As Jihaad Campbell’s playing time decreased, his focus on NFL life off the field remained vigilant.
The rookie first-round pick took a back seat when Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean returned from injury and slid back into his starting role. Dean’s play cut into Campbell’s playing time. By Week 13, his defensive snap count dropped to zero. But off the field, the 21-year-old Campbell kept to a schedule and made “mature decisions,” he said.
He went to bed early, made sure to keep up a normal recovery routine, and watched a lot of film, knowing that at any moment his number could be called for an increased role.
That proverbial tap on the helmet came last Saturday vs. Washington, when Dean went down with a hamstring injury that will keep him out of Sunday’s game in Buffalo and give Campbell his first start in two months. Campbell had six combined tackles in 36 defensive snaps, and two of those tackles were run stops.
Campbell briefly moonlighted at outside linebacker when the Eagles were missing multiple players. He talked last month, after losing his starting inside job, about keeping the right mindset.
“The biggest thing is just staying prepared, not getting down, and just understanding the game plan and what has to happen,” he said in November. “So when it is my time to go in the game, I know exactly what I have to do, when I have to do it, with full confidence.”
The unwavering off-field focus, Campbell said, comes from his upbringing.
“It’s just in me,” the Erial, N.J., native said Wednesday. “It’s been instilled in me ever since I’ve been a young kid. I have a great foundation and support system back home.
“It’s just all about knowing my responsibility, knowing that I have to be accountable for my own actions and what I want to do for my career to come.”
Jihaad Campbell (right) will start this week at linebacker for the injured Nakobe Dean.
Campbell’s first NFL season and all that comes with it seems to be coming at warp speed for the 31st pick in April’s draft.
“I look up now and it’s Week 15, Week 16 of my rookie year,” he said. “It’s moving fast; it’s moving pretty quickly. It’s all about just squeezing the lemon as much as I can in this first year.”
The team awaiting Campbell in his first start since Oct. 26 will test how much juice he’s produced.
Running back James Cook leads the NFL in rushing, and Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks at using his legs. Buffalo has a dynamic running game that allows Allen some opportunities to use his arm, too. Dean was especially impactful against the run and as a blitzer in recent weeks, and the Eagles likely will need the same out of Campbell on Sunday. He has one quarterback hit and zero sacks on the season.
“It’s all about what we do,” Campbell said when asked about the challenge of Allen and the Bills.
While Dean is out, the Eagles will get Jalen Carter back after he missed the previous three games with shoulder injuries. Carter should provide a boost, even in a limited role. But the Eagles have played some of their best defense of the 2025 season in the weeks after Dean returned.
It will be on Campbell to help make sure that level of play continues.
Injury report
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson remained off the practice field Friday and will not play Sunday. Dean also was ruled out.
Landon Dickerson (illness) returned to the practice field Friday and is good to go for Sunday. A.J. Brown also returned to practice after missing time because of a dental procedure. He will play Sunday.
The Eagles also listed rookie offensive tackle Cameron Williams (shoulder/injured reserve) as questionable. His 21-day practice window is open until next week. The Eagles then will need to decide to end his season or sign him to the active roster.
The Bills, meanwhile, are a little banged up. They ruled out defensive tackles Jordan Phillips (ankle) and DaQuan Jones (calf), as well as safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring). A defense susceptible to giving up yards on the ground will be down a few contributors.
Kicker Matt Prater (quad) also is out, while tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are questionable with knee injuries.
Allen was listed as limited with a knee injury on Wednesday and Thursday but was upgraded to a full participant Friday and doesn’t have a game designation entering the weekend. Neither does edge rusher Joey Bosa, who didn’t practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday with a hamstring injury.
On Sunday, the Eagles (10-5) will travel to Highmark Stadium to face the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills (11-4) in a Week 17 matchup. The last time the teams met in 2023 was an overtime thriller won by the Eagles, 37-34, at home.
Now, the Eagles enter Sunday’s game as 1.5-point underdogs as the Bills try to extend their race for the AFC East title. Will the Bills beat the Eagles? Or will the Eagles continue riding high and extend their winning streak to three?
As the teams prepare, here’s what the Bills are saying about the Eagles:
As the Bills’ AFC East title hopes remain alive and the Eagles chase the No. 3 seed, the teams are set to clash in what could be a Super Bowl preview.
Although Josh Allen is coming off a game vs. Cleveland in which he suffered a foot injury, the quarterback is prepared to play Sunday and understands the challenges presented by the Eagles defense.
“Well, they got a lot of studs on that side,” Allen told reporters. “Their front, they get after the quarterback. They’ve got two of the best linebackers in the game. A shutdown corner. They rotate well. Got a safety from Wyoming that’s a stud. They got a lot of dogs on that side of the ball. We got to make sure we have a good week of game planning. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to who executes better on Sunday.”
‘They understand ball’
But, the Eagles defense isn’t the only challenge that the Bills will be presented with. Star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 137 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 29-18 win over the Washington Commanders.
Former Villanova star Christian Benford is having a standout season at corner for the Buffalo Bills.
And although the run game hasn’t been as dominant as last year, when Saquon Barkley eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards, Bills coach Sean McDermott is aware of the threat the Birds’ running game could pose.
“Very talented roster,” McDermott, who grew up just outside of Philly, told reporters. “They’ve done a great job building it in particular with the key positions. Numbers are numbers. And numbers can indicate certain things. But they can also not tell the full story. We know who Saquon is. I mean, he’s a Hall of Fame player. Their offensive line, very talented as well. … It’s a tough unit to stop. And the run game in particular is real. I know what the numbers say, and I’m not buying the numbers.”
In an effort to have a different outcome from the last time they met, the Bills will do everything in their power to limit big plays from the Birds.
“It’s going to take all 11 guys on deck this week,” Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White told reporters. “We got to play the whole field. Be able to cover the whole field. These guys do a great job of exploding the ball each and every direction, through the air, on the run. So we’re going to have to be able to try to limit the big-time plays. This is an explosive offense. It’s going to be on us as a defense to communicate well and play well as a group.”
Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said of the Eagles: “They’ve done a great job building it in particular with the key positions.”
Coming off a win over the Washington Commanders, the Eagles (10-5) will travel to Highmark Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills (11-4) a week after clinching the NFC East. As both teams prepare for the Week 17 matchup, here’s an updated look at the game odds and some interesting player prop bets from two of the biggest sportsbooks …
Eagles vs. Bills updated odds
Two years ago, both teams met in a game that saw the Eagles overcome a 17-7 halftime deficit to seal a 37-34 overtime win over the Bills at Lincoln Financial Field. Entering the week, both the FanDuel and DraftKings sportsbooks had the Eagles listed as 2.5-point underdogs. Since then, the odds have slightly changed.
Jalen Hurts was able to get it done through the air and on his feet in the Eagles’ 29-18 win over the Commanders, completing 22 of 30 throws for 185 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 40 yards on seven carries.
Meanwhile, Josh Allen, who suffered a foot injury in last Sunday’s game against Cleveland, finished the game completing 12 of 19 throws for 130 yards. For Sunday’s game, Hurts’ over/under is set at around 187 passing yards, while Allen’s is set at around 195 yards.
Over the last two games, Hurts has thrown for five touchdowns, including three touchdown passes against the 2-13 Las Vegas Raiders. Meanwhile, Allen has thrown for three touchdowns over the last two games, coming off a game that saw him throw for zero touchdowns against the Browns.
Saquon Barkley finished Saturday’s game with 132 yards on 21 carries and one rushing touchdown. Meanwhile, James Cook rushed for 117 yards on 16 carries in the Bills’ 23-20 win over the Browns.
During the Eagles last matchup, A.J. Brown recorded nine receptions for 95 yards. Meanwhile, DeVonta Smith recorded six receptions for 42 yards and a touchdown. As of now, the sportsbooks have Brown and Smith’s over/under set around 60 and 46 yards, respectively.
For the Bills, Khalil Shakir has recorded fewer than 40 yards in his last three of four games.
In Week 16, Dallas Goedert, Smith, Barkley, and Tank Bigsby found the end zone for the Eagles. For the Bills, Cook found the end zone twice and Ty Johnson added one of his own.
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.
On any given weekday, 30-year-old Adoree’ Jackson still has the look of a college student. After practice, he’s often sporting a University of Southern California sweatshirt, the alma mater that he considered his dream program as a child. He totes a notebook filled with Vic Fangio’s defensive plays to complete his studious uniform.
Jackson didn’t stop learning when his college career ended. It’s a process, even in Year 9 — especially in Year 9 — of his NFL career. After splitting the first eight years of his career with the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants, Jackson arrived in Philadelphia last offseason on a one-year deal to help replace Darius Slay, competing with Kelee Ringo for the vacant starting cornerback role in the Eagles defense.
Everything was new — new system, new terminology, new coordinator. Jackson’s transition wasn’t seamless, as evidenced by his shaky showing in the home opener against Dallas Cowboys All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb. But his persistence and his smile never wavered.
“To be able to go through the offseason, learning, keeping my head down, just trying to be consistent and get better and get better and understand that it would take time, didn’t know how long it would take,” Jackson, the Titans’ first-round pick in 2017, said. “But just being persistent and not giving up and not wavering in my faith.
Eagles cornerback Adoree’ Jackson had his issues covering CeeDee Lamb in Week 1.
“Sometimes I just think that the Lord maybe wanted to see that I want it as much as I said I did. As much as I prayed for. And if I was going to continue to put the work behind it, because when there’s a storm coming, it’s got to end.”
The storm isn’t so relentless now. Jackson weathered it, rebounding from a groin injury in late September that gave Ringo an opportunity to start in his place. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound cornerback won his job back a few weeks later, then suffered a concussion that sidelined him for another game.
Injuries weren’t his only threats. Howie Roseman attempted to add competition, acquiring Jakorian Bennett from the Las Vegas Raiders in training camp and Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens at the trade deadline. Still, Fangio turned to Jackson at the bye week and hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve personally been rooting for him all year to play [well,]” Fangio said earlier this month. “He’s had his ups and downs, like a lot of us. Hopefully, he can stay on the track that he is, but I don’t think it’s any magical thing [that led to his improvement]. It’s just a process [of] getting comfortable and getting confident.”
Jackson’s confidence is showing. His play in the second half of the season — while far from flawless — has stabilized, peaking with his interception and pair of pass breakups against the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this month. His positive attitude, though, never changed.
“I’m so used to being uncomfortable with something just very unexpected happening,” Jackson said. “But just keeping my faith and what I was taught and how I was raised helped me prepare to keep me going forward.”
Long before he became the senior member of the Eagles’ defensive backs room, Jackson considered himself an old soul.
Jackson hails from Belleville, Ill., a suburb of St. Louis, where his dream of becoming a pro athlete was born. Jackson told his mother, Vianca, that he was bound for the NBA after watching Space Jam at age 4. The dream felt attainable as he practiced Michael Jordan’s game-winning dunk over his parents’ bed.
That aspiration evolved. Jackson played sports year-round as a child, from basketball to soccer to track to football. He moved to California to live with his older sister, Lekisch Williams-Keene, ahead of his sophomore year of high school, in pursuit of better athletic and educational opportunities. He found such opportunities at Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, about 15 miles south of Los Angeles.
“I think it helped me grow up a lot faster,” Jackson said. “It made me, I guess, prepared to be independent and in college. And also that fear of going back home motivated me to want to be something more than maybe I’d seen or what people assumed was going [to happen] for me.
“I think that was the biggest thing for me, just staying motivated. I didn’t want to let my family down.”
Adoree’ Jackson reunited with his high school football coach, Scott Altenberg, at the Eagles’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8.
Scott Altenberg, Serra’s football coach, never sensed that kind of pressure on Jackson. Rather, he picked up on two other qualities about his newest player on the first day of practice with the junior varsity team.
For one, Jackson wasn’t long for the JV squad. He wasn’t the biggest player, Altenberg said, but he was the “Road Runner-type guy,” capable of running around and covering receivers effortlessly.
Jackson also had a “glow” to him, according to Altenberg. He seemed to have more fun on the football field than anybody else. He set the tone for his teammates, dancing between plays, then dialing in on his assignment at the snap of the ball. Even opposing teams took notice of Jackson’s blend of prowess and personality.
“He would wear the grill and do different things that would look like he was kind of one of those look-at-me guys,” Altenberg said. “But he did it in a way that the opponents, like, he was very respectful about it. It was the strangest thing. I’d never seen it before or since. He would kill them the whole game, and then they would take pictures with them afterward, the opponents.”
His glow never dimmed, no matter the circumstance. In his senior season, Jackson hurt his ankle in the playoffs. He played on his bad ankle through the state final. After every play, Altenberg watched as Jackson would limp, reset himself, make a play, then do it again.
In the state final, Jackson had a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 93-yard kickoff for a touchdown, despite his nagging ankle injury.
“When things don’t go his way, he’s able to recompartmentalize it and then get back going,” Altenberg said. “He’s always been like that.”
Adoree’ Jackson joined the Eagles this offseason after splitting time with the Titans and Giants over eight seasons.
Jackson takes after his mother, he says. He acknowledged that they tend to keep their struggles to themselves. In the spring of 2015, Vianca was diagnosed with breast cancer. She didn’t share her diagnosis with her son until she was pronounced cancer-free in the winter that year.
But Jackson said his father, Christopher, told him and that he knew about her illness throughout his sophomore year at USC. The uncertainty surrounding her health made him uneasy. At age 15, Jackson had lost one of his closest friends, Jeremiah Radford, to cancer.
Even though Jackson wasn’t by Vianca’s side as she went through treatment, he admired her strength from afar. Her resilience and positivity still inspire Jackson.
“We think we’re strong playing football and doing different things and our bodies getting beat up, but [strength is] to have eternal and spiritual warfare and figuring out how you’re going to get through it, and not really trying to tell and keep a secret, and to come out on top and to thrive after what all you’re going through,” Jackson said.
Altenberg still will give Jackson the occasional call just to receive a dose of the positivity he cherished daily during Jackson’s high school years.
Jackson exudes it, even when his on-field performance slips. Early this season, when opposing quarterbacks were picking on Jackson, Altenberg sent him a text to lend his support. The cornerback responded with a sense of determination familiar to his high school coach.
“He just was like, ‘I got this,’” Altenberg said. “‘I’m working on it, Coach. I’ll get there.’ And he just had that positive attitude. I was like, ‘OK.’ It’s hard not to be successful when you look for the positive and you work for the positive.”
Cooper DeJean saw that work firsthand. The second-year defensive back said Jackson can keep the atmosphere in the room light, just like Slay did last season, while learning alongside his younger teammates.
Adoree’ Jackson’s teammates have remarked the corner’s ability to remain even-keeled amid the peaks and valleys of the season.
“He’s been the same person every single day, whether he’s playing well or if he’s had some downs throughout the year,” DeJean said. “He’s been the same guy. Every single day, he comes in and he works, and you can see that starting to show out on the field, I think. You’ve seen the past few weeks, the way he’s playing out on the field. Playing at a really high level. And he just continued to get better each and every week.”
Ringo, who had been vying for the starting outside cornerback role with Jackson early in the season, has a deep sense of appreciation for the veteran, too. Jackson is always willing to lend his perspective and experience to younger players in the room. While he’s competed with Jackson this season, he says he harbors no resentment toward him.
“Relationships are beyond football,” Ringo said. “Nothing out there on the field would affect a good relationship. We all have that good, dynamic relationship within each other, and it’s nothing but love, regardless of what that is.”
That gratitude — for everything — is mutual. Even in the aftermath of the Week 1 game against Dallas, Jackson stood at his stall in the NovaCare Complex and insisted that he wasn’t discouraged. He said he was excited that every week provides another chance to improve and build confidence in practice and on game day.
He had that mentality when he wasn’t the starter, too. When Ringo briefly took over in early October, Jackson said he had learned to be content with his role, no matter how big or small. He had cultivated that attitude over the course of his career. He was a starter for seven seasons until his final year with the Giants.
Adoree’ Jackson (22) was a known figure to the Eagles via his work as a Giants starter.
His sense of appreciation for every opportunity, Jackson said, also comes from his mother.
“She used to always tell me, ’The Lord can give it to me and he can also take it away,’” Jackson said. “It’s easy to praise the Lord when everything is going great, but how easy is it when things are not going your way? Or you seem like you’re in a turmoil.
“I think just my mom, she did a great job as a kid of instilling faith in me, belief, but also humility and being humble and understanding that we are all human beings and we have to be grateful for what we have because it can be something as small as blinking, breathing, seeing, touching, tasting that you might take for granted, and the next person doesn’t have it.”
Bigger tests await in two weeks, when Jackson is slated to suit up for his first playoff game since the 2022 season and just his ninth total. Beyond that lies uncertainty — over the Eagles’ chances at a Super Bowl repeat and Jackson’s next contract.
But his youthful energy, willingness to learn, and unyielding sense of gratitude seem unlikely to change, no matter what the future holds for Jackson.
“He loves where he is right now, always,” Altenberg said. “And I think that we could all benefit from that.”
Sunday’s game between the Eagles and Buffalo Bills, premier teams in their conferences, could ultimately serve as a Super Bowl preview and a much-needed measuring stick before the teams prepare for the playoffs.
The Eagles and Bills are coming off wins over teams without playoff aspirations, and both are on the upswing after midseason lulls. Playoff seeding will be on the line as the Eagles chase the No. 3 seed and the Bills chase the Patriots in the AFC East race.
From Buffalo’s two-headed rushing attack of Josh Allen and James Cook to a shaky run defense, here is what the film says about Sunday’s Week 17 matchup (4:25 p.m., Fox29):
How the Bills forged the NFL’s best rushing attack
Cook has been lethal all season, particularly between the tackles. He leads the NFL in rushing with 1,532 yards, with more than half coming between the tackles (853 yards), according to Next Gen Stats.
The Bills do their most damage in the run game from under center. Over 1,300 of Cook’s 1,532 rushing yards have come from under center, and the Eagles allow the fifth-most rushing yards (73 yards) per game from those alignments. The Birds, though, have a minus-0.11 expected points added against under-center runs, which ranks ninth in the NFL.
The defensive plan for the #Eagles starts with slowing down #Bills RB James Cook, the NFL's leading rusher. This tight end and FB counter (HF) play has been their bread and butter run scheme, though Buffalo has a scheme diverse run game, and run IZ, OZ, power, counter, and duo. pic.twitter.com/AxAI8dmRHH
Buffalo has a diverse run game, but Cook is particularly dominant on counter runs that pull fullback Reggie Gilliam and tight end Jackson Hawes across the formation. Cook scored a 64-yard touchdown against Carolina on a counter run and scored from 45 and 44 yards out against the Texans and Browns, respectively.
In addition to counter runs, Cook also thrives finding cutback lanes on zone runs, making defenses pay if they overpursue the running back on the back side. His vision and acceleration in the hole allow him to weave through defenses. Cook has recorded 1,034 of his 1,532 yards after contact.
#Bills RB James Cook is such a slippery runner between the tackles, and consistently finds cutback lanes on inside and outside zone runs. #Eagles can't over pursue him on the backside, or he can make them pay. 1,034 of his 1,532 rushing yards have come after contact. pic.twitter.com/r0SvdeoviZ
Buffalo also likes to get Cook on the perimeter on toss plays, and its offensive line does a nice job of paving lanes for him to create explosive runs.
#Bills RB James Cook has also been effective on outside toss plays as well, as part of Buffalo's diverse running game that leads the NFL in rushing yards per game (158.9 yards). pic.twitter.com/gNK8lPzxGQ
If Cook has one weakness, it’s fumbling the ball. He has coughed it up six times but has just lost three. His three fumbles lost this season are tied for the most among qualified running backs, according to Next Gen Stats.
Allen, meanwhile, leads quarterbacks in rushing yards (552) and rushing touchdowns (12). He is particularly dangerous when he can escape the pocket on throwing downs. Of Allen’s 16 runs that have gone for 10 or more yards, five have come from the quarterback scrambling for third-down conversions, according to Next Gen Stats, and he has converted seven third-downs by scrambling.
One of the things the #Eagles defense has struggled with is defending QB scrambles, and #Bills QB Josh Allen is one of the best at extending plays with his legs and feet. He has 7 scrambles for first downs on third down, and they use him plenty in designed QB runs as well. pic.twitter.com/0FzZLQLEfq
The Bills quarterback has became the go-to short-yardage player on quarterback sneaks and designed runs. If it is third-and-short, more than a yard, the Bills will utilize Allen on zone read runs or motion into an empty formation and follow a pulling linemen on a downhill quarterback run.
On 3rd-and-short plays (excluding 3rd-and-1 sneaks), the #Bills like to use Josh Allen on designed QB runs, usually out of empty sets or utilizing the RB as a decoy to allow Allen to follow a pulling center or tackle. The frequency increases near the goal line. pic.twitter.com/DTWaIA7EGn
The same can be said about utilizing Allen’s legs in the red zone. Allen will carry the ball on similar designed quarterback runs, like a draw, counter, and power scheme runs. Even the threat of Allen running can draw extra defenders into the box inside the red zone, allowing space for Buffalo’s receivers to make plays.
Inside the 10 yard line is where #Bills QB Josh Allen is really dangerous in the run game, especially on designed QB runs. Scored twice on a QB sweep against the Bucs and on a QB draw with the RB leading against the Steelers. pic.twitter.com/NX0ANEqyHG
Poor run defense and tackling is Bills’ Achilles’ heel
While Buffalo’s rushing offense is elite, the Bills defense is allowing the fourth-most rushing yards per game this season (144.3 yards) and gives up the most yards per rush after contact in the NFL (4.1 yards), according to Next Gen Stats. They have allowed 63 runs of 10 or more yards, and nearly 60% of their opponents’ rushing production has come outside of the tackles. The Bills have also allowed 5.4 yards per rush per play, second-most in the NFL.
Early-down runs have been a killer for Buffalo, which is allowing the fourth-most rushing yards on first down — 34 of the 63 runs that have gone for 10 or more yards have come on that down, according to Next Gen Stats.
From under-center alignments, gap scheme runs and outside toss/zone runs have hurt the #Bills run defense. Of the rushing production allowed this season, over 57% has come outside the tackles, per @NextGenStats. pic.twitter.com/HN6qmA0b9t
In addition to the run-game struggles, Buffalo’s defense allows the most rushing yards from pistol formation runs (36.5 yards per game), according to Next Gen Stats, and a large chunk of those yards have come on outside zone and counter scheme runs.
The Eagles deviated from pistol formation runs after their first meeting with the Giants earlier this season, and have used them sparingly since the bye week. The only pistol run during their Week 16 win over the Commanders resulted in a 12-yard gain by Tank Bigsby to close out the game, and the Birds used the formation five times against the Raiders, four of which came with the game already decided in the fourth quarter of their shutout win.
The #Bills allow the third-most rushing yards per game in the NFL, and allow the most rushing yards from pistol formations (36.5 yards). The #Eagles have gone away from pistol runs after using the formation against the Lions with some success, but could add in some wrinkles this… pic.twitter.com/avS5EtMk2H
Only five times this season have the Eagles posted a positive rushing EPA. Three of them came in the first three weeks, and the other two were Week 8 against the Giants and Week 16 against the Commanders, according to Next Gen Stats. But Saquon Barkley has rushed for 100 yards or more in two of his past three games, with one trend starting to materialize.
Barkley has had four games with positive EPA on under-center runs: the Chiefs in Week 3, the Giants in Week 8, the Chargers in Week 14, and the Commanders last week. Yards after contact accounted for 117 of Barkley’s 132 yards, and the same trend carried over from the Raiders game: 75 of his 78 rushing yards were after contact vs. Las Vegas.
No clip more clearly shows the impact of the QB in the run game. The right of screen DT, DE, and LB are all taken out of the play by Jalen Hurts and then Saquon Barkley does the rest. What a run! pic.twitter.com/lt5Ulp1vQT
The Eagles are finding a formula in the run game and need to keep riding it against a struggling Buffalo defense.
X-factor: Shutting down Shakir and screen game
The passing game for Buffalo has been inconsistent, but one constant has been wide receiver Khalil Shakir, who leads the team in receptions (66) and yards (684).
As an extension of their run game and to take advantage of his elusiveness, the Bills get the ball into Shakir’s hands quickly on swing routes and screen passes. It forces defensive backs to come up and make tackles, while also challenging off coverage looks.
Of the #Bills wide receivers, the #Eagles should be most concerned with Khalil Shakir, who they move all over the formation and try to get the ball to in space. Swing passes, screens, orbit motion, and tunnel screens are all part of the Bills' offense to get Shakir the ball. pic.twitter.com/FkUJ6iKV3J
Of Shakir’s 684 receiving yards, 506 have come after the catch, according to Next Gen Stats. The bread and butter play for Buffalo’s passing game is mesh, which usually has one or two players running shallow crossing routes.
Shakir often is asked to run those routes in the offense, especially on third-and-medium distances. He’s also effective in making the first defender miss and forces missed tackles similar to a running back in space.
Khalil Shakir is the #Bills' leading receiver this season, and 506 of his 684 receiving yards have come after the catch, even though his average depth of target is 3.8 yards. Very dangerous after the catch and Josh Allen loves hitting him on shallow crossing routes on mesh… pic.twitter.com/jnbagRexa9
Cooper DeJean and Adoree’ Jackson likely will be tested in those situations to get Shakir to the ground. If Shakir is forcing missed tackles and turning 5-yard gains into 10 yards or more, it could be a long day for the Eagles’ secondary.
I had these teams as my preseason Super Bowl matchup, and I still think Sunday afternoon could be a Super Bowl preview. There are a bunch of flawed teams preparing to battle it out in what seems to be a wide-open NFL playoffs.
These two teams are among the flawed, but they’re also pretty good.
Great offense and average defense (Bills) vs. great defense and average offense (Eagles). Who has the edge? I’m leaning Eagles.
The running game is showing signs of life, and the Bills have been dreadful against the run. They allow 144.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks 29th in the league. They are much better against the pass (167.1 yards, second), but the Eagles should give them trouble with an improving, balanced attack. The offense has looked much better — even if it struggled to finish drives last week — over the last two games, but the Bills present a step up in competition.
Allen should find it difficult to find open receivers given the quality of the Eagles’ secondary vs. the Bills’ receivers. But Buffalo does a great job protecting Allen. The Bills’ pressure rate allowed of 29.7% ranks sixth in the league. More time for Allen means more time for him to freelance and make plays, and there aren’t many better than him.
The Eagles have struggled this year against quarterbacks who run, but they kept Marcus Mariota in check before he left the game in the second half.
It’s a tough one to predict in what essentially is a coin-flip game. But I think the Eagles find a way to win.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Bills 23
Bills running back James Cook (right) is the NFL’s leading rusher.
The key to an Eagles win starts in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
James Cook is the league’s top rusher at 1,532 yards on the season. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio lauded Cook for his elusiveness as a runner and touted his speed once he gets into the open field. This is going to be the Eagles run defense’s biggest test since the Bears game, but they’ve been pretty sound on the ground since then.
Cook isn’t the only challenge on the ground. Allen is capable of using his legs to extend plays and executing designed runs (especially in the low red zone).
The prospect of getting Jalen Carter back could be a big boost to the defensive line. The group has already been playing at a high level over the last few weeks, especially Jordan Davis and Brandon Graham. It will be interesting to see if Fangio continues to utilize Graham at defensive tackle upon Carter’s return.
On the other side, the Eagles offense has done a better job of marrying the run with the pass in recent weeks. They must establish the run game against the Bills, a prospect that ought to be attainable.
While the Bills boast one of the best pass defenses in the league, their run defense is suspect, conceding 5.4 yards per attempt (the second-most in the NFL).
Buffalo is a tough place to play. The Bills are a good team with a great quarterback, who may be limited by a foot injury on Sunday. I’m not fully convinced that the Bills are a great team, especially given their strength of schedule this season.
The Chicago Bears game was a breaking point for Jalen Carter.
His shoulders had bothered him since training camp, and on the day the Eagles’ defense was gashed for 281 rushing yards in a Black Friday blackout, Carter’s deficiencies showed on the film, he said. The Eagles even took him off the field on early downs.
There’s a lot of hand-to-hand combat that happens at the line of scrimmage, and Carter couldn’t strike and use his hands the way he usually does. He didn’t have the strength in part because the shoulder pain and mobility limitations made it so that he couldn’t lift weights. Even pushups were painful.
Carter said Wednesday that he got multiple shots in both shoulders. He feels a lot better now, but the procedures may have been temporary fixes. Carter said he probably won’t feel 100% during the upcoming playoff run and will likely have to revisit the injuries in the offseason.
Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter shown against the Detroit Lions on Nov. 20.
“I can’t get too excited because I’m still working on it every day, still getting the strength back,” he said.
Carter is in line to make his return Sunday vs. the Buffalo Bills after missing the previous three games. Carter said he wanted to play every snap, but the Eagles will likely work him back slowly. While conditioning was an issue earlier in the season, Carter said he was able to run and lift and feels like his conditioning won’t slow him down.
Carter practiced Tuesday in some capacity, though the Eagles weren’t required to give an injury report. Carter was listed as a full participant Wednesday. He said he can feel the difference in practice during practice periods against offensive linemen.
The Eagles’ defensive front has played well in Carter’s absence. Carter loved watching Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, and even Brandon Graham — who moved to the interior with Carter out — help the Eagles go 2-1 over the last three games. But he wanted to be out there.
“You want to get out there but you can’t rush the process and hurt it even more,” he said.
The Eagles barely missed Carter vs. Las Vegas and Washington, but the team waiting for him Sunday in western New York is a different challenge with one of the better quarterback-running back combinations in the NFL.
Carter and Bills running back James Cook overlapped at Georgia. And Josh Allen is a “dog,” Carter said.
“I remember when we played them two years ago and I missed a sack on him,” he said. “We got to get that back.”
Injury report
Lane Johnson (foot) remained out during practice Wednesday, as did Nakobe Dean (hamstring).
Landon Dickerson (illness) also missed Wednesday’s workout, as did A.J. Brown, who had a dental procedure.
For a long time when it came to sports, Buffalo was Diet Philadelphia. Similar, but with a little less. A smaller city, yes. Half as many major pro franchises, yes. But those teams — the Bills in the NFL, the Sabres in the NHL — have always occupied an outsized importance within the culture of the region. They mattered to the people of Buffalo as much or more than the Eagles, the Phillies, the Sixers, and the Flyers mattered to the people of Philadelphia.
Oh, and there was one other common thread for decades: None of those teams ever won a championship.
Not ever ever, but close enough. The Bills won back-to-back titles in the American Football League in 1964 and ’65, and Philadelphia had that wonderful 10-year stretch, from 1973-83, when the Flyers won two Stanley Cups, the Phillies won a World Series, the Eagles reached a Super Bowl, and the Sixers won an NBA championship. But for 25 years — until the Phillies won the 2008 World Series — then another nine-plus, the towns could bond through being blue-collar bridesmaids.
Eagles fans cheer after the win against the hapless Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field on Dec. 14.
Recently, though, the Eagles have altered that dynamic. They won a Super Bowl in 2018, then another earlier this year, and as they prepare to face the Bills this Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., they have quelled much of the anger and anxiety that once characterized Philadelphia sports fandom. It might not seem that way, with the attention paid to Jalen Hurts’ play and the worry over the Eagles’ chance to repeat as league champs, but it’s true. The atmosphere was much worse during the Buddy Ryan and Andy Reid eras.
For Buffalo, though, there has been no great expulsion of joy and relief. In their 55 years of existence, the Sabres have never won a Stanley Cup and have reached the Final just twice, losing to the Flyers in 1975 and to the Dallas Stars (on Brett Hull’s disputed triple-overtime goal) in 1999. What’s arguably worse, for a city that loves hockey as much or more than any in the United States, is that the Sabres haven’t even qualified for the playoffs since 2011 and haven’t won a postseason series since 2007, when one of their best players was Danny Brière, now the Flyers’ general manager.
Steve Watson, a friend and former classmate of mine, has lived in the Buffalo region for most of his life. His son, Eli, is 12. Eli has never seen a Sabres playoff game.
“It’s sad,” Watson, 50, who has been a reporter for the Buffalo News since 2001, said by phone Tuesday. “When the Sabres are good, and they have been good for a lot of their history, you see the little flags people put on their cars. We embrace the team, but they’re losing this current fan generation. They took a great hockey town and tarnished it.”
The situation with the Bills has, if possible, been even more painful, for all their near misses. Even a casual football fan is familiar with the Bills’ four consecutive Super Bowl losses from 1991 to 1994 and all the tragic heroes from that period — Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Frank Reich — and the comeback from 35-3 against the Houston Oilers, Scott Norwood and wide right against the New York Giants. But the aftermath has been just as rough.
A Bills fan sits among snow-covered seats before the start a wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 15, 2024.
The Bills went 17 years, from 2000 through 2016, without making the playoffs. Now they have Josh Allen, who was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player last season, who is regarded as the second- or third-best quarterback in the league at worst, and who has led the Bills to the postseason for seven straight seasons … and to no Super Bowls. Either Patrick Mahomes or Joe Burrow has been in their way, or they’ve had a bad day at the worst time and squandered home-field advantage, or they’ve stood under a ladder staring at a broken mirror while a clowder of black cats strutted past them. They’re 11-4 this season, and Allen has again been outstanding, but now their intradivisional nemeses, the New England Patriots, are back atop the AFC East after a few years of mediocrity. The cycle seems without end.
This excruciating history wouldn’t generate much sympathy from anyone, let alone from Philly’s famously competitive and insecure sports fans (“Oh, you think you’ve had it rough? Lemme tell ya about the night Joe Carter …”), if we were talking about an area of the country whose lifers didn’t care so much. But that ain’t Buffalo. The people there bleed for their teams just like everyone down here does. After all, sports is their only salvation from spending three-quarters of the year with snowshoes strapped to their feet.
“It’s up there with chicken wings,” Watson said. “It’s up there with our lovely weather. It’s our identity. We are blue collar. We are the city of good neighbors. And we’re a big sports town. I used to write more obituaries for the News, and it was always painful for me to write, ‘Lifelong Bills fan … Lifelong Sabres fan.’ They never got that payoff for their years of suffering.”
Look, if you’re an Eagles fan, you don’t have to root for the Bills — certainly not on Sunday, certainly not if the two teams end up facing each other at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8. In many regards, though, you and those fans near Niagara Falls were kindred spirits for years. So if and when the Eagles do bow out of the playoffs, and if Buffalo’s hopes for a Super Bowl victory are still alive, send some good thoughts toward western New York. They’re still waiting for their moment in the warm sun up there, and Lord knows they’ve already suffered enough.
The Eagles travel to Western New York to face the Buffalo Bills in one of the marquee matchups of the Week 17 NFL slate.
A Super Bowl preview? That seemed far-fetched a few weeks ago, but both teams are playing better football. The Bills (11-4) have won four consecutive games, and the Eagles (10-5) snapped a three-game skid with consecutive wins over the Raiders and Commanders.
A big step up in competition awaits the Birds at Highmark Stadium.
Here’s a look at some numbers and trends that could factor into the result on Sunday (4:25 p.m., Fox 29).
63
Jordan Mailata described Saquon Barkley’s 12-yard touchdown Saturday as an “angry run.” It was one of Barkley’s highlights from a 2025 season that has not been easy. But Barkley broke out Saturday for 132 yards on 21 rushing attempts.
Barkley broke six tackles and accumulated 63 yards after missed tackles, a season high, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. Barkley was at his best running to the left side with Mailata leading the way. According to Next Gen, Barkley picked up a season-high 101 yards (7.8 yards per carry) and a touchdown on 13 carries to the left side of the formation.
That makes sense. The left side of the offensive line features Mailata and Landon Dickerson, while the right side features backup tackle Fred Johnson and Tyler Steen, who has not had a great run-blocking season. Lane Johnson, however, could make his return at right tackle this week.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley runs for a touchdown past Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu on Saturday.
Barkley’s breakout game and his breaking free of tacklers came at a great time, because the Bills allow an NFL-high 4.1 yards after contact per carry. The next-closest team, Atlanta, is at 3.7.
Buffalo is on the lower end of the scale at a 20.7% usage rate of stacked boxes. Expect the Bills to raise that rate on Sunday in an effort to stop the Eagles’ running game.
For as much criticism as the Eagles’ offensive line has gotten for not making enough holes for Barkley, the unit has protected Jalen Hurts pretty well, especially in recent weeks.
On Saturday, Hurts was pressured on just four of his 37 drop backs, according to Next Gen, and the 10.8% pressure rate represented the lowest of Hurts’ career. The consistently clean pocket probably made it even more frustrating for the Eagles that they didn’t pull away on the scoreboard until late in the game.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts passes during the first quarter Saturday in Landover, Md.
The Bills have a dangerous set of pass rushers, headlined by Greg Rousseau, who leads Buffalo with 48 pressures and 6½ sacks. He dominated during Buffalo’s win over Cleveland to the tune of nine pressures and 2½ sacks on 28 pass rushes. But a lot of his success came against Cam Robinson, who is a weaker left tackle.
Mailata has a tough matchup, but it’s winnable.
The Bills aren’t world-beaters getting after quarterbacks. They’re 12th in the NFL with a pressure rate of 35.3%.
45.25
Before Marcus Mariota left the game with an injury, the Eagles, who entered Week 16 allowing the second-highest rushing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks, did a wonderful job containing him. The Commanders’ backup quarterback rushed just one time for a loss of 1 yard before exiting the game after Washington’s first drive of the second half.
Josh Allen, however, will provide another test to see if the Eagles have solved their issues with opposing quarterbacks hurting them on the ground with scrambles and designed runs.
The Eagles will have their hands full with the rushing prowess of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The Eagles have advantages with their defensive backs vs. Buffalo’s receivers. They have winnable matchups along the defensive front. But Allen’s ability to freelance and use his legs to extend plays is an unpredictable part of Sunday’s game.
During Buffalo’s four-game winning streak, Allen is averaging 45.25 rushing yards and has two rushing scores. The Eagles will need to plan accordingly.
Here comes the NFL’s leading rusher, James Cook, who has run for 1,532 yards through 15 games this season, the only player in the NFL averaging more than 100 yards per contest.
Getting to Cook early has to be a key for the Eagles. Entering last week, Cook had generated the fourth-best yards before contact on a per-carry basis in the NFL, according to Next Gen, and ranked 13th in yards per carry after contact.
Buffalo running back James Cook leads the NFL in rushing yards heading into Week 17.
The Eagles have been up and down against the run, but if Jalen Carter returns, they should have the power in the interior to slow Cook down.
The Bills love running him on the inside, and do so at a rate of 58.2%. It will be extra important for the Eagles’ outside linebackers and rushers to set the edge and not let Cook get loose, too.
11.1%
The Eagles’ chances of getting the No. 2 seed in the NFC — according to the thousands of simulations FTN Fantasy runs — actually increased overnight. That’s probably because of San Francisco’s convincing win and the likelihood that the 49ers beat the Bears has increased.
The Eagles are now at 11.1% to get the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The simplest path to a guaranteed second home game in the playoffs would be for the Eagles to win out and the Bears to lose out. After the 49ers, Chicago plays Detroit.
