Football Talks (Eagles-Bills Recap Plus Eagles Playoff implications)

 

Eagles’ Defense Steals the Spotlight in Statement Win Over Bills

Welcome to Football Talks. I’m glad to be doing another one. Micah will not be with me for this one, so it will just be me going solo.

Coming off a crazy matchup with the Bills in a Sunday night thriller, there are many things you can dissect from this game, and we’ll jump straight into it.

Defense Sets the Tone

Let’s start with the defense. Let’s start with the good — the positives we can pull from this game.

I think the defense is Super Bowl–ready. This defense played at a wonderful level. You look at the average yards per play, and when you come into Highmark Stadium, it’s bad weather, you’re in Buffalo, you’re against the reigning MVP, and you’re facing the league’s leading rusher — and you come in and stop James Cook pretty much completely.

James Cook III (20 carries, 74 yards)

You force Josh Allen into making bad, careless decisions, and you go in there and absolutely embarrass the Bills, holding them to just 12 points. The Bills didn’t even have a point for three-fourths of the game. Their first eight drives were all punts and turnovers.

"Eagles vs. Bills instant observations: The NFL's MVP has beaten every team – except the Birds

Josh Allen, who has beaten 30 other NFL teams, fell to 0-3 against the Eagles, who hounded him all game in a thrilling 13-12 win."

The Eagles’ defense recorded five sacks, and there are so many things you could point to from this game. They really did a wonderful job, and they proved that they are a Super Bowl–caliber team.

With this defense, you could really go far even if the offense struggles. Clearly, the reason the Eagles won this game was because of the defense. They played at a high, stellar level.

Bleeding Green Nation Article:

"The Eagles sacked Buffalo’s Josh Allen five times for 51 yards and kept constant pressure on him. Buffalo entered the game as the NFL’s No. 4-rated offense, averaging 373.1 yards a game. The Eagles held Allen and the Bills to 331 yards. The Bills were the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense, averaging 158.9 yards a game, spearheaded by the NFL’s leading rusher, James Cook III. The Eagles held Buffalo to 120 yards rushing, close to 40 yards lower than its average, and Cook to 74 yards, making them a one-dimensional."

Jalen Carter Changes Everything

You can point directly to Jalen Carter — he makes a huge difference. This defense has been playing really well, but they’ve taken it up another level in terms of sacks and overall disruption.

I wasn’t sure exactly how disruptive or how good this team could be until I saw this Bills game. You saw them play well against the Raiders and the Commanders, but this game showed everyone why, arguably, this is the best defense in the NFL.

Jalen Carter had a sack in the game and was a constant presence. You also saw the emergence of Jalyx Hunt, who has really come alive late in the season. The pass rush as a whole played at a wonderful level.

Jalen Carter is just different.

He’s had medical issues throughout the year. He was ejected in the first game. He’s had a ton of issues this season, and despite all that, he still made the Pro Bowl — which I think is strange. I honestly feel like Jordan Davis should have made the Pro Bowl instead.

But despite all of that, just a couple of weeks ago, Carter wasn’t able to do a single push-up as a defensive lineman. Now he’s back healthy after shoulder surgery, and he’s playing at a high level. You’re starting to see the Jalen Carter you remember from last year.

I think he’s only going to take it up another level from here.

A Complete Defensive Unit

As a whole, this defense has all the pieces of the puzzle. The safeties are hard-hitting, and that’s something awesome to watch. There’s nothing more wonderful than seeing a bone-crushing hit, like the one delivered by Reed Blankenship in the second quarter.

DeJean set a new career-high with nine tackles against the Bills. He was all over the field and continues his Pro Bowl second season.

There are so many things you could dissect from this defensive performance, but the bottom line is simple: this was a dominant, statement game by a defense that looks ready to carry a team deep into the postseason.

Offensive Questions Linger Despite Eagles’ Win Over Buffalo

Now let’s talk about the Eagles’ offense — a fascinating and, for many fans, frustrating topic.

For some people, the frustration is justified. The offense deserves a lot of blame. You’re falling right into the trap of letting the defense bail you out. While I do believe defense can win you playoff games, I question how deep this team can go if that continues. Can you win a playoff game like that? Maybe. Can you make a deep run? That’s where the doubt comes in.

Yes, the Bills are a really good team. They were Super Bowl contenders, and the Eagles were still able to beat them. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen every time.

If you take away one moment — that failed two-point conversion — this game looks very different. If Josh Allen completes that play and simply makes the smart decision in that moment, the entire recap of this game changes, not just for Eagles fans, but for the entire league.  

Accountability on Offense

When you look at the offense, you have to ask: when are you going to own up to your mistakes? When are you going to take responsibility?

For me, the most interesting moment of the week came when Nick Sirianni admitted he needs to be more hands-on with the offense. I think he should take over play-calling duties.

The Eagles have given Kevin Patullo plenty of time, and at this point, he’s proven one thing: he is not a play-caller. He runs basic schemes. He doesn’t scheme creatively. He doesn’t run an NFL-level offense, and he doesn’t have the skill or talent to call plays at a high level. It’s broken. The system is broken, it’s not working, and defenses have figured it out.

And you know who becomes the victim of bad scheming? The players.

Do we really think Jalen Hurts is terrible? No. Do we think Dallas Goedert is a bad tight end? Do we think A.J. Brown or DeVontae Smith are bad wide receivers? Absolutely not. They are victims of Kevin Patullo’s play-calling.

That issue extends beyond Patullo and lands on Sirianni. When your head coach doesn’t call plays, it creates constant coordinator turnover. That’s something the Eagles must fix in the offseason. We’ve seen this pattern in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and now again this season. The effects are the same every time when you don’t have a consistent play-caller.

The Offense Can Work — When It’s Run Correctly

What’s crazy is how good this offense looks when it simply does what it’s supposed to do.

You add under-center action, and suddenly on the second drive, A.J. Brown is getting deep for 30-plus yards. Under-center action works. Empty formations work. A.J. Brown in the slot works. Running to the right works. RPOs work.

When you do the things that every fan can tell you need to be done, the offense succeeds — because the talent is elite. This is one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. I truly believe this is the most talented offense in the league.

You saw that in the first quarter and the second quarter. That first half was an offensive masterpiece.

Yes, it was “only” 13 points. But context matters. Against the No. 2 pass defense, in the rain, Jalen Hurts posted a 96 passer rating with 110 passing yards and a touchdown. He made some excellent throws.

If you pace that out, he was on track for 220-plus passing yards and two touchdowns — again, against the No. 2 pass defense, in bad weather. This is a game where your passing offense is supposed to be shut down, yet the Eagles were at their best during the heaviest rain.

A.J. Brown had 68 receiving yards in the first half. DeVonta Smith was consistently getting open. The biggest takeaway from Hurts in the first half was his ball placement, which was excellent.

Second-Half Collapse

Then the second half happened.

It’s like everything that worked in the first half was deleted. It felt like Patullo pressed pause and said, “Let me forget everything that worked.” The offense became bland and inconsistent. The foot came off the gas, and once again, the players became victims of bad play-calling.

No matter how talented you are, there’s only so far you can go with poor play design.

That’s why I actually like Sirianni’s comments about getting more involved. Something has to change.

Where Jalen Hurts Fits Into This

When you combine the offense and defense, one thing is clear: the defense is winning games right now. The question is whether that old saying — defense wins championships — actually holds true here.

I don’t blame Jalen Hurts for talent. He’s proven that. I don’t blame him for yard totals or raw production. Passing yards alone don’t define a quarterback.

 Just read this from an article from by Joseph Santolaquito:

Hurts hitting A.J. Brown scrambling free of a sack on a third-and-10 to the Bills’ 41 on the Eagles’ fourth drive. Hurts looked done a few times on the play, hopping around in the pocket, before breaking right and catching Brown in stride down the sideline. Hurts hitting DeVonta Smith for an 11-yard reception on a third-and-four at the Eagles’ 40 on the Eagles’ fourth drive. Hurts showed great poise staying in the pocket and delivering to Smith, who made a diving catch and gave the Eagles a fresh set of downs. Dallas Goedert scoring his career-best 11th TD this season on the Eagles’ third drive, courtesy of a Buffalo fumble. No one bothered picking up Goedert at the line of scrimmage. He only leads the Eagles in touchdown receptions this season.

 

Hurts hitting A.J. Brown on a 27-yard reception down the field off a bootleg on the Eagles’ third drive to the Bills’ 14. Five plays later, the Eagles took a 7-0 lead.

Where the criticism becomes fair is initiative.

If Hurts wants to be viewed as a top-five quarterback — and I’ve said he is — then he has to step up and take control. If the play-calling is bad, take over. Run what works. Take command of the offense.

That’s what he lacks at times. It’s not that he’s too conservative — it’s that he doesn’t always take initiative.

Yes, he made some bad decisions in the second half. The bigger issue is knowing when you have a bad OC and taking control.

In the regular season, Hurts might be the ninth-, tenth-, maybe even twelfth-best quarterback. But in the playoffs? He becomes a completely different player. Top three. Top two. Maybe the most clutch quarterback in the league.

He outdueled Patrick Mahomes on the biggest stage. When the playoffs start, something switches. All the regular-season issues disappear.

But can he do this with KP?

What Comes Next?

So now the questions pile up.

Will Sirianni take over play-calling?
Will Hurts take more control?
Or is this a broken team headed for a one-and-done playoff exit?

The Eagles are currently the No. 3 seed. If Chicago loses and the Eagles beat the Commanders, they can get the No. 2 seed. Do you rest starters? Or do you push for home-field advantage at Lincoln Financial Field, which is a massive edge?

I don’t have all the answers. But I know this: the Eagles don’t need to overhaul the roster. They don’t need to worry about the defense. They don’t even need to obsess over seeding.

They need to fix play-calling.

That’s the biggest takeaway from this game.

Remember to comment your thoughts and opinions!