3 Matchups The Eagles Need To Win vs The Bills

The Eagles won the last 2 games, and did so in a fairly dominant fashion. It is a great start to changing the narrative on a season that looked ready to go sideways. But it was also vs the Raiders and Commanders. So it is understandable if someone is not back on board with the Eagles just because they beat up two of the worst teams in the league. It represents promise, but they still have something to prove.

They get the chance to prove that something this week. Because they head up to Buffalo to play a team that is very much in the mix to win it all this year, the Bills. The Bills have their own problems, and their season has been a roller coaster just like the Eagles. But also like the Eagles, they might be hitting their stride, with 4 straight wins, including one over the Patriots two weeks ago.

So how can the Eagles overcome the Bills and prove they have really turned the corner? They will need to win these 3 matchups.

In the last 4 weeks, the Bills have transformed into an opportunistic defense. 7 takeaways in the last 4 games, and more importantly, 43 points off those takeaways.

The Bills' defense has been mediocre at best this year. They are 15th in points allowed per game. Even in these past 4 weeks, they have allowed 30 points twice. But they won all 4 games, because they were able to force key turnovers at important moments.

That is where Hurts comes in. Outside of an outlier game where he had 5 turnovers, no QB is better at protecting the ball. That will be important. If this Bills defense can't force turnovers, they get in trouble. Hurts might actually be the ideal QB to beat the Bills. A Qb that does not need to put up big numbers to win. He can beat you just by being efficient.

Speaking of the Bills' defense, the best way to move the ball on them is via the ground. They allow the 3rd most rushing yards per game at 144.3, and have allowed the most total rushing TDs (18). They actually allow the 2nd fewest passing yards per game. But on the ground, they are vulnerable.

The good news is, the Eagles face them when Saquon Barkley seems to finally be hitting his stride. 332 yards in the last 3 games, and twice he averaged over 6 yards per carry. You could argue he was not playing the best run defenses, but as we just discussed, now he is playing one of the worst run Ds in the league.

Barkley running all over them is not just the key on offense; it is kind of the key to stopping the Bills offense. It is a gameplan the Eagles used to great success last season. The more time you have the ball, the less time the other offense has. It puts pressure on them. The Eagles defense is good enough to square up with the Bills offense, but having a leg up on them, and being able to stay fresh, will certainly be a great help.

The Eagles might be playing the reigning MVP in Josh Allen, but the bigger threat to them is not through the air, it is on the ground. The Bills lead the league in rushing yards per game (158.9), rushing TDs (27), and are 2nd in yards per attempt (5.1).

On the other hand, run defense is one area where the Eagles sometimes have issues. The last 3 weeks have gone well. They held Chargers, Raiders, and Commanders RBs to under 4 yards per carry, and Commanders RBs have actually run well this year. But we are just a month removed from the Bears RBs gaining 255 yards vs them.

Having Jalen Carter back, and hopefully healthy, will be a significant help. And there are times the Eagles' run D looks great. Jordan Davis specifically has a case to be the best run defender in the league. But they are 21st in rushing yards allowed per game. The overall numbers paint run D as a weakness, even while the defense in total is a major strength. And if there is one area you can see this game going sideways for the Eagles D, it is on the ground.