ClutchPoints
In Week 17, the Philadelphia Eagles have a perfect chance to see how their December adjustments fare against another team with Super Bowl aspirations.
… or do they?
On paper, the Eagles and Bills are a very interesting matchup; both teams have a Pro Bowl quarterback, interesting offensive weapons all over the field, and defenses that rank top-5 in points allowed. The Eagles have a number of players returning from injuries in Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter, who would like to test their mettle against players like Greg Rousseau, David Edwards, and Connor McGovern, and for the Bills? Well, Josh Allen suffered a foot injury in Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns and is currently questionable to play in Week 17, even if he’s made it clear he wants to go if he can.
The Eagles could find themselves going right down to the wire against one of the best teams in the AFC, duking it out for every yard and every point… or one team could decide to treat it like a preseason game, going a half, a quarter, or even a few drives before turning to the reserves in order to avoid another late-season injury. If the Eagles and/or the Bills go up early by a few scores, the opposing team could simply opt to pull the plug, considering both teams already have playoff berths locked up, turning one of the best games of the Week 17 slate into a battle between Tanner McKee and Mitchell Trubisky.
Goodness, talk about a blue Christmas.
So should Eagles fans lock in for a playoff preview for the ages? Or will it instead be more of a McKee preview before he gets his true showcase in Week 18 against a Washington Commanders team with a chip on their shoulder for a two-point conversion attempt in Week 16? For fans’ sake, hopefully the former, but realistically, it’s hard to imagine either team selling out for another win, especially if the New England Patriots win again in Week 17 during the 1 PM EST window.
For the Bills to enter Week 17 with a real chance to clinch the AFC East – and thus play the Eagles hard – the Patriots have to drop a game to the New York Jets earlier in the day.
Currently sitting at 10-4, the Bills are one game behind the Patriots, with the two teams splitting the season series at 1-1. If the Patriots win and the Bills lose in Week 18, New England wins the AFC East. If the Patriots win and the Bills win, New England would still have a one-game lead, with a game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 18 the only thing keeping them from earning another hat-and-t-shirt game.
But if the Bills win and the Patriots hand the Jets their fourth win of the Aaron Glenn era? Well then, things get really interesting, especially since Buffalo also closes out...
