Buffalo Rumblings
The Philadelphia Eagles travel to Western New York this weekend to face off against the Buffalo Bills. The Eagles are the lone team that neither head coach Sean McDermott nor quarterback Josh Allen has beaten in their time with the team, as the Eagles beat Buffalo handily in 2019, winning 31-13, and then again in an overtime thriller back in 2023.
That more recent game was offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s second game calling plays for the Bills, having replaced Ken Dorsey nearly two weeks before that. Philadelphia won 37-34 thanks to a long field goal by kicker Jake Elliott to force overtime, a miscommunication between Allen and Gabe Davis, and porous run defense.
Can the Bills overcome the Eagles on Sunday? If they’re able to do it, they’ll need to slow down and account for our five Eagles to watch.
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QB Jalen Hurts
Hurts is one of those polarizing guys that I can’t figure out what’s so polarizing about him. He’s accurate, he has a great arm, he has the ability to make plays with his legs… and yet, there seems to be this narrative about him as if he’s not an elite player at the quarterback position.
Well, in my eyes, he’s an elite quarterback, and he’s exactly the kind of passer the Bills have struggled to contain this season. The quarterback run has been an issue for Buffalo, especially during third down and long scenarios, and if the Bills don’t utilize a spy, Hurts can absolutely break their back.
I expect defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and head coach Sean McDermott to continue doing what they’ve done for most of the season. They’ll play a more generic defense early in the game, Hurts will have time to throw and lanes where he can run, and we’ll all be very frustrated. Then, right around halftime, the Bills will start mixing their calls and their looks into things that will lull Hurts into thinking he has the same look as he did earlier, but there will be a small wrinkle.
Buffalo has had success using the mirror/fire defender this year against mobile quarterbacks, and they’ve excelled in utilizing different players in that role. It’s mainly been a Matt Milano thing, but we could see all sorts of players mirroring Hurts, waiting for him to break contain, and then firing once he does. If the Bills can make him uncomfortable early, they can impact him as a passer much more easily than they can as a runner.
RB Saquon Barkley
Last season, the Eagles were No. 2 in total rushing yards and No. 5 in rushing yards per attempt. This year, with largely the same offensive personnel, the Eagles are No. 15 in total rushing yards and No. 22 in rushing yards per attempt. Does that mean that they won’t find success running the ball against the Bills? Fat chance.
Buffalo’s run defense has been horrendous this year, as they are No. 29 in total rushing yards allowed and No. 31...
