What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 17 vs. the Bills

It’s official — this season’s collection of Birds doesn’t resemble the 2023 Eagles.

After a second consecutive definitive victory, this time over the Washington Commanders on Saturday, the Eagles have effectively shot down any further comparisons to their plight two seasons ago.

» READ MORE: Eagles use big second half to overwhelm Commanders, become first repeat NFC East champs since 2004

No, their last two opponents, including the Las Vegas Raiders, won’t frighten most playoff-caliber teams (although the Geno Smith-led Raiders hung 21 points on the top-ranked Houston Texans defense on Sunday). Plus, the Eagles still have a number of concerns to address before the playoffs, including Jake Elliott’s kicking woes and the inefficiency of the Tush Push.

But the 2023 Eagles too frequently stooped to the level of their opponents, as evidenced by their late-season losses to the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants. That has not been this Eagles team, even in the absence of two of their top linemen in Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter.

The Eagles’ greatest remaining test of the regular season awaits Sunday when they visit the 11-4 Buffalo Bills. Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles heading into their penultimate game of the season:

Ahead of last year’s Super Bowl run, Jalen Hurts sat out the final two games of the season while in concussion protocol, but he likely wouldn’t have started in Week 18 anyway given that the Eagles had already clinched the NFC’s No. 2 seed.

Could a respite be on the horizon for the Eagles starters? After Saturday’s win, Hurts was asked whether he would welcome a chance to rest if the opportunity presented itself over the last two weeks.

“That’s above me,” Hurts said. “If someone asks me, I’ll answer. But it’s above me to answer right now.”

» READ MORE: Handing out credit for the Eagles’ record playoff run, also what NFL refs got right and DK Metcalf did wrong in Week 16

In reality, that opportunity isn’t imminent. By the time the Eagles’ game against the Bills starts at 4:25 p.m., Hurts and his teammates will have a chance to improve their seeding in Week 17 with a win.

According to Wharton professor Deniz Selman, if the Eagles beat the Bills, they will only be locked into the No. 3 seed if the Seattle Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. and the Chicago Bears defeat the San Francisco 49ers at 8:20 that evening.

The Eagles play before the Bears, so Nick Sirianni ought to play his starters in Week 17. If that scenario for the Seahawks and the Bears doesn’t pan out, the Eagles could have a chance to improve to the No. 2 seed in Week 18, pending the outcome of Colts-49ers on Monday Night Football.

Unlike last season, there’s a chance that Week 18 will have real meaning, requiring the starters to play to give the Eagles a shot at a better seed. But the Bills will look to get in the Eagles’ way, as they’re still in the fight to win the AFC East with the 12-3 New England Patriots.

The injuries have been piling up for the Eagles’ opposing quarterbacks over the last four weeks. There was Justin Herbert’s left hand injury, Geno Smith’s shoulder, Jayden Daniels’ elbow, Marcus Mariota’s right hand, and now Josh Allen’s foot.

But Allen’s injury, which he suffered on a foolish sack just before halftime in the Bills’ 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, didn’t sideline him. He received an X-ray on his foot and was cleared to return for the second half.

While Allen said after the game that he didn’t think the injury impacted his play after halftime, his production dipped considerably. The 29-year-old quarterback went from 6-of-7 for 86 passing yards and 17 yards on four carries in the first half to 6-of-12 for 44 passing yards and no yards on three runs in the second.

That second-half rushing output is unusual for Allen. He leads the league’s quarterbacks with 552 rushing yards, with the majority of that total coming from scrambles (436), according to Pro Football Focus.

The Eagles have had their issues containing mobile quarterbacks this season. Vic Fangio’s unit has given up 328 rushing yards to quarterbacks, the fifth-highest total in the league.

But while Mariota was in the game on Saturday, the Eagles kept him contained. He finished with one kneel-down for a loss of a yard, his worst rushing total in a game this season and just his third game out of 11 in which he did not post double-digit rushing yards.

The Bills neutralized the Browns’ Myles Garrett-led pass rush in part by handing the ball off to James Cook. The 26-year-old running back rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, bringing his total for the season to a league-best 1,532 yards (on a league-high 287 attempts).

Cook is getting a helping hand from his offensive line and tight ends. According to Pro Football Reference, Cook leads the league with 919 rushing yards before contact. The Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs is the next-closest back with 770.

The Bills’ running game will meet its match on Sunday. Since the Eagles’ nightmare of an outing against the Bears’ rushing attack last month, the group has tightened up, conceding 4.0 yards per attempt in the last three weeks (tied for the sixth-lowest average in the league).

Jordan Davis has been one of the keys to the Eagles’ success in stopping the run. He tied for the team lead with six run stops on Saturday, wreaking havoc on a Commanders attack that ranks fourth in the league in rushing yardage. Davis has been disruptive late into the season, even while he’s playing a career-high 62% of the defensive snaps this year.

“I feel great,” Davis said after the game. “It’s the wear and tear of the season. Your body is never going to feel as good as it is going into camp. But I feel good. The work has been put in. It’s just continue on. Just have to continue.”

The Bills won’t be the only team looking to run the ball on Sunday. The Eagles’ rushing attack has had a resurgence over the last couple of weeks, combining for a league-high 390 yards in Weeks 15-16.

Saquon Barkley, of course, is at the center of that achievement. He took strides in the Week 14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, highlighted by the efficiency of the under-center running game. While Barkley had far more shotgun runs in Week 16 against the Commanders, his explosive 48-yard run came from an under-center jumbo personnel handoff.

In his last three games, Barkley ranks second in the league with a combined 332 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

Barkley — and Hurts — could be bound for more success on the ground on Sunday. The Bills have conceded 5.4 yards per rushing attempt this season, which is the second-worst clip in the NFL.

They’ve had a particularly tough time corralling quarterbacks. The Bills have allowed 356 rushing yards to quarterbacks this season, which is the third-highest total in the league. Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders took advantage of the Bills’ leaky run defense, leading the team with 49 rushing yards on four scrambles.

Hurts gave the Commanders headaches on scrambles, too. He had 40 yards on five scrambles, picking up three first downs along the way. While the designed running game was less of an emphasis in that game, Hurts was still able to extend plays with his legs. He could have another opportunity to build on that success on Sunday.