Eagles stifle Bills, fend off dramatic late rally with 2-point conversion stop, allowing Patriots to clinch AFC East

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The Buffalo Bills will not be AFC East champions. 

Against one of the best teams in the NFC on Sunday, they looked little like Super Bowl contenders. 

A daunting Eagles defense stifled the Bills for a 13-12 win in Buffalo. The loss combined with a runaway New England win over the New York Jets earlier Sunday secured the AFC East title for the Patriots.

Dramatic late rally falls short

After being held off the scoreboard for the first 54 minutes of the game, the Bills rallied to score two touchdowns in the final 5:14. But they trailed 13-12 thanks to a blocked extra point on their first touchdown.

They gambled for a 2-point conversion with 5 seconds remaining on the clock. The gamble failed when Josh Allen's pass fell incomplete in the end zone. 

The Eagles, meanwhile, entered Sunday locked into the NFC East title and out of the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They didn't have much to play for. But they improved their chances of moving past the Chicago Bears from the No. 3 seed to No. 2 with Sunday's win. 

And, perhaps, more importantly, their defense was overwhelming in a game that was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview. 

The Bills have long operated as a second-half team and entered Sunday's game leading the NFL in second-half point differential (+109). With the AFC East title at stake on Sunday, there was no second-half magic from a Bills team that's rallied from three double-digit deficits to win this season.

The Eagles limited the Bills to three punts and a fumble in the first half en route to a 13-0 lead. When the Bills punted to conclude the opening drive of the first half, fans who weathered cold rain in the Buffalo stands responded with boos. 

Josh Allen spent Sunday under pressure

The Eagles set the tone early with a sack of Josh Allen that forced a fumble that bounced from the Buffalo 30-yard line into Philadelphia territory.

Philadelphia recovered and converted the turnover into a Jalen Hurts touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert for a 7-0 lead. From there, the Bills were playing on the their heels against a Philadelphia defensive front that dominated their offensive line.

The Bills didn't broach the red zone until the final five minutes of the third quarter. When they got to fourth-and-goal, disaster ensued. 

Allen took off for the end zone when he couldn't find an open receiver in the end zone. He escaped pressure only to be met by multiple Eagles defenders at the goal line. Zack Baun tackled him short of the goal line to force a turnover on downs.

Buffalo's next possession started at Philadelphia's 41 after the Eagles punted from their own end zone. It ended with another punt after Josh Allen lost 19 yards on a third-down sack. 

Again, Allen couldn't find any open receivers. This time he ran backward in a failed effort to buy time from the Eagles' pass rush before Jalyx Hunt took him down for his second sack of the day.

Philadelphia's offense was somehow worse in a second half that produced just 17 yards from scrimmage.

But the Bills didn't capitalize on their repeated opportunities and mustered just a single touchdown on a fourth-quarter sneak from Allen. Even then, Jalen Carter blocked the extra point to limit the damage.