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Eagles Fly By Bills 23-20
Bills playoff hopes fade away with another tough December loss.
by Steve Saslow
The Skinny:
Caleb Sturgis hit a 30 yard field goal with 3:26 to go to lift the Eagles to a 23-20 victory crushing the Bills playoff hopes. Tyrod Taylor had his streak of 222 consecutive passes without an interception snapped on his final pass of the game which was a game clinching pick. Philadelphia opened up a 20-10 lead in the third quarter after Sturgis bookended halftime with 45 and 41 yard field goals. The Bills battled back to tie it with a second Dan Carpenter field goal and a Mike Gillislee 19 yard touchdown run where he beat Kiko Alonso for the tying score entering the fourth quarter. The Eagles struck first with their opening possession driving 61 yards to a Darren Sproles one yard plunge. The Bills tied it on a 47 yard bomb from Taylor to Sammy Watkins. Bradford than took advantage of a Tyler Thigpen muffed punt and found Nelson Agholor for a 53 yard touchdown on a 2nd and 26 play to get the lead back.
The Turning Point:
Thigpen's Fumble: The game was tied at 7 but the Bills were controlling the action and were winning the field position battle when Thigpen muffed a punt setting the Eagles up. Bradford hit the long touchdown on a 2nd and 26 pass to convert the turnover into seven points.
The Big Drive:
The Winning FG Drive: It was a 7 play, 54 yard drive in 1:59 to the winning points. The big play on the drive for the Eagles was completing a 3rd and 3 pass to Zach Ertz, he broke a number of tackles and got 41 yards on the play. There seemed to be a blatant pick not called.
Stat I Did Like:
Time of Possession: They had the ball for 35:02 in the loss.
Stat I Didn't Like:
Penalties: The Bills were up to their old tricks with 15 penalties for 101 yards. On four different occasions on defense a third and long play became a third and short because of neutral zone infractions.
Scene Setters:
- The Bills wore white jerseys with blue pants for this game.
- McCoy made an Eagles fan make-a-wish come true before the game meeting Kaitlyn Wells saying she will be his good luck charm for the game.
- McCoy reportedly got a call from Chip Kelly during the week and answered the phone. When he realized who he was, he hung up.
- McCoy came out for pregame warmups with the offensive line instead of the running backs. He was the lone captain for the Bills and was booed as he walked to midfield. He also kissed the Eagles logo at midfield.
- It was Rex Ryan's birthday today.
Key Matchup Results:
The winners of the battles highlighted in our preview article:
RB LeSean McCoy vs. LB Kiko Alonso and HC Chip Kelly: Winner: McCoy. He didn't dominate or score but he did have 109 total yards from scrimmage.
WR Sammy Watkins vs. DB Jaylen Watkins and DB Byron Maxwell: Winner: Sammy. He had five catches for 81 yards but opened up stuff for Robert Woods to have a 100 yard game.
DE Jerry Hughes vs. LT Jason Peters: Winner: Peters. Hughes had a few pressures but didn't make any big plays.
CB Ronald Darby vs. WR Jordan Matthews: Winner: Darby. He had a very nice day as the number one cover guy.
Keys To The Game Results:
How the keys highlighted in our preview article turned out:
1. Keep Emotions In Check: Failure! 15 penalties and two turnovers showed they never played within themselves..
2. Make Halftime Adjustments: Failure! They did outscore the Eagles in the second quarter but didn't fix the mistakes that got them behind.
3. Win Special Teams Battle: Failure! They muffed a punt that led to an Eagles touchdown than gave up a 28 yard punt return into Buffalo territory in the fourth quarter of a tie game.
My Take:
Well it's December so you knew that game was coming. The one that would end the Bills season with a few games to play. That happened today in a game many, including myself, were confident they would win the game. He should have known right there I was setting myself up from another emotional letdown from the team I love. It is now 16 straight non playoff seasons even though I'm sure they aren't officially eliminated, trust me they are. The more things change, the more they stay the same in the final month of the season.
What's Ahead:
The Bills play their last road game of the season when they continue their tour of the NFC East with a visit to the Nation's Capital to take on the Redskins in a meaningless game for them.
Gameballs
Robert Woods - He had five catches for 106 yards.
Manny Lawson - He was all over the field and finished with four tackles but was more active than that.
Goats
Leodis McKelvin - Yes, he had a pick and a nice pass breakup but he was awful in coverage and even worse in tackling throughout the game. He was picked on and there was a good reason for that.
Tyrod Taylor - He played well for most of the game but when it was on the line he was at his worst in the final quarter.
Rex Ryan - Didn't keep his team playing within themselves and the 15 penalties showed he has a very undisciplined team.
Richie Incognito - Had a terrible game with two penalties, a sack given up, and whiffed on a block that resulted in a 10 yard loss.
Marcus Thigpen - His muffed punt was a huge play in the game. He also took an illegal motion penalty that thwarted a drive.
Player Of The Week
Robert Woods - 2nd best game of his career.
 Positional Breakdown and Grades
NFL.com Gamebook
Eagles Game Preview
Gameday Homepage
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