After two consecutive wins over strugglingteams, the Eagles are headed to Highmark Stadium to take on the Buffalo Bills in Week 17. Heading into the matchup, the Eagles are slight 1.5-point underdogs.
Here’s how experts in the local and national media are predicting Sunday’s game …
Inquirer predictions
We start with our own beat writers. Here’s an excerpt from Olivia Reiner’s prediction …
To see how our other beat writers are predicting this one, check out our full Eagles-Bills preview here.
National media predictions
Here’s a look at who the national media is picking for Sunday’s game …
ESPN: Only two of 10 panelists are picking the Birds straight up.
CBS Sports: Three of seven experts are leaning towards the Eagles.
It was a festive episode of Hard Knocks on Tuesday, as the HBO documentary series released its latest episode, which offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Eagles clinching the NFC East ahead of the holiday season.
The episode looked into offensive tackle Jordan Mailata’s journey from playing rugby in Australia to getting drafted to the Eagles in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft, the Birds clinching the division, and more.
Here’s everything you missed from the latest episode of Hard Knocks:
Mailata’s journey from rugby to NFL
Last Wednesday, before their Week 16 matchup against the Commanders, the Eagles held practice at Lincoln Financial Field. Without Lane Johnson because of a foot injury, Mailata continued to mentor younger players.
Eight years ago, he never would have pictured himself in this position.
“I was 20 years old when I joined the International Player Pathway program,” Mailata said. “The program aimed to bring a connection between the NFL to the rest of the world and grow the sport in that respective spot that the athlete was from. So I thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’
“[When I was] drafted by the Eagles with a seventh-round pick, I was kind of, like, flabbergasted. I didn’t understand what was happening, but I knew that a team was taking a chance on me, a kid that never played football before. … I can’t believe I’m still here playing this game eight years later. In my eighth season, still trying to figure this thing out.”
Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata laughs with coach Nick Sirianni against the Raiders on Dec. 14.
Now, Mailata has become a crucial part of the Tush Push, earned second-team All-Pro honors, is a Super Bowl champ, and a proud member of the Philly Specials — a Christmas music group consisting of himself, Johnson, and former Eagles center Jason Kelce.
‘Been there, won that’
With a 29-18 win over the Commanders, the Eagles became the first back-to-back NFC East champs since 2004. After the game, the team unboxed some early Christmas presents and expanded their wardrobe with new NFC East championship hats and T-shirts that read, “Been there, won that.”
Of course, the win didn’t come without drama. With the Eagles leading, 29-10, late in the game, Nick Sirianni made the decision to go for a two-point conversion. At the end of the play, a fight broke out between Washington and Philadelphia players — resulting in three ejections.
Adding more fuel to the fire, Eagles veteran Brandon Graham made sure to trash talk some of the Washington fans on the sideline.
“Aye, we got some new gear for y’all after the game,” Graham said. “We got some more gear for you. We got some Eagles gear for you after the game. Don’t worry, we got you.
The Commanders will get a second chance at the Eagles to end the regular season. But first, the Birds will travel to Highmark Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“Guys, we talk about doing special [expletive],” Sirianni said. “Winning the division is doing special [expletive]. Nobody has repeated in the division in [21] years, right. Y’all should be proud of that. You don’t do special [expletive] unless you’ve got the men in this room, the talent that we have, and that we play with great [expletive] detail, and we do that [expletive] together.
“We got a long way to go. Enjoy it now, and we’re back to work. We got a lot to be thankful for.”
The Eagles clinched the division with a win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday night, becoming the first team to win back-to-back NFC East titles in 21 years.
Following the win, the Birds have moved up in most national power rankings. As they prepare to travel to face the Buffalo Bills, here’s where they stand in the latest batch …
Yahoo! Sports: Sixth
The Eagles have moved up one spot in Yahoo! Sports’ power rankings. Two consecutive victories over losing teams still left questions surrounding the team’s offense.
“The Eagles have clinched the division and have almost no chance to get the No. 1 seed in the NFC,” Frank Schwab wrote. “That means the next two weeks can be used for a combination of rest and fixing the ongoing issues with the offense. The offense has looked better lately, with 60 combined points in the last two games, but that came against the Raiders and Commanders. At least the Eagles get a couple of games out of the spotlight before the playoffs start.”
The Eagles trail the No. 5 Chicago Bears and the No. 4 New England Patriots. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks (No. 1) and the Los Angeles Rams (No. 2) continue to battle for the top spot.
The Ringer: Sixth
The Ringer also has the Eagles at the No. 6 spot, two rungs above where they were last week. This week’s summary: “Glimpses of last year’s greatness are still there — when they’re playing against the NFL’s worst teams.”
The outlet had strong words for the Commanders leadership and advocated for the kind of changes that would further shake up the NFC East.
“What exactly is it that head coach Dan Quinn does for this team? It can’t be building a good defense, because his units tend to get worse each year — something that we’ve seen going back to his stint with the Cowboys,“ Diante Lee wrote. ”It can’t be player personnel or development, because GM Adam Peters is the architect of this roster, and Washington’s defensive players don’t seem to be getting markedly better in Quinn’s system.
“And we know that the offense belongs to coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who may find a new head coaching gig this offseason. If the mere absence of quarterback Jayden Daniels can cause this team to crater, then it’s probably time to bring in a new coaching regime.”
The Eagles rank behind the No. 5 New England Patriots and the No. 4 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Seahawks and Rams remain at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.
ESPN: 10th
Despite that 29-18 win over the Commanders, the Eagles have fallen in ESPN’s power rankings — dropping two spots from last week’s No. 8 ranking. As the season comes to a close, ESPN also picked a rookie of the year for the Eagles: Jihaad Campbell.
“Campbell, a first-round pick out of Alabama, has 63 tackles, an interception, two passes defensed and a forced fumble,” Tim McManus wrote. “His playing time decreased when Nakobe Dean (knee) hit his stride around the midway point of the season, but he has maintained a role in coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense and stepped up his production when Dean exited Saturday’s win because of a hamstring injury.”
The Eagles sit behind the Los Angeles Chargers (No. 9), the Chicago Bears (No. 8), and the Buffalo Bills (No. 7). The Seahawks have taken the top spot above the No. 2 Rams.
CBS Sports: 10th
The Eagles’ win over the Commanders was enough to move them up two spots from last week’s No. 12 ranking. The team sits just below the No. 9 Buffalo Bills and No. 8 Houston Texans.
“They have beaten up two bad teams the last two weeks to seemingly right things,” Pete Prisco wrote. “Now they face a tough road game at Buffalo with just seeding on the line since they clinched the NFC East.”
The Seahawks (No. 1) and the Patriots (No. 2) top the list. Meanwhile, the Rams have fallen to the fifth spot, three spots below last week’s power rankings.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley after scoring a rushing touchdown against the Commanders on Saturday.
The Athletic: 11th
The Eagles moved up one spot from last week’s No. 12 ranking, trailing the No. 10 Los Angeles Chargers and No. 9 Houston Texans. One concern The Athletic has with the Eagles is their “lack of offensive consistency.”
“The Eagles have put up impressive numbers since Nick Sirianni said he became more involved in the offense, scoring 31 last week and 29 on Saturday,” Chad Graff and Josh Kendall wrote. “But those performances came against the Raiders and Commanders. Is their offensive turnaround legit or a byproduct of playing bad teams?”
Less than one year removed from winning Super Bowl LIX, former Eagles practice-squad offensive tackle Laekin Vakalahi put his Super Bowl ring up for auction. On Saturday, that ring sold for $124,440 on Heritage Auctions.
The ring was designed by Jason Arasheben, the founder of Jason of Beverly Hills, and features 145 diamonds in the bezel of the ring, paying homage to the team’s 145 playoff points.
The ring also features 18 green stones paying tribute to the team’s 18 victories last season. The top of the ring spells “world champions” in 40 diamonds to represent the 40 points they scored against the Chiefs, and there is a pair of moving wings that open with a push of a button to reveal Nick Sirianni’s motto, “You can’t be great without the greatness of others.”
The auctioned ring features Vakalahi’s last name printed across the side with a custom ring box that features a turntable and LED lighting. The rings were first revealed during a team ceremony on July 18.
The New Zealand native Vakalahi came to the Eagles in 2024 as a member of the NFL’s International Pathway Program (IPP), and spent the Super Bowl season as a member of the practice squad. He was released on Aug. 26, 2025 as a part of the team’s final roster cuts.
The Eagles clinched the NFC East and secured a spot in the playoffs Saturday with a 29-18 win over the Washington Commanders. With two games left in the regular season, the Eagles will face the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday.
From the Birds’ chances this weekend to updates on year-end awards, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks …
Eagles-Bills odds
The last time these teams met was in Week 12 of the 2023 season in a game that saw the Birds pull out a 37-34 overtime win at Lincoln Financial Field.
The 10-5 Birds are the third seed in the NFC behind the No. 1 Seattle Seahawks and the No. 2 Chicago Bears. However, they could claim the second seed if the Bears lose their last two games and the Birds win their last two. Meanwhile, Sunday is a must-win game for the 11-4 Bills to keep their AFC East title hopes alive.
Heading into the Week 17 matchup, the Bills opened as 2.5-point favorites over the NFC East champions.
Josh Allen and the Bills lost to the Eagles in overtime in their last meeting, in 2023.
NFC odds update
At both sportsbooks, the Eagles remain as the team with the third-best odds to win the NFC. They continue to trail the Los Angeles Rams and the Seahawks.
The defending champions have worked their way back into FanDuel’s top three favorites to win the Super Bowl, trailing the Rams and the Seahawks. However, they have fallen outside DraftKings’ top five favorites.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is the betting favorite to win the MVP award.
MVP odds
Closing in on the end of the regular season, the MVP race is between Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye. Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, and Justin Herbert trail both quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts is essentially out of the running.
After a slow start that saw them trail 10-7 at halftime, the Eagles managed to take over in the final 30 minutes — securing a 29-18 win over the Washington Commanders and punching their ticket to the playoffs, becoming the first repeat NFC East champions since 2004.
Now, the 10-5 Eagles will prepare to travel to Highmark Stadium to play the 11-4 Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Most of the discourse surrounding the division champs has been centered on Nick Sirianni’s decision to go for two late in the game, whether the Birds are the best team in the NFC, or if they still have to prove themselves ahead of the postseason.
Here’s what they’re saying about the Birds ahead of their game with the Bills …
Nick Sirianni cited math in his decision to go for two late in the win over the Commanders.
‘I thought it was the wrong call’
One of the biggest storylines centered on Sirianni’s decision to go for two late in the Commanders game to give the Eagles a 19-point lead. At the end of the two-point conversion, a fight broke out between Washington and Philadelphia players, resulting in three ejections.
Former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner reacted to the play call and the aftermath on 94WIP.
“Let me say this,” Joyner said. “I thought it was the wrong call. But, [Sirianni’s] the head coach, he can do what he wants to do. But, isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it amazing that biggest whiners, the biggest criers, are the losers? Shut the [expletive] up and take the L. OK. Because y’all was like dancing around last year like y’all was really going to do something because you knocked our quarterback out, you know, with a cheap shot. That wasn’t bush league?
“Then you bring your [expletive] here in the NFC championship game and you get run out of here. You run out of here like little church mice. You don’t say nothing. Now, all of a sudden you’re chiming in again. Shut the [expletive] up.”
‘The championship runs through Philly’
OnThe Speakeasy podcast, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy and former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho were asked the question: Are the Eagles the best team in the NFC?
“When did we let it go,” McCoy said. “We were the defending champs last year. We were the NFC champs. See, y’all forget a lot, though. I don’t forget. Last year, we won the whole NFC East. Last year we won the whole NFC. Last year we won the whole league, the Super Bowl. Why y’all forgot? Because we had a couple bad games. Because our Super Bowl quarterback had a couple of bad moments. We’re still the Eagles and we still put on a show. And the championship runs through Philly.”
To Acho, Saturday’s game showed the complete package of what the Eagles could be. Jalen Hurts completed 22 of 30 throws for 185 yards with A.J. Brown as his favorite target, and gained 40 rushing yards on seven carries. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley finished with 132 yards on 21 carries to contribute to the team’s 207 total rushing yards.
“I think the Eagles are who we thought they were supposed to be all season,” Acho said. “Saquon [Barkley] really got active today. And then on top of that, A.J. Brown, he finally got active today. … This was maybe one of two or three complete games the Eagles have played all season. … The Eagles checked every single box you could hope and expect that they check.”
After a three-game skid, the Eagles have managed to bounce back with two consecutive wins over the 2-13 Las Vegas Raiders and the 4-11 Commanders, two teams that have struggled throughout the season.
“These games are momentum,” McCoy said. “It’s not about the opponent. It’s about getting us back in that groove. Getting us back with that motivation. Because when we get to the playoffs, we’re going to be rolling baby. … Resumés matter, playoff experience matters. And the way the offense is kind of clicking, the defense is making plays, I’m ready to roll.”
Philadelphia ‘still has a lot to prove’
McCoy and Acho may have faith in the Eagles’ chances in the postseason, but former NFL quarterback Cam Newton may need some more convincing.
“They ain’t close [to reaching their potential],” said Newton on ESPN’s First Take. “They played the league’s worst team and that’s what you’re supposed to do. … I don’t want to hear Saquon Barkley talk about the woes in Philadelphia. If you want to hear something, put the camera in front of A.J. Brown. Because A.J. Brown is going to tell us the truth, the gospel. He was telling us everything we knew and we needed to know in Philadelphia before it even happened. And he was being painted as the villain.
“But if you’re playing against the league’s worst team — a homecoming game, as we obviously know that to be — why would we believe that Philadelphia’s issues are fixed all of a sudden? So, at the end of the day, I’m looking at a dynamic to say hey, I need to see way more people [saying] ‘We don’t believe you, we need more people.’ And in that type of dynamic, Philadelphia is a team that still has a lot to prove, not only to the world but to themselves as well.”
"They ain't close. … Philadelphia is a team that still has a lot to prove not only to the world, but to themselves."@CameronNewton on how close the Eagles are to reaching their potential 👀 pic.twitter.com/VYWyNdDXy9
After beating up on the 2-12 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday to end their three-game skid, the Eagles turn their attention toward the Washington Commanders for a Saturday matchup at Northwest Stadium. Heading into the Week 16 contest, the Eagles (9-5) are early 6.5-point favorites.
Here’s how experts in the local and national media are predicting Saturday’s game …
Inquirer predictions
We start with our own beat writers. Here’s an excerpt from Jeff Neiburg’s prediction …
To see how our other beat writers are predicting this one, check out our full Eagles-Commanders preview here.
National media predictions
Now, here’s a look at how the national media feel about Saturday’s matchup …
ESPN: Eight of nine panelists picked the Birds straight up.
CBS Sports: In a clear sweep, all five experts are picking the Eagles to win.
The Eagles (9-5) will travel to Northwest Stadium on Saturday to face the Washington Commanders in a Week 16 matchup, their first of two contests between the teams in the next three weeks. The teams have not met since the Eagles eliminated the Commanders in last year’s NFC championship game, won by the Eagles, 55-23, at Lincoln Financial Field.
With a win on Saturday, the Eagles will clinch the NFC East — becoming the division’s first repeat champion since 2004. With the division up for grabs, they enter this week as 6.5-point favorites. Meanwhile, the Commanders are coming off their first win in eight weeks, a 29-21 victory over the New York Giants.
As both teams prepare for Saturday, here’s everything the Commanders are saying about the Eagles:
‘This is a really complete team’
Last year both teams became very familiar with each other, playing three times between the regular season and playoffs. Of course, the Eagles came out victorious in two of three contests — splitting their regular season matchups and defeating Washington when it mattered most to secure their spot in the Super Bowl.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn praised the Eagles.
“This is a really complete team,” Quinn told reporters. “Both special teams, ours and theirs, this is going to be a physical game on the team side of things, the way they can cover kicks, the way we can. That field position in this game is going to be big. I thought some playmakers in all spots along the defense. Both linebackers are very good blitzers and active, got an excellent defensive line. I’ve certainly been impressed by the young corners. They’re able to challenge and be aggressive right from the start. So, those are some things, defensively, that I’ve been impressed with.
The Eagles defeated the Commanders in two of their three meetings last season.
“Playing against us last year in the three games, they were exceptional at taking the ball away. I thought that was the biggest deal for us. … And offensively, I thought from a line standpoint, the size, the movement, the pulling, Jeff Stoutland is one of the best there is in the offensive line spot. … I think it’s a good balance of what they have from the run game and the shots down the field with Jalen [Hurts]. Those are kind of the yin and yang of a good offense.”
‘A tough matchup’
Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense continues to be dominant. In last week’s 31-0 win over the Raiders, the defense sacked Kenny Pickett four times and held the offense to 75 total yards. Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury understands the challenge.
“It’s certainly a tough matchup,” Kingsbury told reporters. “They’ve been playing at a super high level, defensively. I think they gave up less than 90 yards last week against Las Vegas. So, it’s going to be a great challenge. They can roll in five, six guys deep that all play at a pretty high level. They can rush the passer, can stop the run. So, you got to be creative in how you attack them and we’ll have our hands full, there’s no doubt.”
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s group has been dominant this season.
The Eagles are competing against another backup quarterback who formerly spent time in Philadelphia: Marcus Mariota. With Jayden Daniels ruled out for the rest of the season, Mariota will be under center for Washington’s last three games.
Mariota played in Philly for one season (2023) as a backup to Jalen Hurts and appeared in three games. Now he’s looking forward to seeing some familiar faces in a divisional matchup against one of his former teams.
“[They have] a great defense, Vic [Fangio] got them playing really well,” Mariota told reporters. “You can talk about every single player on that front and on the back end. They’re great players. Being there for a year and being around those guys, it’ll be fun to play against some of those old friends. I’m looking forward to it. It’s always a great atmosphere to play Philly. It’ll be a fun game on Saturday.”
Children searched the aisles of SNIPES for clothing and picked out their favorite sneakers as 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe provided tips, bagged items behind the cash register, and helped in any way he could.
“If I’m being honest, I told them to grab whatever,” Edgecombe said. “If you have siblings at home who didn’t have the opportunity to do this then think of your siblings. That’s what I told them, just grab whatever.”
On Wednesday evening, the Sixers partnered with SNIPES to provide 10 local kids from the Youth Mentoring Partnership with $500 holiday shopping sprees. Before the festivities started, they were surprised with a special appearance from Edgecombe.
When he walked into the store, he was welcomed with cheers as kids waited to greet him.
“I’m seeing the kids happy and smiling and it means the world to me regardless if they’re my little siblings or not,” Edgecombe said. “Philly is home now and I always try to give back. Give back to the community. Give back to kids, especially, in any way I can. So, it means a lot to me.”
Although Edgecombe struggled to find kids through racks of clothing, the 20-year-old guard eventually spotted them and helped each child fill up their shopping bags with the latest gear and sneakers — from full Von Dutch outfits and fitted hats to new pairs of New Balances.
Growing up in poverty in the Bahamas and relying on a generator for electricity fueled Edgecombe to make a name for himself and provide for his family. Although the Sixers picked him third overall in the 2025 NBA draft, the rookie will never forget his Bahamian roots.
“Me as a kid, I would have been in here grabbing as much things as I can to be honest,” Edgecombe said. “I wouldn’t have cared if it could fit me or not. I guess I’m really blessed just to be in this position just to give back. It means the world to me seeing kids happy.”
VJ Edgecombe with members of the Youth Mentoring Partnership at SNIPES.
Wednesday’s event is just one way Edgecombe is using his platform to provide for others. Being surrounded by teammates who want to continue to help the Philadelphia community — including Tyrese Maxey, who hosted his annual turkey drive in November — has been a big inspiration to the young guard.
“We’re really fortunate to be in certain situations, financially,” Edgecombe said. “It’s important to give back to the community just because you never know what people are going through, daily struggles, you know. Our struggles are different from theirs. And sometimes people wonder about where their next meal is going to come from.”
After three consecutive losses, the Eagles got back on track on Sunday with a dominant 31-0 win at Lincoln Financial Field — their first shutout win since 2018. Of course, it was against the 2-12 Las Vegas Raiders.
During the halftime show on Fox, with the Eagles holding a 17-0 lead, former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski made a comment that basically summarized Las Vegas’ season: When you play the Raiders, it’s like putting Neosporin on your cut. They heal those wounds.
Former Eagles center Jason Kelce agreed with Gronkowski’s comments on the latest episode of New Heights.
“It is true,” Kelce said. “I mean, the level that the fans were at these last couple weeks — and understandable, you know, the Eagles had not been performing well — but then all of a sudden, you play the Raiders, who have won two games this year, I believe, it has a tendency to make you feel good again.
“It’s a great way to put it by Gronk. I think the Eagles are smart enough to know it was a great game but they still got to improve and get better. But so much of playing well in the postseason is feeling good going into it. And the Eagles got some games here that they can feel good about, hopefully.”
Now, after three weeks of struggling, the Eagles may finally be starting to establish an offensive identity just in time for the home stretch, and Kelce is loving it.
“The first series, I’m always watching like, ‘OK, what is this going to be? What’s the plan today? How many runs is this going to be? How much shotgun? How much under center? Like, what’s the flavor?’ And in the first series, I think there were like seven runs or was a quarterback designed run,” Kelce said. “It was clear that they were going to stick with that and try to establish a line of scrimmage, which is something I think they need to continue to do moving forward. And I just liked seeing it. … It’s everything you want to see against not just the Las Vegas Raiders, but what this Eagles team needs to be moving forward.”
Jalen Hurts’ final touchdown pass on Sunday was a strike to wideout A.J. Brown.
In the passing game, Jalen Hurts completed 12 of 15 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns. He also recorded 39 rushing yards on seven carries before he was replaced with Tanner McKee in the fourth quarter. This performance comes a week after the quarterback struggled against the Los Angeles Chargers and threw four interceptions in the overtime loss.
“It was a great bounce-back game for him,” Kelce said. “Obviously, the game before with the turnovers and everything was very uncharacteristic of Jalen Hurts. It’s not who he has been largely in the NFL. But this is what I mean: he’s got 15 attempts, and if he would have played the whole game, it would have been more than that. They did a great job at being a very balanced offense, and that’s what they need to be. … I came away from last week feeling like this offense is showing signs of going in the right direction.”
On the other side of the ball, Vic Fangio’s defense continued to shine, sacking Kenny Pickett four times and holding the Raiders offense to 75 total yards, their lowest total in more than a half century. With Sunday’s game behind them, the Eagles have three games left — two against the 4-10 Washington Commanders, who just shut down starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, and at the 10-4 Buffalo Bills. To clinch a spot in the playoffs, they need just one more win.
“They’re in the driver’s seat,” Kelce said. “They’re probably going to be the No. 3 seed. If they win out, there’s a chance they could be the No. 2 seed. What I would like to see these last three games is continue to pound the rock. Get that run game going. It is going to open up so much more for the offense. And if these guys can go into the playoffs feeling good, feeling confident, working with each other in executing these plays, I think it’s going to help out Jalen a lot more.
“And with the way this defense is playing, this team could be very dangerous in the postseason if they stay true to that formula. So that’s what I’m hoping to see.”
