Bills vs Eagles: Philadelphia Grades, Notes & Quotes

The Philadelphia Eagles spoiled LeSean McCoy's return to Lincoln Financial Field as they pulled out a 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Caleb Sturgis converted a 30-yard field goal with under four minutes remaining to give Philadelphia a slender three-point lead. Philadelphia's defense then rose to the occasion as they forced a three-and-out to get the ball back, but Kelly's offense could not maintain possession.

Mario Williams sacked Sam Bradford at the two-minute warning to give his offense one last shot. Tyrod Taylor tried to push the ball down the field, but Ed Reynolds came away with his first career interception to seal the victory.

Following the victory, the Eagles are now 6-7 and tied atop the NFC East with the Washington Redskins. A win for the Giants on Monday night against the Dolphins would put New York at the top of the division with six wins as well.

Philadelphia started the game strong as it mounted a nine-play, 61-yard drive to jump out to an early lead on its first offensive possession. The Eagles got into a rhythm and quickly moved the ball down the field before Darren Sproles crossed the goal line on a one-yard run.

But Buffalo answered immediately as Tyrod Taylor found Sammy Watkins down the right side for a 47-yard touchdown to tie the game.

The game settled down until Philadelphia's special teams came up with a big play for the second week in a row. Marcus Thigpen failed to control a Donnie Jones punt, and Bryan Braman came away with the loose ball to give Philadelphia's offense the ball on Buffalo's 37-yard line. Then Bradford found Nelson Agholor on a deep slant route for a 53-yard touchdown. 

Both teams traded field goals before the end of the second quarter to send Philadelphia into the break with a 17-10 lead.

The Eagles started the second half with a field goal on the first possession, but Buffalo dominated the third quarter. Dan Carpenter kicked a 40-yard field goal to close the deficit to one score. Then the Bills received great field position following a late hit by Riley Cooper on the punt. Buffalo capitalized and tied the game on a 19-yard scamper by Mike Gillislee.

The fourth quarter settled into a defensive battle until Bradford found Zach Ertz for a 41-yard gain to put the Eagles in position for the game-winning field goal.

Philadelphia held on for its second consecutive win, its first victory on a three-game home stint. The Eagles take on the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday night.

Position Grades for Philadelphia

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Quarterback: B-

Sam Bradford did enough to win the game for Philadelphia, but it was far from a perfect performance. The quarterback finished 23-of-38 for 247 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His receivers let him down with several key drops, but he also gave up an inexplicable sack right at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. 

Running Backs: B-

Philadelphia suited four running backs, and it split carries between its three feature backs throughout the entire game. Ryan Mathews received the most carries with 13 carries to DeMarco Murray's 11 and Darren Sproles' seven. As a unit they ran the ball 31 times for 113 yards and a touchdown. Philadelphia still needs more production late in the game from its tailbacks when it needs to run the clock out.

Wide Receivers: C

Drops continue to be a problem for Philadelphia's wide receivers as they let their quarterback down on routine receptions. However, Agholor caught the first touchdown of his young career on a 53-yard bomb. Riley Cooper, Josh Huff and Agholor all had catches of longer than 10 yards on the day.

Tight Ends: C+

Zach Ertz led the team with five catches for 98 yards as he provided matchup problems in the middle of the field for Buffalo's defense. The tight end also came up big in crunch time as his career-long 41-yard reception put Caleb Sturgis in position to hit the game-winning field goal.

Offensive Line: B+

Philadelphia's offensive lineman did not have their names called often by the officials, which is always a good thing. Jason Peters and company also baited Buffalo to jump offside on a few occasions. They only gave up one sack at the end of the game, and Bradford had plenty of time to throw the ball away before Mario Williams reached him. 

Defensive Line: B+

Philadelphia's defensive line rarely gave Tyrod Taylor a clean pocket to work with. They only sacked Taylor once and hit him four times, but they forced the quarterback to improvise and throw erratically on the run. The outside rushers could have contained Taylor on the outsides a little better as he ran for 53 yards on eight attempts.

Linebackers: B

The defense seemed to get better as the game progressed, and a lot of it centered on the linebackers' ability to contain LeSean McCoy. The linebackers set the edge and forced the tailback out of bounds rather than allowing him to escape upfield. They also benefited from Charles Clay's injury as they did not have to worry about a pass-catching tight end in the middle of the field for the rest of the game. Kiko Alonso also put together a decent performance against his former team as he finished with five tackles. 

Defensive Backs: B-

Robert Woods caused problems for Philadelphia's secondary, putting up 106 yards on just five catches. However, they limited Sammy Watkins' impact following his long touchdown reception in the first quarter, as he caught only five of his 12 targets. Eric Rowe continued to impress in only his second career start, while Byron Maxwell struggled to keep up with Woods and Watkins all game. The pick by the rookie Ed Reynolds was also the first interception thrown by Taylor since Week 4.

Coaching: B+

Sunday was an emotionally charged day at Lincoln Financial Field with the return of McCoy, but Kelly's team looked focused and determined to stay atop the NFC East. The defense seemed to feed off the energy of Shady's return without taking it too far. The Eagles also showed their superior discipline as they committed only five penalties, while Buffalo gave up over 100 yards on 15 infractions.

Special Teams: A

The special teams continue to step up when Philadelphia needs them most. They fumble recovery on the muffed punt put the offense in great field position to score when they needed a jumpstart following three straight punts.

Caleb Sturgis also continues to show that he is a viable replacement for Cody Parkey, as he made all three of his field goals on the day. The kicker is now 16-for-20 on field goals for the year.

Important Note No. 1: Shady's Return

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McCoy returned to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time on Sunday since being traded to Buffalo this offseason. Much was made of his return and his sour relationship with Chip Kelly throughout this week, and the storylines continued during the game.

McCoy kissed the Eagles logo and shook Jeffrey Lurie's hand before the game, but he avoided Kelly. And his day ended in similar dramatic fashion as he ran off the field after the loss without shaking hands with any of his former teammates.

On the field, McCoy put together a solid performance, but Philadelphia adjusted in the second half to limit his production. The tailback finished with 74 yards on 20 carries and 35 yards on four catches to put him over the 100-yard mark.

Shady broke off a 24-yard run almost halfway through the second quarter and looked to be about to have one of those monster games Philadelphia fans still fondly remember of his days in midnight green. McCoy already had 59 carries on just nine carries at that point.

But Philadelphia's defensive line and linebackers stopped allowing McCoy to get to the outside and made solid tackles when they had him in their grasp. Following that breakout run, McCoy carried the ball 11 more times but only gained 15 yards. Philadelphia won the game on Sunday and showed it focused more on its play than what was said during the week.

Important Note No. 2: Fletcher Cox

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Interior defensive linemen rarely get the respect they deserve due to the gritty nature of the position, but Fletcher Cox is quickly becoming a nightmare for defenses week in and week out.

Cox went up against a usually solid guard in Richie Incognito on Sunday, but he pushed around the offensive lineman with ease all game long. The Mississippi State product tied for the most tackles by an Eagles player on Sunday with eight. He also recorded the defense's only sack and two tackles for a loss. Cox exploded through the line on one play and swallowed McCoy up right as he received the ball from Taylor.

However, Cox's contributions go beyond the stat sheet. He also forces the opposing team into mistakes when he puts them in bad positions. In the fourth quarter, Cox powered past Incognito, forcing him to slow him down by holding for Buffalo's ninth offensive penalty of the day.

The former first-round pick started as a defensive tackle in a 4-3 defensive scheme, but he has adjusted well to his new position as a defensive end when there are only three down linemen. 

Cox's 42 tackles are well behind Malcolm Jenkins' team-leading 79, but he is the most important player on Philadelphia's defense due to the attention that he garners. The 25-year-old has yet to be selected for a Pro Bowl, and if he doesn't receive a roster spot this year it would be a massive snub.

Quote No. 1: Sam Bradford

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"I've gotten a lot more comfortable with what we're doing. I think everyone has, too... It seems to be going in right direction," said Sam Bradford, per the Philadelphia Inquirer's Zach Berman.

The Eagles are now on a two-game winning streak following three straight losses, and a lot of that comes down to the return of Bradford from injury.

Bradford left the game against Miami due to a concussion and left shoulder injury. In his absence, the team crumbled under the control of Mark Sanchez. Sanchez failed to pull out the victory against Miami, and then he was behind center in their humiliating losses to both Tampa Bay and Detroit.

The outlook of Philadelphia's season completely turned around when Bradford returned to help the Eagles pull off one of the biggest upsets of the season as they beat the Patriots in Gillette Stadium. Now, following the win Sunday against Buffalo, the Eagles are 6-2 in Bradford's last eight full games under center.

The quarterback is not necessarily the primary reason for Philadelphia's turnaround, but he is a contributing factor. Bradford continues to look more comfortable in Kelly's offense as he manages the game and puts the ball where it needs to be. He seems to be developing chemistry with his receivers and delivering accurate passes on time.

Bradford did throw an interception against the Bills, but it was his first since the opening quarter against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. The quarterback will still have his critics, but he is showing a newfound confidence and efficiency that will be vital in the final three weeks of the regular season.

Quote No. 2: Chip Kelly

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"We were going to play all four, and Duce was going to rotate them... We didn't think we'd have to run anyone into the ground," said Chip Kelly, per Berman.

Murray's frustrations dominated the headlines this past week as Philadelphia only called his name eight times in the running attack against New England. The future of the running back's role came into question, and his pecking order in the offense also seemed in danger with the return of Mathews.

Mathews ended up starting the game and receiving the first carry on the day, but Murray also received his fair share of opportunities. Mathews only carried the ball two more times than Murray with 13 rushing attempts. Sproles also joined the action with seven carries, and all three backs also caught two passes on the day.

Despite the fairly even distribution, Murray's effectiveness is still an issue. Sproles led the team with 41 yards on the ground and the team's only rushing touchdown. Then Mathews ran for 38 yards and Murray contributed 34 yards.

All three backs have unique styles and can attack defenses in different ways. The benefit of changing things up and keeping the opposition guessing was evident on Philadelphia's first touchdown drive. Mathews and Murray received carries to start the drive and wore out Buffalo's defense. Then Sproles came into the game and broke off a 15-yard run on a tired defense and then found his way into the end zone on a one-yard run.

Coaching is just as much about managing personalities as it is about tactics, and Kelly finally showed that ability this week. His decision to even out the distribution of carries should limit the questions and complaints this week. Now if all three backs can start playing to the best of their ability, Philadelphia's three-man backfield should be a major asset going forward.