The Eagles did just enough on Sunday to take down the Buffalo Bills 23-20 at Lincoln Financial Field to keep their playoffs hopes alive and well.
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The Eagles defense focused on stymieing McCoy, who was limited to 74 yards on 20 carries.
“I’ve got nothing to say, excuse me”, McCoy said as he walked out with cameramen trying to get a glimpse at the disgruntled running back, who reportedly ignored Kelly’s phone calls leading up to the game and hung up after Kelly identified himself.
The Bills (6-6) are one game behind in the AFC wild-card standings.
The two sides played about ten minutes of scoreless football before Sam Bradford delivered a 53-yard strike to Nelson Agholor to put the Eagles back up 14-7.
“I was laughing when I saw him being compared to (former Eagle) Jerome Brown but I’m not laughing now”, Ryan said. The player McCoy was traded for, linebacker Kiko Alonso, has made just one start for the Eagles. This past week was all about the Chip Kelly-LeSean McCoy feud.
McCoy was booed loudly during pregame introductions, but was heckled only mildly during the game.
Stoic Patriots coach Bill Belichick and boisterous Bills coach Rex Ryan are different in so many ways but similar in at least one: They both marvel at Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox.
Down 20-14 late in the third quarter Buffalo made it a tie game when Mike Gillislee took a 19-yard run into the end zone to knot the game at 20. The pass went to Zach Ertz, who got a pick from Josh Huff, and went 41 yards to get the Birds into field-goal range. McCoy will end up getting his 100 yards and probably a touchdown but in the end Kelly will get the last laugh as the Eagles continue to ride the momentum of that big upset in New England by escaping with a late field goal for the win.
“The Bills could have the upper hand on the Jets because despite NY being one game up, the Bills do hold the tiebreaker and still get to play the Jets in Orchard Park in the final game of the season”. His team, which is the definition of undisciplined, also had over 90 yards of penalties today, which certainly worked in the Eagles favor in a close game.
“I thought we were the better team, but obviously we got beat”, Bills coach Rex Ryan said. “As a defensive backfield, we pride ourselves in our ability to go get the ball”.
But for the Bills, winning this Sunday game isn’t as simple as what the matchup history of these two teams manifests. All these words, so many losses, and they’re still pretty much in control of their own destiny in the NFC East. Our main, at least my main focus, is staying on top of him, not letting him get over our heads. Eagles EB DeMarco Murray had 11 carries for 34 yards. The 11th-year veteran leads the league with an average of 12.9 yards and is also the only player with two touchdowns on punt returns. The Bills started their drive at the Eagles’ 44. Bryan Braman recovered Marcus Thigpen’s fumble at the Buffalo 37.
The Eagles missed a scoring chance earlier in the fourth quarter when Bradford threw an interception at the Buffalo 5 as Leodis McKelvin snatched the ball out of Brent Celek’s hands. The Eagles turned the second-half kickoff into a 41-yard Sturgis field goal and a 10-point lead.
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Running back Ryan Mathews said after the game that his back is sore … Watkins is first Bills receiver with 40-yard catches in three straight games since Terrell Owens in 2009. Ertz finished with five catches for 98 yards. Reynolds, playing single-high, could tell by the route run by Robert Woods and the way Taylor had his non-throwing shoulder pointed the ball would be coming his way.
