Are the Eagles headed for a get-right game vs. Bills in Week 17?

The Philadelphia Eagles travel to Western New York this weekend to face off against the Buffalo Bills. The Eagles are the lone team that neither head coach Sean McDermott nor quarterback Josh Allen has beaten in their time with the team, as the Eagles beat Buffalo handily in 2019, winning 31-13, and then again in an overtime thriller back in 2023.

That more recent game was offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s second game calling plays for the Bills, having replaced Ken Dorsey nearly two weeks before that. Philadelphia won 37-34 thanks to a long field goal by kicker Jake Elliott to force overtime, a miscommunication between Allen and Gabe Davis, and porous run defense.

Can the Bills overcome the Eagles on Sunday? If they’re able to do it, they’ll need to slow down and account for our five Eagles to watch.
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QB Jalen Hurts

Hurts is one of those polarizing guys that I can’t figure out what’s so polarizing about him. He’s accurate, he has a great arm, he has the ability to make plays with his legs… and yet, there seems to be this narrative about him as if he’s not an elite player at the quarterback position.

Well, in my eyes, he’s an elite quarterback, and he’s exactly the kind of passer the Bills have struggled to contain this season. The quarterback run has been an issue for Buffalo, especially during third down and long scenarios, and if the Bills don’t utilize a spy, Hurts can absolutely break their back.

I expect defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and head coach Sean McDermott to continue doing what they’ve done for most of the season. They’ll play a more generic defense early in the game, Hurts will have time to throw and lanes where he can run, and we’ll all be very frustrated. Then, right around halftime, the Bills will start mixing their calls and their looks into things that will lull Hurts into thinking he has the same look as he did earlier, but there will be a small wrinkle.

Buffalo has had success using the mirror/fire defender this year against mobile quarterbacks, and they’ve excelled in utilizing different players in that role. It’s mainly been a Matt Milano thing, but we could see all sorts of players mirroring Hurts, waiting for him to break contain, and then firing once he does. If the Bills can make him uncomfortable early, they can impact him as a passer much more easily than they can as a runner.

RB Saquon Barkley

Last season, the Eagles were No. 2 in total rushing yards and No. 5 in rushing yards per attempt. This year, with largely the same offensive personnel, the Eagles are No. 15 in total rushing yards and No. 22 in rushing yards per attempt. Does that mean that they won’t find success running the ball against the Bills? Fat chance.

Buffalo’s run defense has been horrendous this year, as they are No. 29 in total rushing yards allowed and No. 31 in rush-yards-per-carry allowed. The crazy thing is that both of those metrics are trending in a positive direction for the club, since they were dead last in both for much of the season.

The Bills have allowed over 100 rushing yards in all but four games in 2025. The Eagles have been over 130 yards on the ground in each of their last three games. Buffalo needs to commit resources to stopping Barkley early in the game, forcing Philadelphia to turn to the passing game in 3rd & Long situations early.

WR Devonta Smith

With A.J. Brown missing practice time this week thanks to a wisdom tooth extraction, it’s Smith who’s most likely to play and cause Buffalo problems. He does everything well, as he can run underneath routes and force missed tackles just as easily as he can beat a corner deep on a double-move.

The Bills have been great against the pass this season, and they’ve been good for the duration of head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure at limiting deep throws. Whether it’s any of Buffalo’s three outstanding outside corners covering Smith, the Eagles will have their work cut out for them, although I’d wager that they’d likely prefer Smith matched up against either Tre’Davious White or Maxwell Hairston over Christian Benford.

Smith had seven catches for 106 yards and a score in the 2023 matchup. They’ll need to limit him significantly if they want to win on Sunday.

LB Zack Baun

Philadelphia’s top tackler has been a revelation since coming over last season from the New Orleans Saints. After playing mostly as a special teamer with New Orleans, he slid in as a starter last season, leading the Eagles in tackles and earning a First-Team All-Pro nod, as well as his first Pro Bowl.

This season, Baun’s leading the Eagles in tackles once again, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight season, and he has continued to be a rock in the middle of a very tough Philadelphia defense. Opposing quarterbacks have just a 66.9 quarterback rating when targeting him, and he has two interceptions and seven pass breakups on the season.

Given that Buffalo’s passing game runs through its tight ends, quarterback Josh Allen will need to be aware of No. 53 when looking over the middle. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Baun acting as a spy on Allen at times, either. He’s a huge key to the game.

CB Quinyon Mitchell

Very quickly, Mitchell has become one of the NFL’s elite corners. He leads the league in pass breakups this season with 17, and he’s allowed just 44% of the passes thrown his way this season to be completed.

Buffalo’s outside receivers don’t exactly do much, but whether it’s Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Brandin Cooks, Tyrell Shavers, or Gabe Davis out there, if Mitchell is the one lined up across from them, it’s an advantage for Philadelphia. He’s a handsy corner for sure — Mitchell has been called for pass interference four times this season, and he’s been called for defensive holding once — so if the Bills want to challenge him, it should be off a hard play-action fake with a double-move involved.

However, the Bills would be better served continuing to look to Khalil Shakir in the slot, as well as to their tight ends over the middle, rather than poking the bear outside.