TD in OT vs. Bills

  Eagles improve to 10-1 on Jalen Hurts’ rushing TD in OT vs. Bills: Will Buffalo be able to turn it around?

By Brooks Kubena, Joe Buscaglia and Tim Graham

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a 12-yard run in overtime to defeat the Buffalo Bills 37-34 on Sunday. Here’s what you need to know:

Hurts, who threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns, added 65 yards rushing and another score on the ground in addition to the game winner. He now has 11 multi-rush TD games in his career, breaking a tie with Cam Newton for the most by a QB in the Super Bowl era.
The game reached overtime after the Bills took a 31-28 lead with 1:52 to play when Josh Allen found Gabe Davis in the back of the end zone with a 7-yard pass. Philadelphia then drove 34 yards in nine plays to set up Jake Elliott’s game-tying 59-yarder.
Bills QB Josh Allen was 29-of-51 passing for 339 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also had two scores and a team-high 81 yards on the ground.
The loss drops the Bills to 6-6 and 10th in the AFC playoff standings. Buffalo faces the Chiefs (road) and Cowboys (home) in consecutive weeks following its Week 13 bye.
Eagles come from behind once again
The Eagles completed their fifth come-from-behind victory after trailing at halftime. This one was their most unlikely yet.
 

 

Hurts may have fielded his MVP moment. After Philadelphia held Buffalo to a field goal in overtime, Hurts scrambled for a 12-yard walk-off touchdown. He started 4-of-11 passing for 33 yards and an interception in the first half, but rallied to throw for 200 total yards and three second-half touchdowns.

An Eagles defense that at times used cornerback Darius Slay to shadow Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs came up with crucial turnovers and red zone stops. James Bradberry jumped Allen’s fourth-quarter throw to Diggs for an interception that yielded another Philadelphia touchdown and a 28-24 lead that evaporated after an almost back-breaking Buffalo touchdown drive.

But Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, who made a career-high 61-yard field goal earlier this season, nailed a 59-yarder to force overtime. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles writer

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Evaluating Josh Allen’s performance
Last week, Allen was caught by NFL Films declaring “I feel like I’m f—— back.” His statement, however, came against the New York Jets. Confirmation was required. It was this close to being obtained in a thrilling overtime defeat at Lincoln Financial Field. It wasn’t his fault they lost.

Allen was brilliant, gleaming like the two-threat wonder Bills Mafia fell in love with years ago but for much of this season felt estranged from. He shook off a sluggish start and endured two difficult possessions at the start of the fourth quarter, but drove Buffalo for the near win. Allen was 29-of-51 passing for 339 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and ran nine times for 81 yards and two TDs.

In overtime, he completed only two of his six throws for 17 yards but ran twice for 19 yards, converting a crucial third down along the way. In the fourth quarter, Eagles cornerback Bradberry jumped Diggs for an interception. Seven plays later, Philly had its first lead all day. Hurts skied a pass over Bills safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde to, of all people, Olamide Zaccheaus for a 15-yard touchdown and a 28-24 lead.

Bradberry nearly picked off Allen again on the Bills’ next possession. Then Buffalo marched down the field, mostly with its running backs, but Allen connected all three of his passes for 27 yards, including a 7-yard strike to Gabriel Davis with 1:52 to play. It would have won the game if not for a ridiculous, 59-yard Elliott field goal on soggy grass to force overtime. — Tim Graham, senior Buffalo writer

One of Buffalo’s most crushing losses of the season
After leading for much of the game and even extending the lead at one point in the second half, this is one of the Bills’ most crushing losses of the season. Buffalo needs every victory it can get amidst playoff hopes that are quickly evaporating, and letting one slip away — even though it was against the team with the best record in the NFL — is yet another blow to a season that hasn’t gone anywhere close to according to plan.

The Bills had their offense working. They frustrated the Eagles offense early. It was a game they had won loads of times before in previous seasons, but this year is proving to be different in more ways than one. Now the team, likely at a minimum, must win three of their remaining five games against the Kansas Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

They’ve used up most of their room for error. A strong statement is needed after their bye week.

Despite ultimately falling to the Eagles, Allen appeared to get himself back to the dynamic and hyper-productive pre-slump player. Buffalo moved the ball efficiently, it spread the ball around, Allen was a monster on third downs and it even got the ground game going late. Putting up 34 points against a defense like the Eagles is an accomplishment in itself, and likely should have been enough to win.

While there was an untimely turnover that put the Bills defense in a bad position, one more stop by that group would have been enough. Instead, one of Buffalo’s best offensive showings of the season ends up going for a loss. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills writer