Week 8 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills

Week 8 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles @ Buffalo Bills

Sunday, October 27 at New Era Field, Bills 1.5 point-favorites 

After getting shellacked by the hated division rival Cowboys, the Eagles are in trouble heading into midseason. The 5-1 Bills and their dangerous defense are next on the bracket.

Injury Report:

OUT

Philadelphia: Nigel Bradham (LB, ankle/illness), DeSean Jackson (WR, abdomen), Timmy Jernigan (DT, foot), Avonte Maddox (CB, concussion/neck), Jason Peters (OT, knee), Darren Sproles (RB, quad)

Buffalo: —

QUESTIONABLE:

Philadelphia: —

Buffalo: Kurt Coleman (S, hamstring), Kevin Johnson (CB, neck), Matt Milano (LB, hamstring), Corey Thompson (LB, ankle), Duke Williams (WR, shoulder)

Nigel Bradham remains out, weakening an already thin LB corps. DeSean Jackson will miss yet another game. Nobody knows what’s going on with him. Avonte Maddox made progress this week, but this won’t be the game where he returns to action. Andre Dillard will see his second career start in lieu of Jason Peters.

For Buffalo, reserve safety and former Eagle Kurt Coleman was listed as questionable. Starters Matt Milano and Duke Williams will be game-time decisions.

Analysis:

I’m likely more optimistic about this game than most others are. Buffalo is a good team, but not nearly as good as their record indicates. They’re 5-1, and two of those wins they had to squeak out against two of the NFL’s bottom-feeders in the Bengals and Dolphins. They have a legit defense (third in the league in opponent YPG and opponent PPG), but their wildly inconsistent quarterback could wind up being their undoing as the season goes on.

The Bills boast one of the best running games in football, but the Eagles have been adept at shutting down running backs not named Ezekiel Elliott. Last week, Elliott was the first 100-yard rusher that Philadelphia allowed since… Ezekiel Elliott last season. Neither Frank Gore or Devin Singletary are Elliott, so expect the Eagles to continue their dominance against the run game. Going against Philadelphia is their lack of defensive tackle depth. Hassan Ridgeway was placed on IR, leaving only new pickups Albert Huggins and Anthony Rush opposite of Fletcher Cox. While Cox, Brandon Graham, and Derek Barnett haven’t had loads of pass rush success, they should still be able to hold up a stout run defense.

The Eagles have shown an ability to make most offenses one-dimensional, but unfortunately, the Eagles have no answer for that other dimension. Quarterbacks, struggling or not, continue to find success against the Eagles secondary, and if that continues this week, there’s no hope. Josh Allen hasn’t shown the ability to consistently be an above-average QB, and it’s Philly’s job to take advantage of that. Their biggest threat is speedy receiver John Brown, someone who’s burnt the Eagles at inopportune times before. Remember 2014 when his late 75-yard touchdown buried the Eagles? As you can see, Philadelphia has been struggling with sorry CB play for a long time now.

On the flip side, the Eagles offense hasn’t been good as of late. They’ve slept walked through the first quarter/first half of nearly all of their games over the past two seasons. This Buffalo defense isn’t going to give much up, so it’ll be a long day if the Eagles can’t take advantage of the opportunities that come their way. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer make up arguably the best safety tandem in football, and with DeSean Jackson still out, the deep ball may not be available for any Eagles receiver that even bothers to try it. Alshon Jeffery hasn’t looked 100% since he returned, and he’s likely to draw attention from one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks in Tre’Davious White. Across from him is second-year cover man Levi Wallace who has been pretty solid save for an off game last Sunday. It isn’t a great matchup for a group of wide receivers who have struggled to gain separation all season.

If you’re looking for the Eagles passing offense to magically take off, this may not be the week to do so. What the Eagles can do though, is to establish the run. The offensive line has been able to open up holes, and Jordan Howard is a powerful runner with amazing finishing ability. You rarely see a negative run from him. Why haven’t we been relying on him as we did against Green Bay? Well simply put, when you’re down double-digits in the first quarter, running the ball isn’t possible. If the Eagles can start off the game with a statement drive and force Josh Allen into making errors, they can win this game on the ground and hope for the return of the electrifying DeSean Jackson next week.

Prediction: Eagles 20, Bills 19

-By: Micah Jimoh