The Bills offense has been mired in the muck for most of Sunday’s game, but they have moved within striking range of the Eagles with just over five minutes left to play.
Quarterback Josh Allen scored from the 2-yard line to cut the Eagles’ lead to 13-6. Michael Badgley’s extra point was blocked by Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, so it remains a seven-point game at Highmark Stadium.
Allen almost scored in the third quarter when he tried to scramble on a fourth-and-goal, but Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stopped him just short of the end zone. The defense has kept doing its part — the Eagles have one first down since halftime — and now the Bills offense will get another chance to at least send the game to overtime.
If they do, there will still be a path to the AFC East title. If not, it will belong to the Patriots.
The Bills are going to need a big second half to head into Week 18 with a chance at winning the AFC East.
Jake Elliott’s second field goal of the first half came with eight seconds to play in the second quarter gave the Eagles a 13-0 lead over the Bills at halftime in Buffalo.
The Bills looked like they were on their way to the first points of the game when quarterback Josh Allen hit wide receiver Brandin Cooks for a 50-yard gain in the first quarter, but Allen lost a fumble a couple of plays later. The Eagles used that takeaway to set up a one-yard Jalen Hurts touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Goedert and the Bills offense didn’t make any other big plays on their remaining possessions.
Hurts is 14-of-21 for 115 yards and he’s connected with wide receiver A.J. Brown for five of those completions. One came after Hurts evaded Buffalo’s pass rush on a third down and set up Elliott’s first field goal of the afternoon.
The Bills will get the ball to start the second half and things will start to feel dire if they can’t show more offensive momentum than they managed in the first 30 minutes.
The Eagles are on the scoreboard first in Buffalo.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts hit tight end Dallas Goedert for a one-yard touchdown with 35 seconds to play in the first quarter to put the road team up 7-0 in the next-to-last regular season game at Highmark Stadium.
The Eagles touchdown was set up by a turnover by Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Allen lost the football while under pressure from Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Jihaad Campbell recovered the ball on the Buffalo 45-yard line. It looked like Allen’s arm was moving forward when he lost the ball, but the fumble call stood up after a review and the Eagles quickly moved into scoring position on a 27-yard throw to A.J. Brown.
The teams had traded punts on a rainy afternoon in Buffalo up until that point. The Bills will try to find a better handle on things as they try to remain alive in the race for the AFC East title.
The Bills had a pair of tight ends listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Eagles and they’ll only have one of them in the lineup.
Dalton Kincaid is inactive due to the knee injury that landed him on the injury report this week. Dawson Knox is also dealing with a knee injury, but will be in the lineup as Buffalo tries to stay alive in the race for the AFC East title.
Wide receiver Keon Coleman is a healthy scratch again this week. Kicker Matt Prater, safety Jordan Poyer, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, offensive lineman Tylan Grable, and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones are also inactive.
The Eagles ruled linebacker Nakobe Dean and right tackle Lane Johnson out on Friday. Linebacker Josh Uche, quarterback Sam Howell, running back A.J. Dillon, and cornerback Michael Carter are the other inactives for Philadelphia.
Houston’s win over the Chargers got the Texans into the playoffs. And it leaves only one spot in the AFC unclaimed.
Six teams are now in: Broncos, Patriots, Jaguars, Texans, Chargers, and Bills.
That leaves one more seat at the table, for one of two teams. Either the Steelers or the Ravens will be the AFC North champions. Pittsburgh’s magic number is one; a Baltimore loss to the Packers tonight or a Steelers win over the Browns on Sunday seals the deal.
Plenty of seed remain TBD, including the AFC East and AFC South champions, along with the all-important No. 1 seed.
Still, six of seven AFC teams are set. Which is the same situation as the NFC, where the only remaining spot will go to eventual NFC South champs, Carolina or Tampa Bay.
