Eagles Question of the Day:
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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
NFL Week 17 Preview: Schedule, storylines, matchups to watch and betting spreads – PFF
Matchup to watch: Eagles RB Saquon Barkley vs. Bills’ defense. The 2025 season hasn’t been as successful for Eagles star Saquon Barkley (66.6 grade; 46th) as the previous campaign. Barkley crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the fifth time in his career, but has seen a dip in yards per carry, yards after contact per attempt and explosive rushes. In the last three weeks, though, Barkley has earned more carries and has had his most productive stretch of the season as a result. Since Week 14, Barkley has carried the ball 63 times for 332 yards and three touchdowns with more missed tackles forced (17) and rushes of 10 yards or more (10) than any other running back. Barkley has an excellent chance to carry on his strong form into Week 17. The Bills’ run defense has struggled to hold up its end of the bargain in 2025. Since their Week 7 bye, the Bills are 30th in EPA allowed per run play and have relinquished the fifth-most explosive runs in the league. [BLG Note: The Bills have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards and most touchdowns to running backs this season.]
Eagles-Bills preview: 5 things to watch – PhillyVoice
4) The Bills’ run defense stinks. Usually, when a team runs the ball well offensively, they’re usually pretty good against the run on the other side of the ball. It’s often an organizational philosophy/priority to win in the run game. Not Buffalo. They can’t stop the run. After a sluggish first three months of the season, the Eagles have averaged 174.7 rushing yards per game in three games in December. This matchup will be an opportunity to keep that momentum going.
NFL Week 17 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips – ESPN
Fantasy nugget: The Bills’ defensive front has allowed the third-most rushing yards per game and now has to deal with Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, who has logged at least 20 touches and 17 fantasy points in three consecutive games. Barkley remains the focal point of a Philadelphia offense that’s finally settling into an identity with the playoffs approaching.
NFL Week 17 betting advice: Eagles-Bills pick and prop bets – BGN
The Vegas line on this matchup originally opened with the Buffalo Bills as a -3 home favorite, with the total set at 44.5. Since then, we’ve seen a 1.5-point adjustment in the market on the side. The current price has the Bills as short -1.5 home favorites at most sportsbooks, and I’ve even seen this line as low as pick’em (-120). The total has also dropped by a half point, now sitting at 44. Early betting splits from both U.S. and offshore markets show the Bills receiving roughly 60% of the early public money. That should concern anyone looking to back Buffalo this week, as the point spread has moved against them. This is known as reverse line movement, a classic indicator that sharp money is coming in on the Eagles early in the week.
2025 Game Review – PHI 29, WAS 18 – Iggles Blitz
It was great to see Saquon Barkley have a big game. His numbers have been trending up recently. Still, it was great to see him go 21-132-1 and have a couple of highlight runs as part of that. The offense just has a different feel when Barkley is at his best. Barkley coming alive benefits the whole offense. It takes pressure off Jalen Hurts and helps the passing game to be more efficient. If not for the sloppy first half, the Eagles would have dominated the game for the second week in a row. Does that mean the team is peaking? Hard to say. They are playing complementary football and showing some good signs. But it is also against bad teams. Sunday’s game against Buffalo will give us a better idea of where this team is.
Have Eagles really solved things on offense? – NBCSP
It’s understandable if you had given up on the Eagles’ offense a month ago. Coming off that lifeless 24-15 loss to the Bears at the Linc in late November, this was one of the worst offenses in football. They ranked 24th in the NFL with 305 yards per game, 23rd with 20.8 points per game, 22nd with 109 rushing yards per game and 28th with 34.5 percent on third down. They couldn’t run the ball. They were terrible on third down. The passing game was a mess. Look what’s happened to those numbers the last three games: Since Week 14, they’re 6th with 379 yards per game, 12th with 26 points per game, 3rd with 175 rushing yards per game and 3rd with 51.4 percent on third down. Finally, signs of progress. Finally, consistent production. Finally, an offense that looks like an actual NFL offense.
Why the Bills’ run game is the perfect playoff test for Eagles defense – The Athletic
The pattern offers favorable omens for Saquon Barkley, a sports history buff, who breached 1,000 yards rushing with a 132-yard game against the Commanders. Miles Sanders, another Penn State alum, scored his first career touchdown in Buffalo on a 65-yard run in 2019. Brian Westbrook did the same against the Bills on his 62-yard run in 2003. To date back to the Eagles and Bills’ first meeting, Tom Sullivan and Norm Bulaich had dual 100-yard games to out-gain O.J. Simpson in 1973. Barkley and James Cook could similarly duel. Cook, Buffalo’s top offensive weapon, leads the NFL in rushing (1,532 yards) and has fielded four 100-yard games against the Bills’ last five opponents. The Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans — who rank third and ninth in total defensive rush EPA, respectively — are among them. In tandem with reigning MVP Josh Allen, one of the game’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, Cook represents the biggest test yet for an Eagles defense that revealed itself to be vulnerable when surrendering 281 rushing yards in a Week 13 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Eagles star reveals he ‘could not stand’ Nick Sirianni – NJ.com
Barkley pointed to a moment during the broadcast of the Eagles’ 38-7 divisional round win over the Giants in 2022 when Sirianni was confidently nodding postgame. “I couldn’t stand that motherf—er,” he said. “I could not.” Now, Barkley raves about Sirianni, whom he has played under since signing with the Eagles as a free agent after the 2023 season. “He doesn’t get a lot of respect,” Barkley said. “I don’t know why he doesn’t kind of get the respect he should get, in my opinion. You really don’t hear about him. How long has he been coaching here? Five years? Who’s been a better coach the last five years than Nick Sirianni?
Brandon Graham says Jordan Davis will ‘be way better than me’ – PE.com
He only played 16 games across his first two seasons and had three total sacks. Now, Graham is an Eagles legend and watching closely as Davis takes a leap. “He’s gonna be way better than me,” Graham said. “It was tough in the beginning, for sure, the first couple years. But I feel like with anything, you give them time, they find their stride, and that’s what he’s doing right now. He found his stride, and he found his way that he’s leading in the way that he’s just being himself and just going out there and building his confidence every game. “He ain’t even hit all the way there yet. He still got a whole bunch more, and that’s why I’m excited for him because I really feel like he knows that people don’t wanna see him [on the field]. Now I’m just trying to make sure he remains humble like he’s doing and making sure that he’s continuously working one day at a time, and taking his rest when he’s supposed to, and making sure he’s enjoying it.”
Sunday’s late-afternoon window offers intrigue. The game between the Raiders and Giants (4:05 p.m. ET) will go a long way toward deciding who holds the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Fittingly, it will end in a tie. The other late-afternoon contest, a matchup between the playoff-qualifying Eagles and Bills (4:25 p.m. ET), will end in a statement victory for Philly. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley take advantage of the Bills’ porous run defense and combine for over 200 yards.
“I’ve personally been rooting for him all year to play [well,]” Fangio said earlier this month. “He’s had his ups and downs, like a lot of us. Hopefully, he can stay on the track that he is, but I don’t think it’s any magical thing [that led to his improvement]. It’s just a process [of] getting comfortable and getting confident.” Jackson’s confidence is showing. His play in the second half of the season — while far from flawless — has stabilized, peaking with his interception and pair of pass breakups against the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this month. His positive attitude, though, never changed. “I’m so used to being uncomfortable with something just very unexpected happening,” Jackson said. “But just keeping my faith and what I was taught and how I was raised helped me prepare to keep me going forward.”
Sean McDermott: Josh Allen’s gotten better every day, will play Sunday – PFT
Bills quarterback Josh Allen said early this week that he didn’t think his foot injury would impact his availability for Sunday’s game against the Eagles and nothing has changed over the last few days. Head coach Sean McDermott said on WGR 550 on Friday, via multiple reporters, that Allen “has gotten better each day” and that he will play this weekend. At a press conference a short time later, McDermott added that the team does not anticipate there being any limitations on what Allen will be able to do on the field.
Buffalo Bills FB Reggie Gilliam significant snub from 2026 NFL Pro Bowl – Buffalo Rumblings
Gilliam is the go-to fullback when the offense plays heavy, and there are multiple replays where Gilliam is shown leading the way for the running backs who get to the second level against opposing defenses. Gilliam is also a monster on special teams, making numerous plays each game. Running back/kickoff returner Ray Davis may be leading the league in kickoff return average, but one of the main reasons why is that Gilliam often leads the way as the lead blocker on return coverage.
Cowboys run game blocks out all their other flaws for one game – Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys did one thing really well on Christmas, and it won them a ballgame. They ran the ball through the middle of the Washington Commanders defense. They trucked the middle of Washington’s defense to the tune of 211 yards. Much of that number came from an unexpected source – Malik Davis. The running back who just keeps hanging around had a great game, running for 103 yards on 20 carries. The reason he had so many carries was injury robbed Javonte Williams of a big night. He finished with 54 yards on 13 carries. but his violent style of running leads to huge collisions, and his shoulder has been bothering him recently. He sat out over half the game.
Commanders Vs. Cowboys (Game Two) – Studs and Duds – Hogs Haven
DUDS: Dan Quinn: The Cowboys’ offense put up 480 total yards and a whopping 28 first downs against Quinn’s defense, as this unit, YET AGAIN, showed to be undisciplined, continued to blow coverages and miss tackles. Dallas was four-for-four on fourth down and punted just once on the afternoon. Dan Quinn should have fired himself at the half.
NY Giants-Raiders matchup: Las Vegas offense worse than New York defense? – Big Blue View
The New York Giants have a real chance to come away from this Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders with their third victory of the season. Whether that would be in the long-term interest of the franchise is a matter for debate amongst fans, but the potential is there against a Raiders team that has struggled even more than the Giants have this year. That said, the Giants can’t afford to take the Raiders lightly. Las Vegas is coming off of a game in which they very nearly pulled off the upset against the Houston Texans. Houston doesn’t feature a particularly complex defensive scheme, but they are exceedingly well coached and seldom have communication or assignment breakdowns. And yet, the Raiders were still able to move the ball and score points.
NFL playoff picture: Bracket for 2025 NFL postseason – SB Nation
Christmas 4:30 p.m. result: The Lions lost to the Vikings, which officially clinched a berth for the Packers and eliminated the Lions. That solidifies all but one team in the playoff field. The Packers currently hold the final wild card berth, but still have an outside shot at the NFC North title. The seeding is not set for the six teams already in the field. The final team to join the field will be the NFC South champion, and that team is all but certain to be the No. 4 seed.
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