- What you should know
- The Eagles eked out a 13-12 win against the Buffalo Bills Sunday and remain in the hunt for the NFC’s No. 2 seed. Here is the updated NFL playoff picture and how Monday’s Rams-Falcons game could impact the Birds.
- The inconsistency of the Eagles offense won’t be resolved until the offseason, writes Jeff McLane.
- Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts was silenced in second half, but Jalyx Hunt had a breakout game on defense.
- Eagles just might muddle their way to another Super Bowl, writes columnist David Murphy. Even Skip Bayless thinks the Birds are Super Bowl bound.
- The Eagles will end their season against the Washington Commanders at the Linc on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. The game will air on CBS. Here’s the full Week 18 schedule.
// Timestamp 12/29/25 3:40pm
Nick Sirianni undecided on playing starters vs. Commanders
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was — as expected — noncommittal about whether he will let his starters loose for Sunday’s season finale vs. the Washington Commanders.
“It’s not a decision I have to make today or even tomorrow,” Sirianni said Monday, a day after the Eagles’ 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills kept them alive for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The Eagles need to win, and have Chicago lose vs. Detroit, in order to get the No. 2 seed and a guarantee at a second home playoff game should they win their first. The second seed also presents a more favorable matchup vs. seventh-seeded Green Bay.
“Things are still up in the air as far as seeding goes,” Sirianni said. “It’s pretty similar to where we were last week.”
The Eagles, of course, played their starters Sunday.
“We’ve done it both ways,” Sirianni said. “We’ve had opportunities to rest; we’ve had opportunities to continue to get a better seed and played.
“You go through your process, but every season is a little bit different, every team is a little bit different. We’ll end up doing what we think is best for the team.”
// Timestamp 12/29/25 2:42pm
Watch: Nick Sirianni speaks as playoffs approach
// Timestamp 12/29/25 1:56pm
Despite win, Eagles’ Super Bowl odds drop
The Eagles have fallen to the fourth spot in the race to win the NFC championship, according to both FanDuel and DraftKings. The Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks remain in the top two spots. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers have dethroned the Eagles for the third spot, making it an all NFC West top three.
- Rams: +280
- Seahawks: +290
- 49ers: +440
- Eagles: +450
- Bears: +900
- Packers: +950
- Seahawks: +270
- Rams: +270
- 49ers: +450
- Eagles: +500
- Bears: +900
- Packers: +950
Despite dropping one spot among NFC teams, the Eagles’ odds actually remained the same. The same cannot be said for their Super Bowl odds, which have fallen at both sportsbooks.
At FanDuel, the Birds remain in the top five — sitting below the Denver Broncos and tied with the 49ers. At DraftKings, they’re outside of the top five. The Rams and the Seahawks remain the favorites to win the big game.
- Rams: +490
- Seahawks: +600
- Broncos: +800
- Eagles: +900
- 49ers: +900
- Bills: +1000
- Rams: +475
- Seahawks: +500
- Broncos: +750
- Patriots: +900
- 49ers: +950
- Eagles: +1000
// Timestamp 12/29/25 1:47pm
Eagles stats: Dallas Goedert sets a franchise record, and other notable numbers
The final score in Orchard Park, N.Y., 13-12 Eagles, was an interesting one. It was no Scoragami, though. While Sunday was the first 13-12 game of the 2025 season, it marked the 22nd game in NFL history with a 13-12 final, according to The Football Database.
The Eagles previously won a game by the same score on Oct. 26, 1997 at home vs. Dallas.
While the score may not have been terribly unique, there were some pretty rare numerical occurrences to come from the Eagles’ victory.
Let’s start with the bad stuff (Why not? It’s a dreary Monday).
Here’s a funny one: The Eagles failed to complete a pass in the second half Sunday for the second time this season. Yet, somehow, the Eagles are 2-0 in those games. Hard to believe.
Here’s another one from Eagles numbers guru Deniz Selman: The Bills picked up the last 14 first downs of the game Sunday and still lost. It’s unclear how often that has happened in NFL history, if ever at all. The Eagles ran 17 plays for 17 yards in the second half before Jalen Hurts’ kneeldown.
“Hey,” Hurts said to Nick Sirianni after the game, “a win’s a win.”
The win was the Eagles’ 11th of the season, marking the fourth consecutive season the Eagles have reached 11 or more victories. That’s the second-longest streak in franchise history (they did it five consecutive times from 2000 to 2004).
Here are some other notable numbers from Sunday:
- Sirianni earned his 65th win and moved past Greasy Neale into second place for wins by an Eagles head coach. He trails Andy Reid (140) and has a long way to go.
- According to Elias, only three head coaches in NFL history have produced 11-plus wins in four of their first five seasons with a franchise: Sirianni, Reid, and Tony Dungy.
- Dallas Goedert’s 11th touchdown of the season set a new franchise record for tight end touchdown catches.
- Since Week 13, the Eagles lead the NFL with 20 sacks after they brought Josh Allen down for five on Sunday.
- The Eagles have forced a turnover in eight consecutive games and are tied with Chicago for the longest active streak. It is the longest streak by the Eagles since they forced a turnover in 11 consecutive games in 2022.
- A.J. Brown has a franchise-record fourth consecutive season with 1,000 or more receiving yards. Brown is one of four NFL players with 1,000-plus receiving yards every year since 2022 (Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown).
- Jake Elliott became the second player in franchise history (David Akers) to reach the 1,000-point club.
// Timestamp 12/29/25 1:10pm
How ESPN’s Joe Buck is keeping track of the playoff picture tonight
It’s going to be a wild Week 18, with four divisions up for grabs (NFC West, NFC South, AFC North, AFC South) and both No. 1 seeds undecided.
Over at ESPN, Joe Buck is calling the Monday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons, and shared his messy playoff cheatsheet for tonight’s game:
// Timestamp 12/29/25 1:02pm
‘Going into the playoffs, I like what I see’
The Eagles entered Sunday’s game as slight underdogs after coming off two wins over mediocre teams with losing records: the 2-14 Las Vegas Raiders and the 4-12 Washington Commanders. One of the biggest concerns heading into their Week 17 matchup was how they would the look against a playoff team, one with reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen at quarterback.
After the win, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy admitted that he liked what he saw from the Eagles as they prepare to head into the postseason.
“Everything favored the Buffalo Bills,” McCoy said on The Speakeasy podcast. “Who got dominated though, physically? If you watch the game, turn the volume down and just watch the game, we were beating the [expletive] out of them — physical, up front.
“On offense, I don’t like this though. I don’t like that once we get a lead, a comfortable lead, it’s like we put our foot off the gas. Why? It’s OK we’re blowing people out. It’s OK we’re putting 30 on their head. I think we get so conservative and the only thing [we focus on is] let’s get the win. … I’m happy, I think we can clean that stuff up. But, going into the playoffs, I like what I see.”
// Timestamp 12/29/25 12:05pm
Dallas Goedert at FB?
// Timestamp 12/29/25 11:43am
Tonight’s Rams-Falcons game will help decide Eagles’ first playoff opponent
Which team the Eagles face in the first round of the playoffs will ultimately be decided by what happens in Week 18. But a Los Angeles Rams loss Monday night to the Atlanta Falcons would eliminate the possibility the Eagles will face the Seattle Seahawks first in the postseason.
Here is a breakdown of the Eagles’ potential seeding and wild-card opponents, excluding ties:
- No. 2 Eagles vs. No. 7 Packers: Eagles win vs. Commanders AND Bears loss to the Detroit Lions (8-8)
- No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 Rams: Eagles loss or Bears win AND Rams lose one of their final two games
- No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 49ers: Rams win vs. Cardinals AND Seahawks win vs. 49ers
- No. 3 Eagles vs. No. 6 Seahawks: Eagles loss or Bears win AND Rams win their final two games AND 49ers win vs. Seahawks
The math in the NFC West is pretty easy. The winner of Week 18’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Seahawks Saturday night will end up claiming the NFC West crown and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Rams had an outside chance at claiming the division, but were officially eliminated from contention by the 49ers’ win Sunday night. Now the best Los Angeles can do is the No. 5 seed.
// Timestamp 12/29/25 10:14am
Two wild stats from Eagles-Bills game
The Eagles were one Bills two-point conversion away of blowing a big win in Buffalo Sunday night.
That didn’t happen without some weird stuff occurring. Here are two wild stats from the Eagles’ win:
- Jalen Hurts didn’t complete a pass in the second half: Hurts became the first NFL quarterback since 1978 to go 0-7 or worse in multiple games in a season, according to ESPN Research (the first was the Eagles narrow Week 4 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Amazingly, the Eagles won both games, becoming the first team since the 1987 New England Patriots to win multiple games in a season where they didn’t complete a single second-half pass.
- The Bills got the final 14 first downs in the game and still lost: Flagged by Wharton professor Deniz Selman, the Bills offense dominated the Eagles in the second half, but came away with just 12 points, thanks to a failed two-point conversion and a blocked extra point that ultimately became the difference in the game. The Eagles ran 17 plays in the second half, gaining just 17 yards and punting on all four of their possessions.
// Timestamp 12/29/25 9:15am
Eagles made some ‘mind-boggling calls’ during second-half meltdown
// Pinned
// Timestamp 12/29/25 8:17am
Eagles injury report
- Defensive end Jaelan Phillips left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with what appeared to be a lower leg injury, but quickly returned to the field and ended up playing 87% of the defensive snaps.
- Wide receiver Britain Covey also returned to the field after briefly being knocked out of Sunday’s game during a punt return, when a Bills player accidentally ran into his leg while attempting a fair catch.
- Offensive tackle Lane Johnson (foot) and linebacker Nakobe Dean (hamstring) both sat out Sunday’s game. Johnson hasn’t played since Week 11, but likely won’t be back until the playoffs.
// Timestamp 12/29/25 7:14am
The inconsistency of the Eagles offense won’t be resolved until the offseason
Jalen Hurts sat at his locker stall and nodded as Nick Sirianni spoke. The quarterback listened intently to his coach until he ended the conversation with an adage that summed up the Eagles’ defensive-minded 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“Hey,” Hurts said to a parting Sirianni, “a win’s a win.”
They mostly have defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit to thank. Special teams should get kudos as well. And lastly, they should give gratitude to Bills coach Sean McDermott, who shockingly went for two and the win despite the ineptitude of the Eagles offense in the second half.
The second half was that bad, especially when you consider the Bills’ suspect run defense. The Eagles ran 17 plays and gained just 17 yards before Hurts knelt in the victory formation. They produced one first down. Hurts didn’t complete any of his seven pass attempts.
In the first half, the offense seemed to build off the improvements shown in the previous two games. The offense wasn’t exactly high-powered, but it was effective as the Eagles took a 13-0 lead into halftime. But Sirianni and Patullo seemingly took their foot off the pedal.
“We weren’t in a mode of saying, ‘Hey, 13-0 is enough,” Sirianni said. “Not against this quarterback, not against this offense. And so I don’t think our mindset was ever that. But I got to do a better job there in that scenario. I’ll put that on myself.”
This wasn’t the first time this season that the Eagles have watched a double-digit lead evaporate, or the first time the offense has had disparate halves, or the first time the coach’s conservatism has come under question.
Sirianni can add another victory to a remarkable 43-2 record when the Eagles win the turnover margin during his five years at the helm. The offense didn’t give the ball away once, while the defense forced an Allen fumble.
But Hurts seems to be coached into doing anything to avoid turnovers. He had three throwaways and gave himself up for one sack on his eight drop backs in the second half.
“I don’t think it’s a conservative thing to have good ball security and be mindful that the turnover margin directly correlates with winning,” Hurts said. “That’s a truth of the game, and that’s a well-known fact of what we’ve been able to do and how we’ve been able to play over the last five years collectively.”
// Timestamp 12/29/25 7:10am
NFL playoff picture: Eagles still have a shot at the No. 2 seed
The Eagles (11-5) still have a shot at landing the NFC’s No. 2 seed thanks to the Chicago Bears (11-5) loss to the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) Sunday night.
The math is pretty simple. An Eagles win against the Washington Commanders (4-12) and a Bears loss to the Detroit Lions (8-8) and the Birds would end the season with the No. 2 seed. Otherwise, the Eagles would enter the playoffs at the No. 3 seed.
It might not seem like a big difference from the No. 3 seed, but it would mean hosting at least two playoff games at the Linc if the Eagles win in the wild card round.
It also makes a big difference in who the Eagles would play during the wild card round. If they land the No. 2 seed, they would host the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers (9-6-1).
If the Eagles end up the No. 3 seed, they’d host the No. 6 seed, which could end up being the 49ers, Los Angeles Rams (11-4), or the Seattle Seahawks (13-3).
NFC playoff picture
window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
NFC West scenarios
The math is pretty easy here. The winner of Week 18’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers (12-4) and the Seattle Seahawks (13-3) will end up deciding the NFC West champion and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Rams had an outside chance at claiming the division, but were officially eliminated from contention by the 49ers’ win Sunday night. Now the best Los Angeles can do is the No. 5 seed.
Win-and-you’re-in game for the NFC South, unless…
With both teams losing Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9) and Carolina Panthers (8-8) will face off in Week 18 win-and-you’re-in game for the NFC South title.
The winner will claim the division crown and the NFC’s No. 4 seed, which means they’ll host a game against the No. 5 seed.
That is, unless the Atlanta Falcons (6-9) defeat the Rams Monday night. If that happens, a Falcons and Buccaneers win next week could force a three-way tie at 8-9 atop the NFC South.
In that unlikely case, the first tiebreaker would be head-to-head among the three teams, which the Panthers would win.
// Timestamp 12/29/25 7:07am
Nick Sirianni taunts Bills fans following win
During the 2023 season, an emotional Nick Sirianni taunted Kansas City Chiefs fans following a narrow win by the Eagles.
The move backfired. The Eagles went on to lose five of their next six games in an epic collapse that cost them an NFC East title, followed by an early playoff exit.
That trash-talking Sirianni was back following Sunday’s win against Buffalo, where the Birds head coach offered a similar-sounding taunt aimed at Bills fans.
“There was a lot of talking by those Buffalo fans coming in. Not so much anymore!” Sirianni shouted as he exited the field. “Not so much anymore.”
It’s unclear what Bills fans might’ve said prior to the game to get Sirianni so worked up. The Eagles coach wasn’t asked about the outburst by reporters following the game.
“They got really good fans,” Sirianni said. “Cool to get out of here with a win.”
“Can he just not help himself?” 94.1 WIP host Joe DeCamara asked during his show Monday morning. “I think he’s a great coach. This is an aspect of his thing I could do without.”
Thankfully, there’s no chance of a similar collapse this season. The Eagles have already clinched the NFC East and will likely enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed, meaning they’ll host at least one game at the Linc.
// Timestamp 12/29/25 7:06am
Eagles to face the Commanders Sunday in final game of the season
The Eagles will face the Washington Commanders for the second time in three weeks in their final game of the regular season.
The game will take place on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. and air on CBS, the NFL announced late Sunday night. With both the Eagles and Chicago Bears playing for the No. 2 seed, the NFL opted to schedule both teams concurrently so neither game would be irrelevant at kickoff.
If the Eagles win and the Bears lose to the Detroit Lions, the Birds would end up the No. 2 seed. Otherwise the Eagles will enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
The Commanders will be chippy, especially after the Eagles scored a late touchdown and went for a two-point conversion during their Week 16 game. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn suggested the Eagles were running up the score following the game.
“I can only answer for my side, what I would do,” Quinn told reporters. “Hey man, if that’s how they want to get down, then all good. We’ll play them again in two weeks.”
// Timestamp 12/29/25 7:03am
Full Week 18 schedule
Saturday
- Panthers at Buccaneers: 4:30 p.m., ESPN/ABC
- Seahawks at 49ers: 8 p.m., ESPN/ABC
Sunday
- Saints at Falcons: 1 p.m., Fox
- Browns at Bengals: 1 p.m., CBS
- Colts at Texans: 1 p.m., CBS
- Titans at Jaguars: 1 p.m., Fox
- Packers at Vikings: 1 p.m., CBS
- Cowboys at Giants: 1 p.m., Fox
- Chargers at Broncos: 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Cardinals at Rams: 4:25 p.m., Fox
- Chiefs at Raiders: 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Dolphins at Patriots: 4:25 p.m., Fox
- Lions at Bears: 4:25 p.m., Fox
- Jets at Bills: 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Commanders at Eagles: 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Ravens at Steelers: 8:20 p.m., NBC
// Timestamp 12/29/25 6:59am
Photos from Eagles win against Bills
2025 Eagles schedule
- Week 1: Eagles 24, Cowboys 20
- Week 2: Eagles 20, Chiefs 17
- Week 3: Eagles 33, Rams 26
- Week 4: Eagles 31, Buccaneers 25
- Week 5: Broncos 21, Eagles 17
- Week 6: Giants 34, Eagles 17
- Week 7: Eagles 28, Vikings 22
- Week 8: Eagles 38, Giants 20
- Week 9: Bye week
- Week 10: Eagles 10, Packers 7
- Week 11: Eagles 16, Lions 9
- Week 12: Cowboys 24, Eagles 21
- Week 13: Bears 24, Eagles 15
- Week 14: Chargers 22, Eagles 19
- Week 15: Eagles 31, Raiders 0
- Week 16: Eagles 29, Commanders 18
- Week 17: Eagles 13, Bills 12
- Week 18: Commanders at Eagles, TBD (TBD)
// Timestamp 12/29/25 6:57am
Leave a Reply