Orchard Park, N.Y. — Brandin Cooks picked the perfect time for his breakout game as the Buffalo Bills needed offense against a Philadelphia Eagles team that brought its defense to town.
Josh Allen was sacked five times in the game, but Cooks and Allen connected for an improbable 36-yard connection late in the fourth quarter to set up the eventual game-winning score. Cooks caught four passes for 101 yards and led all receivers. Allen punched in a touchdown on a fourth down sneak to put the Bills within a point.
Michael Badgley missed the extra point and the Bills trailed. Sean McDermott was aggressive and kept the offense on the field. Allen had an open Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone, but was off the mark on an off-balance throw.
The Bills fall to 11-5 on the season and the New England Patriots are now winning the AFC East for the first time since 2019.
Here are some immediate takeaways from the Bills’ 13-12 loss to the Eagles on Sunday night in the pouring rain:
The defense rises
The Bills forced four consecutive three-and-outs to give Buffalo life in the second half. Christian Benford made one of the plays of the game after the Bills’ first touchdown, forcing an incomplete pass on a deep ball to DeVonta Smith on third-and-long that could have put the Eagles up for a late scoring drive.
The Eagles finished with 191 yards of total offense, including just 17 yards in the second half, and went 3-for-13 on third downs in the game. The Bills were pressured on quarterback Jalen Hurts throughout the game, but finally started to come out in the second half. Hurts completed less than 50% of his throws in the game.
A brutal turnover squanders a strong Bills defensive start
The Bills were driving deep into Philadelphia territory on their second offensive possession when disaster struck. Allen thought Jackson Hawes was open on a short straight route, but decided to look down instead. He avoided the pressure for a moment and ran out to the right where he found trouble.
Jaelen Phillips bore down on him down the right sideline and he tried to squeak in a throw to Hawes at the last minute. Instead, the ball came out as it appeared to be thrown and rolled backwards all the way to the Bills 42-yard line. The Eagles fell on the ball and it was ruled a fumble.
Allen spent part of his weekly pregame news conference this week talking about what led the Bills to two straight wins over the past month.
“Ball security,” he said. “Yeah, we don’t get into bad situations.
It seemed that this bad situation could be avoided. It could have been a pass attempt, but it was a poor decision by Allen when he had an open receiver earlier in the play. The Eagles marched downfield and scored a touchdown late in the first quarter for the first points of the game.
A critical error by Allen led to immediate points and wasted one of the Bills’ best defensive starts this season. Buffalo forced a three-and-out on its opening possession and then got off the field in five plays on its next drive, forcing its second punt of the game.
Bills defense showing vs. escape
The offense struggled all game, but the defense mostly held its own against reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley. Aside from a few strong drives, Barkley was mostly kept in check. Through three quarters, Barkley had just two runs of 10 yards or more, and the Bills forced three straight punts in the second half to keep Buffalo in the game.
Rookie middle linebacker Terrel Bernard started for the Bills despite Shaq Thompson being healthy and active. Thompson left last week’s game against the Cleveland Browns with a neck injury, but worked his way back into this week’s game. Bernard was seemingly passed over by Thompson on the depth chart, but McDermott returned to start on opening day.
Bernard didn’t last long as he went down with a calf injury in the second quarter. Thompson moved back to center back and made an immediate impact. He spent some time scouting Hurts and forced a few throws that eventually led to punts. He also had a tackle for a loss on Barkley.
The Bills defense looks completely different this season with Thompson at middle linebacker. Bernard is injured again and likely fits in a backup role, but even if he could eventually return, Thompson has to outplay him.
Kicker problem
The Bills were forced to leave veteran Michael Badgley off their practice squad for the second straight week as Matt Prater continued to work his way back from a quad injury.
Buffalo finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter and Badgley missed the extra point. Depending on Prater’s health, the Bills have to look at kicker alternatives going forward. Badgley also missed an extra point last week against the Browns.
The Bills’ mysterious offensive scheme
It was evident early in the game that the Bills offensive line would struggle against the Eagles’ pass rush. Allen entered the game with a leg injury. He limped noticeably after practice on Tuesday, but made it through the week and was able to play.
After a third-quarter sack — one of five by Philadelphia — Allen’s limp returned. He stayed in the game, but felt offensive coordinator Joe Brady didn’t know the answers to the pressure Allen faced.
One of the worst displays of play on the line was guard O’Cyrus Torrence, who was badly beaten by defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who landed on Allen for a sack. The Bills continued to lean on the screen game and that didn’t help take any pressure off Allen.
Even Allen, the playmaker, was smothered near the goal line in the third quarter on a fourth-down scramble. A failed punt attempt gave the ball back to the Eagles. The Bills didn’t score their first points of the game until more than halfway through the fourth quarter.
Allen wasn’t great in the game as a passer. When the ball quickly slipped from his hands, he felt that good things had happened. When you hold the ball against a defense as good as Philadelphia’s, that’s when bad things start to happen.
Allen hit several deep balls to Tyrell Shavers and Cooks and finished with over 200 yards passing. According to Pro Football Focus, Allen was pressured 18 times in the game and was hit six times.
The worst call of all was the Bills’ 3rd-and-9 after the two-minute warning. Brady had all that time to come up with his best game. and dialed a Ty Johnson pass to a screen for no gain. The Bills had to go for it on 4th and 9 from their own 29, but regained life on a well-executed hook and ladder.
Leave a Reply