Defense shines, deep balls fly, but a missed conversion seals the Bills' playoff fate against the Eagles.
The Buffalo Bills' chances of winning the AFC East for the sixth straight season are officially over. In a must-win game to keep division hopes alive, the Bills fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 13-12 in front of a sold out and soggy crowd at Highmark Stadium on Sunday evening.
The Bills will now have to go on the road in the playoffs, and currently sit in the 7th seed heading into Week 18.
Here are the positives and negatives from Buffalo's Week 17 loss.
Positives
Bills Defense: The Bills have been notoriously bad at stopping the run all season long. Against, the Eagles, however, they played, arguably, their best game of the season. They allowed just 82 yards on the ground on 26 carries.
Through the air, they continued their strong play, giving up just 110 yards. In the second half, the Bills defense forced the Eagles to punt on its five drives, giving up just 17 yards on 17 offensive plays.
They even gave the Bills offense the ball back with a chance to tie or win the game with 3:21 left in the fourth. It was the type of performance they'll need come playoff time, especially on the road.
The Deep Ball: In a game with very few positives, if any, on offense, we have to point out what did happen for the good. The Bills had three deep ball connections to wide receivers. The first was a 50-yard pass to Brandin Cooks while the second was a 32-yard pass to Tyrell Shavers.
The final shot was a 36-yard pass down the middle to Cooks to set up the Bills with 1st and goal on the final drive.
Josh Allen's Final Drive: After struggling for nearly the entire game, Allen put together his best drive of the game on his final drive of the fourth. Allen went 5-for-8 and drove the Bills 83 yards on 13 plays to score a touchdown. His throw on the two-point conversion, however, was outside and missed Khalil Shakir.
Josh Allen Makes History: With his first rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter, Allen became the first player in NFL history to score 300 touchdowns before turning 30.
Brandin Cooks: For the game he had, Cooks deserves his own call out. After struggling to make the catches needed in his first handful of games, Cooks had four catches for 101 yards. It was a game he needed to have to build momentum going to the playoffs, and it's one the Bills will be happy to have seen.
Negatives
Josh Allen's First Nine Drives: Two fumbles, one lost, and a sack that took the team out of scoring range. For the first nine drives of the game, Josh Allen had one of his worst games of the season against the Eagles. He ended up finishing 23-of-35 for 262 yards. On the ground, he picked up 20 yards and a touchdown.
He also had a noticeable limp throughout the game. Whether the team or Allen want to admit it, it appears his foot is still bothering him.
Joe Brady's Love of Screen Passes: Not much needs to be said. Just look at the play call on 3rd and 9 with two minutes left.
Michael Badgley: After the Bills scored their first touchdown of the game, Badgley's extra point was blocked after a low kick. That lead to the decision to go for two at the end, instead of trusting him to tie it on an extra point. If he makes the first kick, Buffalo can win with an extra point at the end.
Offensive Line: The offensive line had long-been one of the best areas of the Bills roster. On Sunday, they looked like anything but. They struggled to pass protect all game long, allowing the Eagles to get pressure, seemingly, at will. Philadelphia ended up with five sacks and the offense had just 120 yards rushing.
Rushing Attack: The Bills have been the NFL's top rushing attack for most of the season. Against the Eagles, they looked pedestrian. Buffalo finished with 120 yards on the day. James Cook had just 74 yards. Though that was enough to stay at the top of the league's rushing yard total, it wasn't enough to help the Bills get the win. Buffalo is now 3-4 on the season when Cook fails to get 100 yards rushing.
The "Fumble": After driving deep into Eagles territory, Allen looked to be throwing the ball when it came out of his hand. It bounced back into the Bills side of the field, where the Eagles recovered to gain possession. Upon replay review, the call on the field stood but watching it closely, it appeared that Allen's arm was clearly coming forward when the ball left his hand. Still, the Eagles got the ball and would score just a few plays later to go up 7-0.
Bills' Defense's Finishing Ability: Buffalo's pass rush didn't have much of a problem generating pressure on Jalen Hurts. What they struggled with, as they have all season, was getting him on the ground. There were no less than five opportunities for sacks, but Hurts was able to break away to either pick up yards or, at the very least, throw it away.