The Buffalo Bills take on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The game is scheduled for kickoff at 1:00 PM. ET.
The Eagles are amazingly tied for first place in the NFC East. Last week, the Eagles upset the 10-1 New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts. They had not won in New England in over two decades. The victory put them in a three-way tie for first with the Giants and Redskins. The Redskins have not won on the road this year and they play the Bears in Chicago this week. The Giants have lost three in a row and are playing the Dolphins on Monday Night Football in Miami. The Eagles at 5-7 play three straight home games before traveling in week 17 to face the Giants.
The Bills are coming off a victory over the Houston Texans. In week 13, the Bills as a team had 187 yards rushing on 36 attempts. Tyrod Taylor had three touchdown passes on only 11 completed passes. The Buffalo defense held the Texans’ offense to only 21 points. The Bills are fighting for a Wild Card spot, and will need to continue to win to keep pace with the Steelers and the Jets.
Last week, the Eagles special teams came up big in New England. In the game, the Eagles had a blocked punt for a touchdown at the end of the first half that tied the game 14 all. They also had a Darren Sproles 83 yard punt return for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter. It wasn’t just the special teams that showed up in the victory, the Eagles defense put pressure on Brady all game long. The Eagles sacked Brady four times, but hit and pressured him on nearly every pass. Against the Bill, the Eagles will need to contain Buffalo’s starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, and not allow him to escape the pocket. Last week, Taylor rushed for 28 yards on seven attempts and a score.
A player to watch this week for the Bills is LeSean McCoy. The former Eagle great will face his former team for the first time this week. The Bills’ head coach, Rex Ryan, is known for stocking the fires of controversy. Ryan will definitely feature McCoy heavily against his former team. Last week, McCoy rushed for 112 yards on 21 attempts. Expect McCoy to eclipse those numbers against the Eagles.
A player to watch this week for the Eagles is Darren Sproles. Against New England, Sproles was the featured running back. He rushed for 66 yards on 15 attempts. In the passing game, Sproles had 34 yards on four receptions. Between his contributions on offense and special teams, Sproles is the Eagles most dynamic playmaker. The Eagles need to continue to increase his role in the offense if they want to make a serious push for a playoff spot.
Against the Patriots, the Eagles offense did enough to win, but they need to continue to develop. DeMarco Murray absence was the biggest take away from Eagles in week 13. Before the season, Murray was the considered the starter at running back. On the year, he’s rushed for 569 yards on 163 attempts. Murray has failed to produce when given the opportunities this year. Eagles head coach, Chip Kelly, looks like he’s finally moved on and perhaps that’s for the best.
Eagles Vs Bills Week 14 Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag has Philadelphia favored to win this game by 1 point. The over/under on total points scored is 46.5. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
The Eagles beat the Patriots, but it’s fair to say that special teams’ miscues and injuries helped the Patriots beat themselves. The Bills are a strong defensive team and have a motivated McCoy running the ball. The Eagles offense will struggle against a stout Buffalo defense. Expect McCoy to have a big game against his former team. Buffalo wins on the road.
Play: Buffalo +1 @ BetOnline.ag
Bills • Eagles • NFL • Week 14 Betting Odds