Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Buffalo Bills had their four-game winning streak snapped on Sunday, falling to the Philadelphia Eagles, 13-12, at Highmark Stadium.
While the Bills will still be in the playoffs this January, they failed to win the AFC East for a sixth-straight season.
Here are my Arrows Up and Down from the contest, starting Down after the loss:
ARROW DOWN:
The offense for three quarters of the game
The Bills were 5 minutes and 11 seconds away from being shut out in a game for the first time since Josh Allen’s rookie year of 2018. For the first 55-minutes it was a very rough day for the offense. Until their final two drives, the Bills had just 209 total yards of offense, scored no points, and turned the ball over twice.
QB - Josh Allen
For the second week in a row, Josh Allen made at least one critical decision that cost his team valuable field position and even possession. In this one, he decided not to throw the ball away on a 2nd and 3 from the Eagles 23 yard line, and that ultimate resulted in a fumble and the Eagle gaining possession at the Bills 45. They scored a touchdown on that drive. Then, he made the same decision to not throw the ball away on a 3rd down play early in the fourth quarter from the Philadelphia 27 yard line. He tried to circle back across the field, and it cost him a sack and a loss of 19 yards, pushing the Bills out of field goal range. Allen also didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the second week in a row, finishing 23-of-35 (65.7%) for 262 yards.
The two-point pass
Allen got an Arrow Down for his overall game and a couple decisions, but I’m also giving him one specifically for not nailing the throw on the final two-point conversion attempt to win the game. Khalil Shakir was open in the back of the end zone. Allen just plain missed him.
OC - Joe Brady
Players made critical mistakes throughout the game, but Brady did not set his offense up well enough on too many possessions. The play-action pass Allen fumbled was one instance. The Bills had two plays to get two yards there. A 3rd down tunnel screen to Ty Johnson with the game on the line with less than two minutes left was another. It lost yardage.
O’Cyrus Torrence and David Edwards
The Eagles dominated the line of scrimmage when the Bills were on offense, and most of that came from the interior of the line. Torrence and Edwards had rough days, getting beaten several times.
Five sacks allowed
Independent of the play of the interior offensive line, the Bills allowed five sacks on the day, and they totaled 51 yards in backwards field position. Far too many, and especially with a banged up Josh Allen.
K - Michael Badgley
The only reason the Bills even had a decision to make at the end of the game to go for two points was because Badgley missed his second extra point in as many weeks. This time it was blocked after coming off his foot a bit too low.
Blocked extra point
It wasn’t just on Badgley. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter penetrated and got his hand up to block the kick. And that turned out to be a massive play in the game.
First half third-and-long defense
Once again third down and long was a problem for the Bills defense, specifically in the first half. When they should absolutely be getting off the field in that situation, the Eagles converted a 3rd and 10 and a 3rd and 12. In the first half, the Eagles were 3-for-6 on third downs.
Pass rush
Once again the Bills had a very tough time generating a pass rush, especially with their front-four. Jalen Hurts was sacked once - when he ran and slid before the line of scrimmage - and the Bills had just four quarterback hurries.
Not scoring with 1st-and-goal
Down 13-0 in the third quarter, the Bills had a 1st and goal at the Eagles 7-yard line. They failed to score on four plays.
ARROW UP:
WR - Brandin Cooks
After not being on the same page with Josh Allen through their first two games together, Cooks showed why the team signed him with a couple huge plays down the field and catches of 50 and 36 yards. Cooks finished with 4 grabs for 101 yards.
Tyrel Shavers' catch
He only had two grabs on the day, but Tyrel Shavers made an absolutely outstanding 32-yard catch down the sideline that set the Bills up with a first and goal.
Going for two
Bills head coach Sean McDerrmott’s decision to go for two was the right one. Their kicker Micheal Badgley had already missed an extra point (blocked), which was his second in two weeks, and Josh Allen was hobbled and had already taken five sacks. So extending the game would have exposed him even further. He put the ball in his best players’ hands for one play to win the game. It just didn’t work out.
Two-point conversion play design
Josh Allen missed the throw, but Khalil Shakir was wide open because offensive coordinator Joe Brady came up with a really excellent play design on the final two point conversion attempt
The hook and lateral
For the second time this year, the Bills successfully executed a hook and lateral (or hook and ladder) play. This time on a 4th and 10 with 1:51 remaining in the game. Tyrel Shavers caught the ball and flipped it to Ty Johnson. They gained 21 yards on the play.
Run defense/job on Saquon Barkley
The much-maligned Bills run defense really stepped up in this one, limiting the Eagles to just 82 yards on the ground. Saquon Barkley was held to just 68 yards on 19 carries, for an average of 3.6 yards per run.
Second-half defense
The Bills second half defense was outstanding. The Eagles ran 18 plays for 16 total yards (counting one kneel down). Philadelphia had just one first down in the second half, and Jalen Hurts did not complete a pass over the last two quarters. He was 0-for-7.
LB - Matt Milano
Milano continued his excellent play, finishing as the Bills leading tackler with 7 total stops, including one for a loss, a half of a sack, and a QB hurry.
Defensive line
The Bills defensive line did a really nice job all day to make sure the Eagles did not get much going in the run game, and also kept Jalen Hurts in the pocket without escape lanes.
P - Mitch Wishnowsky
Wishnowsky punted six times. Three were downed inside the Eagles 20 yard line, only one was a touchback, and only one punt was returned all day.
Third-down defense for the game
The Eagles were just 3-of-13 (23.1%) overall in the game on third down.
No big plays allowed
The Eagles had to work for everything they got on offense. They had one play all day that went for over 19 yards.
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