@sara_larson chats Bills vs Eagles with @Jeffrey_Warren of @PhiladelphiaPST

I recently joined “Opposition Territory” — a podcast produced by The Philadelphia Sports Table, hosted by Jeff Warren — to preview the Week 17 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. With both teams entering the final stretch of the season carrying high expectations, Jeff and I dug into where each team has excelled, where they have struggled, and what could ultimately decide the game on Sunday. Below is our conversation and some added context.

Jeff Warren with The Philadelphia Sports Table:
I feel like the Bills and Eagles are in a very similar situation this season: high expectations to start the year, they’ve won a lot of games, but a lot of hiccups and challenges throughout the season. As we look towards this second to the last game of the season, what has been the biggest challenge for this Bills team this year from an overall perspective that might be prevalent during this upcoming game against the Eagles?

Sara Larson with Buffalo Rumblings:
From an overall perspective, the biggest challenge for the Bills this season has been consistency, especially situationally. They’ve won games, but it hasn’t always been clean. They have started slow and turned the ball over in their losses. And honestly, week to week we have no idea what defense will show up. When the Bills are locked in, they can beat anyone. When they’re not, they tend to let opponents hang around and that’s dangerous against a team like the Eagles that thrives on capitalizing on mistakes. If Buffalo doesn’t start fast and maintain run discipline against Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts, that challenge shows up again in a big way.

JW:
Two part question as we head into Week 17:

What has been the biggest strength of the Bills as we head into Week 17 of the season?
What has been the biggest weakness on this team so far?

SL:

The biggest strength for the Bills heading into Week 17 has been James Cook and his continued evolution. He’s given this offense balance and it runs through him now, taking the pressure off Josh Allen and allowing the Bills to control time of possession when they need to. When Cook is at his best, it forces defenses to play honest, because they have him and Josh Allen to worry about, which opens everything else up.

On the flip side, the biggest weakness has been run defense. I touched on this briefly already. The Bills have a top three passing defense and a bottom three run defense. There have been too many moments where opponents have been able to run all over the Bills. If the ball carrier makes it to the second level, the Bills don’t have the speed to track it down, often resulting in a huge breakdown in coverage. Against physical teams, that becomes an issue, especially early in games. It’s not that the Bills can’t stop the run, but they haven’t done it reliably enough week to week.

JW:
Josh Allen is truly an amazing quarterback. Any team would love to have him under center. But he’s had some criticism come his way this season, some of it pretty harsh, specifically from about a month ago. How would assess Josh Allen’s season given that he’s the reigning MVP of the league, again going back to those expectations coming into the season?

SL:
I’m not one to push back on the criticism. In the middle of the season, I myself, who loves Josh Allen, questioned what was going on with him. Was it an injury, was it his relationship? When you’re the reigning MVP, expectations are almost unrealistic. Anything short of perfection gets magnified, especially because there was considerable controversy surrounding whether he deserved the MVP last year. I think he did, but much like I argued that Lamar Jackson benefited from Derrick Henry, I believe Josh Allen has benefited from James Cook.

With that being said, Josh’s season hasn’t been flawless, but it’s been impactful. He’s been asked to do more with less, a different supporting cast, receivers who struggle themselves with consistency, and the burden to carry games when things break down. The criticism from midseason really came during a stretch where he was not playing well and the defense couldn’t cover up the offensive mistakes, but Allen’s overall body of work this season still reflects how elite he is and he gives the Bills a chance every single week.

But I’ll end that question with this: when the playoffs start, there aren’t many quarterbacks you’d take over Josh Allen, criticism or not.

JW:
Let’s talk matchups. The Eagles offensive line is not what it was last season. Things have been ugly for much of the year, but they’ve been more in sync over the past couple of weeks. How do you think the Bills’ defense will try to penetrate this Eagles offense this Sunday?

SL:
The key for the Bills’ defense is going to be discipline and timely pressure. The Bills are not going to overpower the Eagles offensive line who is getting healthy at the right time. I believe offensive tackle Lane Johnson is scheduled to come back this week which will only add to that cohesion you referred to. The Eagles offense is built to punish an over aggressive defense, especially with their run game, by both Saquon and Hurts. But Buffalo doesn’t need 8-9 sacks. Honestly it would be nice, but that is not where the defense thrives. They need penetration that disrupts Hurts’ timing. They have been great at getting their hands up and tipping passes at the line of scrimmage. If they can collapse the pocket just enough to force Hurts to make bad decisions, that’s where mistakes can happen…. and hopefully where the Bills can capitalize.

But with that, if the Bills defense does well collapsing the pocket, that is where the discipline comes in. Hurts scrambling or ad-libbing screens can be demoralizing to any defense.

JW:
The Bills secondary against the Eagles wide receivers is what I’m going to be focusing on, and if Jalen Hurts is able to get the ball down the field, which we didn’t see much of last week against the Commanders. Hurts was only averaging a little over six yards per attempt. What are your thoughts on the Bills secondary going up against the Eagles receivers in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert?

SL:
The Bills’ secondary has quietly been one of the steadier units this season when healthy, especially when they’re able to keep everything in front of them and force quarterbacks to make bad decisions. Tre’ White and Christian Benford, rookie Maxwell Hairston, and Taron Johnson have all had their moments this season. Even Cam Lewis has shown up when needed. Jordan Poyer has been exactly what Cole Bishop needed.

My concern is the Eagles are not one dimensional. They can beat you on the ground or in the air, so everyone will have to win their matchups. The Bills defense is very much bend but don’t break, and they have been pretty good at making adjustments at halftime.

Dallas Goedert might actually be the key piece here. When the Eagles can’t consistently push the ball downfield, they lean heavily on him to move the chains. The Bills’ linebackers and safeties will need to be sharp in coverage because if Goedert gets comfortable early, it opens things up for Brown and Smith outside.

JW:
We end our pregame preview shows here on “Opposition Territory” with these two questions:

What’s one thing the Bills will need to hit on for a win this week against the Eagles?
What’s one thing the Eagles will need to hit on for a win against the Bills?

SL:
For the Bills, it comes down to winning the turnover battle and controlling time of possession. When Buffalo protects the football and stays on schedule offensively, it limits opportunities for the Eagles to create momentum. Sustained drives, especially if they’re finishing with points, keep Philadelphia from dictating tempo.

For the Eagles, the key is making Josh Allen uncomfortable. That doesn’t always mean sacks, but pressure up the middle, collapsing the pocket, and forcing him to speed up his decision making. If Allen is forced off his spot consistently, that’s when the game tilts in Philly’s favor.

Wrapping up the conversation, it’s clear this matchup is as much about discipline and execution as it is star power. Both teams have clear paths to victory, but also very real vulnerabilities that can be exposed. As Week 17 approaches, this game feels like a true test for both franchises to see where they are competitively heading into the postseason.