In the game of who can control the line of scrimmage and get opportunistic plays in the passing game, the Bills weren’t able to get enough going on offense to knock off the Philadelphia Eagles and officially
ceded the AFC East divisional title to the New England Patriots.
The rain early was expected, dictating exactly what type of game would be played in the second to last game at Highmark Stadium. An early QB hit from defensive end Gregory Rousseau may have harkened back to the second half of the Cleveland Browns game, and the hope was that the Bills could start faster than they have been so far this year.
But the early game sloppiness that has defined the 2025 season for the Bills continued, and they weren’t able to get enough moving late in the game to pull out a victory as they fell to the Eagles 13-12.
The Bills have stopped trying to force the ball to a subpar group of wide receivers over the last few weeks of the season, electing instead to funnel the passing offense through the tight ends and running backs with some Khalil Shakir sprinkled in. But Brandin Cooks, after struggling with drops in the first few opportunities since joining the Bills mid-season, finally caught a deep pass to set the Bills up in good position to get the first points of the game before a Josh Allen fumble brought the ball the other way for an Eagles start on the Buffalo side of the field. Cooks ended up being a major factor in the downfield passing game in this contest and should provide some optimism going forward in that specific regard.
But one deep pass to A.J. Brown later, the Eagles were inside the 15 yard line.
A few plays later, the Eagles went up by a touchdown.
And just like that, it looked worryingly familiar for Bills Mafia.
The next Bills drive stalled after a Josh Palmer drop, but when it was third down and the Eagles offense needed to make a play to keep a drive going, they got it. The Bills may have committed a penalty. The Eagles may have gotten a clutch pass and catch. One way or another, the Eagles got what they needed.
And that ended up being the story of the game: the Eagles made just one more play than the Bills when they absolutely needed to have it.
With a little over five minutes to go in the first half, the Bills defense got away with a defensive pass interference when cornerback Tre’Davious White pinned the arm of AJ Brown down the field to help hold the Eagles to a field goal and it looked like maybe Buffalo would get a break. Buffalo would get an opportunity to score before halftime, but would go three and out and let Philadelphia get another offensive drive before half. This drive would result in the reigning Super Bowl champions kicking a field goal and extending their lead to 13-0 headed into the break.
Buffalo had 33 yards of offense between the Josh Allen fumble and the end of the first half and it all looked very difficult for the Josh Allen-led unit against a tough Eagles defense coordinated by Vic Fangio.
But the Bills came into the game with not only the best second half point differential in the league, but the best second half point differential out of any team in the last five years. Everyone watching, including the Eagles, knew that the Bills were capable of turning it around in the second half and competing (and even winning).
Those dreams of a turnaround had to be put on hold when the opening drive of the second half ended on a dropped pass from wide receiver Khalil Shakir on third and one. The Bills ended up punting on five of their first seven possessions.
The Eagles had zeroed in on the Bills run game in the second half with no perceived threat in the pass game. Two of the three most pivotal pro-Bills plays in the third quarter were both referee-related: an overturn of a Devonta Smith catch that helped them get off the field on defense and a pass interference on the next possession against the Eagles on a deep ball down the sideline to Josh Palmer.
Tyrell Shavers made a tremendous leaping catch against star Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell to put the Bills inside the 10 yard line, but Buffalo was stopped inside the one on fourth down to stop their best scoring chance of the game to that point. Josh Allen would take a sack on the next drive to knock the team out of field goal range in a drive that netted negative yards for Buffalo.
The narrative continued: the Bills didn’t get the plays they needed until it was too late. The “second half magic” become the “fourth quarter magic” against the Eagles, and against a team that talented and with Super Bowl experience, it wasn’t quite enough. The Bills offense got their first points of the game with 5:11 left to go in the game on a Josh Allen QB sneak, but the extra point was blocked to keep it a seven point game.
The Eagles got the ball back with Jalen Hurts being 0 for 6 in the second half. The Bills defense had done their job after halftime and the opportunistic passing game the Eagles had shown early let them down on a 3rd and 12 when the ball slipped through Devonta Smith’s hands down the right sideline.
The Bills offense got the ball with a chance to go tie the game, but a short gain on 2nd and 10 and a screen pass on 3rd and 9 put them behind the eight ball on a 4th and 10.
But the Bills crossed their fingers, closed their eyes, and hoped the Eagles hadn’t seen the Texans game from earlier in 2025, because they ran a hook and ladder to stay alive in the game. A long pass down the middle of the field to Brandin Cooks (in a play that may have caused announcer Tom Brady some angst after Cooks pinned the ball to his helmet a la David Tyree) and a Josh Allen scramble gave the team the ball inside the five with a third and goal. A Dawson Knox catch put the team in a fourth and goal from the one yard line, and Reggie Gilliam launched Josh Allen into the end zone to make it 13-12. But Allen missed an open Khalil Shakir on the two point conversion and the Bills lost a sloppy game with a misfire.
The Eagles were a better team than the Bills today, but they were a better team at the specific thing the Bills want to be when the weather gets bad: a team that can playing stifling defense with a strong pass rush, run the ball consistently, and make a play when necessary in the passing game.
The Eagles just made one more play than the Bills did.
…and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on the Rumblings Cast Network — see more in my LinkTree!
