Eagles News: “Philly’s defense continues to look championship-caliber”

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NFL Week 17: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game – ESPNAre the Eagles gearing up for an extended playoff run? The offense will need to be better, if so. The Eagles built a 13-0 halftime lead thanks to coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense and the play of quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was 5-of-5 on third down and 7-of-8 for 63 yards and a touchdown before halftime. (He also had a 139.1 passer rating against the blitz, via NFL Next Gen Stats.) The Eagles punted on five consecutive possessions in the second half, however, allowing Josh Allen & Co. to creep back into the game. Philly’s defense continues to look championship-caliber, but the offense needs to avoid extended funks if the Eagles plan to repeat.

Roob’s Observations after Eagles withstand furious Bills rally – NBCSPLast three games, the Eagles have allowed 30 points. Think about that for a moment. The Bills average 29 on their own. There have only been two other three-game spans in the last 20 years where the Eagles have allowed 30 or few points. First three games of 2016 – which were the first three games of Doug Pederson’s coaching career and the first three starts of Carson Wentz’s career – they allowed 27, and the last three weeks of 2008 they allowed 26. If the offense can just play OK, this team is going to be very tough to beat.

Should the Eagles rest starters in Week 18? – BGNThe Philadelphia Eagles have a big decision to make in Week 18. Should they play their starters against the Washington Commanders? Or should they rest them? Had the Chicago Bears defeated the San Francisco on Sunday night, resting the starters would’ve been the easy call since the Birds would’ve been locked in to the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff picture. But the Bears’ loss leaves the door open to the Eagles moving up to the No. 2 seed if 1) Philly beats Washington AND 2) Chicago loses to the Detroit Lions in the final week of the regular season. So, what should the Eagles do? Here are some thoughts on the matter with a conclusion to follow.

Eagles-Bills takeaways with BLG! – The Ringer’s Philly SpecialSheil is joined by Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation to discuss the Eagles nail-biter win in Buffalo against the Bills. The Eagles currently hold the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff race with the possibility of getting the No. 2 slot. Should they play the starters in the next week’s regular season finale against the Commanders with the No. 2 seed still possibly in reach? We say it almost every week – just how good has this defense been? Why did the offense go silent in the second half? Sheil and BLG examine what Nick Sirianni has been doing as a head coach? Plus, the most important plays of the game that led to the victory.

Buffalo Bills run out of magic vs. Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 – Buffalo RumblingsSecond-guess the last play all you want. Things didn’t go how anyone in Western New York drew it up. For much of the afternoon, it felt like the Buffalo Bills’ offense had no business playing for a win late in the fourth quarter against a Philadelphia Eagles defense that came in prepared to shut them down. But Bills Mafia has been down this road with their favorite football team. It’s been a difficult season to enjoy in Bills Country, where despite a lot of wins and some surprisingly flashy stats, well… the team just doesn’t look like it has the right stuff to go all the way. Yet here they were, one play away from taking down the defending Super Bowl Champions just two games before the postseason. The decision to go for two? It was the right choice. It was in that moment that Josh Allen was finally in the zone, playing his best football of the day. Kicking for a tie to force overtime first of all guarantees nothing (even if the defense had completely shut down Philly’s offense in the second half), and Allen was likely on borrowed snaps given his injury status.

Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Bills game – PhillyVoice7) The ‘May As Well Just Punt On First Down’ Award 🤷‍♂️: The Eagles’ second half offense. The Eagles’ second half offense was an abomination. They gained total 16 yards, and got shut out. On four of their five drives, their first two plays were runs. And when those runs weren’t successful, the Eagles were in long downs and distances, and they could not convert on 3rd down, as Jalen Hurts went 0 for 7 in the second half. The Eagles blew a 21-0 lead against the Cowboys and a 17-3 fourth quarter lead against the Broncos earlier this season, mainly because the offense went ultra conservative and kept asking the defense to bail them out. Nick Sirianni and the Eagles’ offensive staff apparently learned nothing from those games.

Relentless Defense Wins Big Game – Iggles BlitzWinning in Buffalo isn’t easy. It is even harder when your offense gains 16 yards in the second half. But the Eagles did win. Vic Fangio’s defense played a great game that allowed the Eagles to escape with a 13-12 victory. I sure did not see that coming. The Bills came into the game as the #1 running offense and #3 scoring offense. The Eagles held them to a season low in points. You have to go back to September of 2024 to find a lower total when the Ravens held them to 10 points. The Eagles sacked Josh Allen 5 times, came up with a takeaway, had a goal line stand and limited the Buffalo ground game. Nick Sirianni praised the defense for their “relentless effort” after the game. They chased Allen all over the field. They flew to the ball and tackled well. They made Buffalo earn every single yard. This wasn’t one guy. The whole unit played lights out. Jalen Carter had a sack, a pass deflection and a crucial blocked extra point in his return to action. You can see what a special player he is.

NFL Week 17 takeaways: What We Learned from Sunday’s 10 games – NFL.comEagles remain a one-half team. Philadelphia has fought the allegations at varying points in 2025, however it was indisputable on Sunday. The Eagles jumped all over the Bills in the first half, forcing a fumble and cashing in the takeaway seven plays later via a Jalen Hurts touchdown pass, dominated the first two quarters of play and appeared poised to cruise to victory entering halftime. Then, the Eagles reminded us of who they are. Philadelphia gained 16 total yards in the second half (13 came on their first drive of the third quarter). Hurts didn’t complete a pass in the final two quarters and the Eagles needed their defense to carry them to victory, weathering two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter and pressuring Josh Allen into an errant throw on the game-deciding two-point conversion attempt. They might as well build Vic Fangio a statue like Bud Light once commissioned a bronze likeness of Doug Pederson and Nick Foles for this showing alone, an effort that kept Allen and the Bills off the scoreboard until the final six minutes of the game in what could be seen as a playoff tune-up between two postseason-bound squads. The Eagles better study this tape so their offense doesn’t repeat the same performance one elimination is on the line.

Instant observations from Eagles 13, Bills 12: Eagles defense (and Josh Allen) bails out the offense, yet again – PHLYBo Wulf: Midway through the fourth quarter, the Eagles defense held Josh Allen to the second-worst EPA per dropback of his career and his worst since 2019. Take off the nerd glasses and say the easier truth, which is that the Eagles defense looks like the fiercest in the league. Boy do they beat people up. Were it not for the feckless second-half performance by the Eagles’ offense, this game would have been a whole lot more comfortable for Eagles fans. One first down on five second-half possessions for Jalen Hurts & co. is embarrassing, and no doubt affected the legs on defense down the stretch.

Spadaro: 10 takeaways from the Eagles’ thrilling 13-12 win over the Bills – PE.comThe rust is off for Jalen Carter. Welcome back, Jalen Carter. He missed three games with shoulders injuries, and he came back with thunder in his game. The stat sheet says that Carter had only one tackle, but he was commanding inside with a quarterback sack, a pass deflected, pressure inside, and sheer force when he was on the field. He seems to be ready for the postseason, and the Eagles will need him to be at his dominating best.

Josh Allen went for X-rays after loss to Eagles – PFTBills quarterback Josh Allen said after Sunday’s loss to the Eagles that his foot injury didn’t impact him during the game, but he still went for a medical evaluation after speaking to reporters. Multiple reporters noted that Allen was limping and that he went for X-rays. Allen injured his right foot in Week 16 and that was the same side that he was favoring after the game. Matthew Bove of WKBW reports that he had no protection on his right foot when he left the X-ray room at Highmark Stadium.

NFL Week 18 Odds: Chicago Bears favored over Detroit Lions – Windy City GridironThe Week 18 Lions vs Bears rematch is in Chicago, and our partners at FanDuel Sportsbook have the Bears as a 1.5-point favorite, with the game’s point total over/under at 49.5. Both Chicago and the (11-5) Philadelphia Eagles are vying for that second seed, and they’ll both play in the late afternoon window. Philadelphia is a 7.5-point favorite over the visiting Washington Commanders, and if the Bears and Eagles finish with the same record, Chicago holds the tiebreaker.

Cowboys favored in season-finale on the road against Giants – Blogging The BoysThe Cowboys come into the game with the chance to have a non-losing season, and a non-winning one, which is pretty tough to do ever since the league moved to a 17-game season. If Dallas beats New York on Sunday they will end Brian Schottenheimer’s first campaign in charge at a very neutral 8-8-1. Meanwhile, the Giants are 3-13 heading into this final game. The Cowboys will be on the road, but they are still the favorites. Our partners at FanDuel have Dallas as 5.5-point favorites.

What are the odds? The Washington Commanders are road underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles – Hogs HavenThe Washington Commanders are currently sitting in the No. 7 overall spot in next year’s draft, and they can’t drop any lower than that. They can move up with help from other teams. QB Marcus Mariota had stitches in his throwing hand last week and didn’t play on Christmas day, and he was listed as day-to-day. Washington also has other players who are dealing with injuries that could be shut down for the season finale. Will the Eagles play their starters, or do they even need to for this sad finale to a lost season?

4 things we learned from the Giants’ 34-10 victory in Las Vegas – Big Blue ViewNow, with their win in Las Vegas when a loss would have guaranteed them the No. 1 pick in 2026 and a possible trade-down for draft assets, the Giants’ only path to No. 1 requires them to lose to Dallas next week (very likely) and have the Raiders beat Kansas City (unlikely). Even so, the Giants will draft no lower than No. 7 and should be able to get a very good prospect. Maybe things will work out for the best. [BLG Note: Giants win over the Raiders was a nice development for the Eagles.]

NFL playoff picture: What 49ers win over Bears means for NFC standings in Week 17 – SB NationSNF result: The 49ers held off another Caleb Williams comeback to beat the Bears 42-38. They remain a game back of the Seahawks with the win, but now they will play for the No. 1 seed in Week 18. They host the Seahawks, with the winner claiming the No. 1 seed and the loser entering the playoffs with a wild card seed. The Bears already clinched their division, but the loss means they could still slip down to the No. 3 seed. They are tied with the Eagles but have the head-to-head tiebreaker. If they win next week against the Rams or the Eagles lose to the Commanders, Chicago will be the No. 2 seed in the NFC bracket.