Jason Kelce: ‘I feel good about Round 1,’ Caitlin Clark discusses the NFL playoff picture, and more from ‘New Heights’

Heading into Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, the Eagles were riding high after consecutive wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Commanders. However, there were still plenty of concerns regarding how they would look against a good team led by former league MVP and four-time Pro Bowler Josh Allen.

The Eagles responded to those concerns with a 13-12 win over the Bills at Highmark Stadium. Former Eagles center Jason Kelce praised the team for the win on the latest episode of New Heights.

“I mean, it’s a great win,” Kelce said. “For the Eagles to go into Buffalo and win this game, it just shows how good the Eagles are. Do you know how tough it is to beat the best team in the AFC — some people are saying — do you know how hard it is to beat that team when you don’t get a single pass completion in the second half? Do you know how hard that is? That’s how good the Eagles are. That’s how good we are, Philadelphia.”

Of course, the win didn’t come without drama. After the Eagles took an early 13-0 lead in the first half, the offense went silent in the second half with not a single completion. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley was held to 68 yards on 19 carries against one of the worst run defenses in the league.

“It was a very frustrating game to watch offensively, to say the least,” Kelce said. “The Eagles have been trending better in running the ball, right? They did well against the Raiders, they did well against the Commanders. This was a chance to do it against a team that is going to be in the playoffs.

“It was not a great performance collectively up front, to be honest with you. And that was — it’s frustrating as a former offensive lineman, a guy in that room that knows how good all those players are. We’ve got to do better than this, boys.”

The Bills had a chance to send the game into overtime with an extra point or effectively end it with a two-point conversion. Allen missed his open man in the end zone to seal an Eagles win.

Despite the offensive struggles, the Eagles defense remains a bright spot for the team — recording five sacks and limiting NFL rushing leader James Cook to 74 yards on 20 carries.

“The defense played out of their mind,” Kelce said. “That’s the positive coming out of this thing.”

The Eagles now prepare to host the Washington Commanders to end the regular season. However, the Birds are expected to rest Jalen Hurts and the starters — a decision Kelce seems to agree with.

“The Eagles will probably be resting their starters,” Kelce said. “I don’t think that we’re going to see a lot of significant players playing in this one.

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“[In 2023], we decided to go out against [the] New York [Giants in Week 18] because we wanted to get some momentum going offensively because we weren’t playing great. And we ended up getting A.J. Brown hurt to where he couldn’t play in the playoff game. Jalen [Hurts] got his finger banged up. Like, it was catastrophic. So, I am fully on board with do not risk getting anybody, anybody that you’re not going to be happy about missing in that playoff game, sit them on the bench. Unless you have the chance to get the No. 1 seed, I don’t give a crap who you’re playing, take the rest when you can get it.”

Caitlin Clark made her highly anticipated return to New Heights to discuss her new Nike advertisement, her signature shoe, and the NFL playoff picture. The two-time WNBA All-Star asked Kelce who he likes in the playoffs besides the Birds.

“I really liked the Rams until [Monday] night,” Kelce said. “The first half was kind of the first weakness that I kind of saw from them. To their credit, they did bounce back and almost ended up winning there at the end. But, the Rams feel like they have the least questions of everybody that’s in the playoffs.

“Like, everything kind of has an answer. They’re great on the offense. They’re great on the defensive line. They run the ball well. They stop the run. Their quarterback [Matthew Stafford] is a proven — already won a Super Bowl and been around for a long time. So, it’s like that’s the kind of the team that I think probably is the safest one.”

When asked about the Eagles’ chances, Kelce responded: “I think they’ll do better than people expect.”

“I mean, I know that the offense struggled in the second half last week and it’s struggled at times this season, but their defense is so good,” Kelce said. “And whoever they get in this first round, they’re probably going to get a team — whether it’s the Rams, who have said they’re going to play their starters, or San Francisco will probably be it. There’s a chance they could be the No. 2 seed and play Green Bay. They’re going to get a team traveling from the West Coast all the way to the East Coast and the Eagles are probably going to rest. So, I kind of feel good about Round 1. I feel like they’re so talented that they have a chance to beat anybody at this point.”

Clark revealed she doesn’t have a horse in the race. However, she is a fan of a certain young quarterback in the running for league MVP.

“I mean I’m not cheering for anybody,” Clark said. “Honestly, I’m a Drake Maye fan. I think he’s been incredible and like I think the Patriots are — I mean, what is it? The NFC, I mean they’re all so good. The 49ers are really good, but they’re the most injured team, but they just still find a way to win, which is pretty crazy. I mean I’ll probably be pulling for the Patriots. But, I think the Rams are really good, too. [The Seahawks’] Sam Darnold seems like a good guy. So, I could root for him, too.”