Getty Eagles rookie Miles Sanders helped seal a season-saving win with a huge 65-yard touchdown run.
Only time will tell if Sunday’s 31-13 win saved the Eagles’ season. On the surface, it sure looks like it did.
Carson Wentz and company were far from perfect, lapsing into the same mental mistakes that doomed them through the first seven weeks on many occasions. But the Eagles dug deep and pulled out a much-needed victory despite everything going on around them.
Wentz led by example as evidenced on two big scrambling third-down runs that netted first downs in the fourth quarter. Those important conversions led to a touchdown that iced the game for good.
The Eagles get a home date with the struggling Chicago Bears next. So, yes, the sky is very much not falling in Philly any longer. The team is expected to be big-time buyers at the trade deadline — and the fan base has been invigorated. Happy Monday!
Eagles 31, Bills 13: What Went Right in Season-Saving Win
Having fun & getting a W! Shout out to #EaglesNation for showing out on the road again! #FlyEaglesFly #PaveTheLane
Thunder & Lightning Only Happens When It’s Raining
That’s right, the Eagles channeled their inner Fleetwood Mac and thundered it down the Bills’ throats on a rainy, windy day in Buffalo. The one-two punch of Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders, aka Thunder and Lightning, finally dictated the tempo. Head coach Doug Pederson never abandoned the ground game even when the Eagles got behind 7-3 early in the first half.
Howard rumbled for 96 yards on 23 carries — 4.17 yards per carry — while Sanders chipped in with another 74 yards, including hitting a home run on a 65-yard touchdown jaunt. Philadelphia finished the day with 218 rushing yards. The only negative was Sanders leaving the game with an injured shoulder.
Carson Wentz Gets Much-Needed Signature Win
It was the dirty little secret no one wanted to admit. Carson Wentz needed to put the Eagles on his back and lead them to a signature win. Mission accomplished. Look, this one wasn’t pretty and the quarterback made some questionable throws — you can blame the 55 mph wind gusts for some of those ducks. Either way, Wentz showed up in the biggest moments and used his legs to secure two drive-sustaining first downs early in the fourth quarter.
On a 3rd-and-5 with 13:08 left, he sprinted up the middle for 13 yards to move the chains. Three plays later, Wentz did it again when he busted loose for 11 yards on a 3rd-and-10. The Eagles wound up scoring a touchdown after a 14-play, 83-yard drive that took 8 minutes and 17 seconds off the clock. The drive iced the game. Wentz finished 17-of-24 for 172 yards and a score, with another 35 yards on the ground. Signature win secured.
Carson Wentz:
• 17/24 (71% completion)
• 172 yards (35 rushing)
• 1 TD, 0 INT (11th straight game with a passing TD *longest streak in NFL)
• 104.9 RTG
Against a top defense in inclement weather. He refused to lose.
Brandon Graham States Case for Pro Bowl
The Eagles had been starved for playmakers along the defensive line all year. Enter Brandon Graham. The speedy edge rusher — and all-around good guy — delivered a virtuoso performance Sunday and finished with six total tackles and one sack. More importantly, Graham was in attack mode. His ability to overpower Bills tight end Tyler Kroft on a one-on-one matchup late in the first half led to a forced fumble and recovery. The defensive end poked the ball loose, then cut up the field and jumped on the football. It was arguably the play of the game as it swung momentum into the Eagles’ favor.
The Secondary Very Much a Work in Progress
The Eagles secondary, specifically the cornerbacks, are still not a complete group and making a trade for a stud should be one of their top priorities this week. Jalen Mills remains their best cornerback and largely held John Brown in check (five catches for 54 yards), but Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas continued to struggle with miscommunications. Douglas completely fell down on a touchdown strike to Devin Singletary, while failing to scoop up a loose ball after a blocked PAT.
Fourth and long, Ronald Darby knocks the ball down for a turnover on downs.
Jones was relegated to the slot for most of the game — he played 73-percent of the snaps — and was ineffective versus Cole Beasley. Ronald Darby was burned badly by Bills speedster Robert Foster but redeemed himself with text-book defense on 4th-and-10 late in the third quarter. Darby was positioned perfectly on Brown and got his hand in to knock the pass away on a would-be first down.
Credit the Run Defense, Plus Solid Gameplan
Speaking of the defense, kudos to the defensive tackles and linebackers for clogging up the middle. The key to stopping the Bills was shutting down Frank Gore and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was ready. The Eagles limited Buffalo to 98 yards on the ground — and that number gets decreased to 53 when you subtract Josh Allen’s 45 yards. That’s right, the Bills’ running backs were held to just 53 yards. Why the Eagles never put a spy on Allen is a question for another day.
1-0 each week that’s the goal!
Great team win!
The takeaway here is the Eagles had a good game plan and stuck with it. Malcolm Jenkins, perhaps amped up by Orlando Scandrick’s comments, knifed into the backfield to make key stops. Fletcher Cox played like a man possesed. And the linebacking combo of Nate Gerry and T.J. Edwards (11 combined tackles) came up big in run support. This was a complete effort.
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