Luckily the Eagles rushing offense is heating up, averaging 174 yards per game over the past three weeks. This would be an ideal time to have another productive ground game. Tell Saquon and Tank to rest their legs on Saturday. Jalen Hurts running more has also been a help in recent weeks. He gives the offense another weapon.
The numbers tell you Buffalo has a good pass defense. I think that is a bit deceiving. They are terrible against the run so why throw it? Also, they’ve faced some bad QBs. Still, they do have a knack for takeaways. Greg Rouseau and Joey Bosa are the top pass rushers. It would be great to have Lane Johnson back, but he’s been ruled out this week. The most interesting DT is rookie Deone Walker. He’s massive at 6-7, 331. He’s got 7 TFLs and 4 PDs. He can be very good against the run. There are plays when he looks dominant and others where he is pedestrian. He could become a real force over time.
AJ and DeVonta have a real advantage over the Bills DBs. This is an area the Eagles can exploit, especially if the run game is working. Jalen Hurts lit up the Bills back in 2023, with the Eagles winning a wild 37-34 shootout in OT. The offense hasn’t been playing at that level this season so I wouldn’t expect the same fireworks. On the flip side, the defense is worlds better so I wouldn’t expect Buffalo to put up 34.
As always, STs will be a big x-factor. Jake Elliott has been struggling recently. The Bills are on their third kicker of the season and he missed an extra point last week. I don’t know who has the advantage there. Ray Davis is the leading KOR in the league, at 31 yards per return. He is compact and runs hard. The Eagles need to be smart and tackle well on KOs.
This is a hard game to pick. Sean McDermott and Josh Allen have never beaten the Eagles. Vic Fangio’s defense is playing at a very high level right now. But the Bills OL and run game make me nervous. No matter what happens, this will be a good test for the Eagles. They have played a tough schedule overall, but the last two games were easy. This one will have a playoff feel. Let’s see how the Eagles handle that.
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