Four keys for the Buffalo Bills to beat the Philadelphia Eagles
Buffalo News sports reporter Katherine Fitzgerald highlights four keys to a Buffalo Bills victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
1. Slow Saquon
The Buffalo Bills' defense will be tasked with shutting down Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley has yet to face the Bills as a member of the Eagles, but in two career meetings with Buffalo – both with the New York Giants – Barkley had 200 rushing yards total on 42 carries. Now, both Barkley and the Bills' defense have evolved since then, but he is still a force on the field. The Bills' run defense has been gashed this season. Now, they’ll have to stop a premiere back in a game slated to have gross weather. And Barkley is coming off a strong game versus Washington.“Saquon was doing things that only Saquon can do,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts throws a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown during the second half against the Bills in 2023.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
2. Touchdowns, not field goals
Members of the Bills' offense, led by quarterback Josh Allen, often say they are looking for seven points on every drive. They will want to meet that goal on Sunday. First, they’ll want to put up points on Philadelphia to give the Buffalo defense a break. But the Bills also could be shaky at special teams right now, so they won’t want to chance field goals. Kicker Matt Prater will be out again with a right quad injury, and Michael Badgley did not have the most convincing performance against the Cleveland Browns last week. Instead, the offense needs to stay on the field and reach the end zone in what is likely to be a close game.3. Find answers at receiver
Asked about the wide receiving corps on Friday, McDermott said that where the Bills want to be and where they are – as far as the philosophy of rostering receivers for matchups versus for consistency – are “two different things.” The Bills will want to figure that out quickly.“That's just being real with you here,” McDermott said. “We're trying to find that in order to get it to here, it's just taken longer than we would have liked at this point. But I remain confident in the guys in that room, in the wide receiver room that you're referring to, and I'm looking forward to them coming out, playing with a chip on their shoulder and getting us into a groove, here.”
4. Last-minute tune up
With the Bills’ regular season ending with a meeting with the New York Jets, Sunday will be a good chance to see how Buffalo does against a high-caliber team like Philadelphia. The goal, of course, is to win, but the Bills can also use the 60 minutes as a measuring stick of what there is to still correct before the playoffs.“They're certainly at the top and world champs,” McDermott said of the Eagles. “They've got a really strong roster as has been talked about for years now. So we'll have our hands full, but looking forward to and fully confident in our guys, as well, and looking forward to the challenge."
