DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS, ZERO TURNOVERS LAND EAGLES A 13-12 THRILLER WIN OVER BUFFALO
- Al Thompson
- 8 minutes ago
- 5 min read
ORCHARD PARK: To say the Nick Sirianni and the Eagles are obsessed with not turning the ball over would be an understatement.
The Eagles were able to pull out a 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in a steady rain because their defense and special teams played with intensity.
The offense though, in the second half, played like they were told giving up on a drive was a better option than doing anything that put the ball in danger.
Jalen Hurts was zero-for-seven in the second half after going a solid 13-for 20 for 110 yards in first half.
The Eagles had three possessions in the third quarter and recorded just one first down. Two of those possessions where three-and-outs.
The Birds (11-5) only got the ball twice in the fourth quarter, both three-and-outs.
To be fair, one of the drives was in an impossible situation. The Eagles defense displayed the definition of bend but don't break.
With 6:03 left in the third quarter, the Bills drove 67 yards on nine plays but were stopped at about the one foot line on a run by Josh Allen.
Hurts had to start the ensuing drive with his feet in the Bills end zone. It was more of a defensive three-and-out if anything.
The Eagles defensive unit completely dominated Allen and Bills keeping them off the scoreboard for the first three quarters.
But the Birds defense is made up of humans and Buffalo is talented on offense. Something had to give.
With 11:02 left in the fourth quarter, Allen led his team on a 54-yard, 11-play drive that ended with Allen scoring on a two-yard run.
Eagles Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter spoiled the party when he block the extra point try by Matt Prater.
Against the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the season, both he and Jordan Davis took turns blocking Joshua Karty's field goal attempts.
The block by Davis was on the final play of the game. Davis ran the ball back for a touchdown.
After the game, both Davis and Carter said they watched Karty's trajectory during the game and found a flaw in his approach, and it worked.
Sunday, Since the Bills were shut out for three quarters, Carter didn't get the chance to check out Prater's technique...or did he?
“That was just one time where we were just chillin' with the d-line,” Carter said at his locker after the game. “JD and I took to the field (before the game) and we were just watching the kicker...some of his kicks low, some were high...it was something I looked at lightly...just before the game. So I told some of the guys on the line who were with me that I saw him before the game. That's what we do.”
So there was some research on Prater?
“
Oh yeah, yeah...a little bit,” Carter said with a grin.
The score remained 13-6 until Allen dove into the end zone from one-yard out on fourth down and five ticks left on the clock.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott elected to go for the win on a two-point conversion.
Allen overthrew a wide open Khalil Shakir in the end zone sending 71,105 mostly Bills rain-soaked fans into the night looking for answers for what they just witnessed.
Eagles Pro Bowl cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who was burned on a pass interference call on a throw Joshua Palmer, was asked about the two-point conversion.
“We just got a stop,” said Mitchel, who notched four total tackle (three solo). “We just held up as a defense and got a stop.”
Mitchell on playing every play with maximum intensity.
“It's always that way,” Mitchell said at his locker after the game. “We always want to play to the last play of the whistle.”
According to AI Overview, the Eagles still have a chance at the No. 2 seed in the NFC, but it's a long shot.
It would requiring them to win their final game against Washington (using mostly backups) and for the Chicago Bears to lose their final game at home against the Detroit Lions.
While they are locked into no worse than the No.3 seed and host a playoff game, getting the No. 2 seed would grant them a second home playoff game in the Divisional Round
The Eagles had three possessions in the third quarter and recorded just one first down. Two of those possessions where three-and-outs.
Hurts was 13 of 27 for 110 yards, one sack (it was a slide), one touchdown pass and most important...no turnovers.
It was like, with the weather the it was during the game, a driving rain, Hurts would rather give up on a drive than put the ball in jeopardy.
He was asked about the offense's mindset of not turning the ball over..and estimate is the Bird are 43-2 over the past five years when winning the turnover battle. But will being so conservative comeback and bite them?
“I don't think it's s conservative thing to have good ball security and be mindful that the turnover margin directly correlates to wins,” Hurts said at his post game press conference. “That's true, that's true . It's also a well known fact of what we've been able to do and how we've been able to play over the last five years collectively.
"It's an important thing. Obviously every team is different. We've been able to stay in rhythm, stay in sequencing and moving the ball downfield. It's important too. That something we're going to continue to grow with.
"We need to be better in the red zone,” Hurts continued. “We get to the red zone and have an opportunity to score and not...Jake (Elliott) definitely showed up and made some big time kicks and putting points on the board. A lot of credit to him.”
Tackle Fred Johnson on whether the Eagles played conservative with a 13-point lead at the half and a defense that was playing lights out..
“I don't think that's ever the goal,” Johnson said at his locker after the game.”Especially in this league, with this team...and the stamp we want to put on games...we're trying to score, we're trying to win. Every drive, we're trying to score. It's never like 'let's pull back on the reigns.' It's always 'let's keep going'.” *
We'll see if that works in the playoffs. *
Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com
Comments