HEADLINE

Eagles face critical matchup with surging Bills

Field Level Media

October 24, 2019 at 3:50 am.

The Philadelphia Eagles will be attempting to snap a two-game losing streak when they travel to upstate New York to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

After improving to 3-2, the Eagles have since dropped road games to the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys to fall below .500. The culmination of a three-game road trip has suddenly turned into a crucial game if the Eagles hope to play in the postseason.

The Eagles were dismantled handily 37-10 last Sunday night at NFC East rival Dallas.

One of their biggest problems continues to be early deficits. Two early turnovers led to a quick 14-0 Cowboys lead. Falling behind has been an ongoing problem for the Eagles the entire season, as they have fallen behind

“We have to start quicker than that,” Philadelphia offensive coordinator Mike Groh said. “We can’t have penalties or missed assignments or turn the ball over in our first two drives of the game.”

Deep threat DeSean Jackson had two touchdowns of 50 or more yards in the season-opening win over the Washington Redskins. Jackson was then injured early in Week 2 and hasn’t played since with an abdominal strain. The offense has sputtered without Jackson, who likely won’t play again at Buffalo.

Philadelphia has been besieged with injuries with Jackson, running back Darren Sproles, linebacker Nigel Bradham and left tackle Jason Peters missing chunks of time.

Last season, the Eagles began 4-6 and managed to earn a spot in the playoffs. They’re focused beyond the 16-game regular season once again as they prepare to play a talented Buffalo team.

“That’s the type of men we have here in this locker room,” Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said. “They’re not going to let one game define the season or a couple games define their season. They’re going to get better, learn from it. That’s what we did back then, and we’re going to carry it over to this year.”

Defeating the Bills at home will be a daunting challenge as Buffalo’s 5-1 start is tied for the team’s best six-game opening to a season in 11 years.

If the Bills do in fact improve to 6-1, it will be the first time that has happened since 1993.

After beginning with three straight wins, the Bills were narrowly ousted 16-10 by the New England Patriots. They responded with a 14-7 win on the road against the Tennessee Titans and a 31-21 home win against the winless Miami Dolphins. While the 10-point victory over the Dolphins was far from pretty, it was still a win and an impressive performance by Buffalo’s defense.

Cornerback Tre’Davious White wreaked havoc the entire game against Miami with one interception, one forced fumble and five tackles. As a result, he was named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week.

“We pride ourselves on taking the ball away and getting teams to settle for field goals,” White said.

Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips continues to lead a formidable line that allows the linebackers and defensive backs to play an ultra-aggressive style.

The Bills had allowed 250 passing yards or less by opposing quarterbacks in 14 straight games before Miami’s Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 282. That shows how dominating the defense in Buffalo has been performing.

“We are the best defense in the league when we play like it,” Phillips told reporters. “We just had to come back in the second half and do what we do. All I know is the Bills are 5-1. We expected to get their best shot and we got it, but we came back with the W and that’s what matters.”

The Bills are 6-7 all-time against the Eagles.

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