Despite the 13-0 deficit for Buffalo at halftime, neither offense had an easy time driving down the field. Hurts completed 14 of 21 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown in the first half. Allen had a 90-yard passing performance on seven-of-10 throws. On the ground, the Eagles had 59 total yards on 15 carries; and the Bills had 55 rushing yards on 12 carries.
After sharing punts back-and-forth in the first quarter, Allen had a momentum-sparking pass deep down the field to Cooks. On second-and-16, Allen launched the ball down the field 50 yards, hitting Cooks in the chest as he fell backward to the ground.
The Bills couldn’t capitalize on the massive completion, though, as Allen lost control of the ball on the next set of downs. Linebacker Jaelan Phillips got his hand around Allen, forcing the ball to pop out and tumble down in the other direction. Linebacker Jihaad Campbell jumped on top of it at the Buffalo 42-yard-line, putting the Eagles back in control and swinging the momentum quickly after the Bills got rolling.
Philadelphia converted the turnover into a touchdown, the first score of the game for either team. After stopping running back Saquan Barkley twice in a row, the Eagles opted for a pass on second-and-one. Tight end Dallas Goedert was uncovered making his way into the end zone. Hurts sent the ball over and Goedert hauled it in for the touchdown.
Turnovers and penalties, however, gave Buffalo a more difficult time than Philadelphia. The Bills had three penalties called on them for 30 yards while the Eagles had two calls for 10 combined yards.
In the second quarter after Philadelphia scored, Buffalo’s offense seemed to spark once again. Allen had a 17-yard scramble up the middle that got his team closer to midfield at the Bills’ 44-yard-line. Handing the ball off to running back James Cook III on two consecutive plays, it would have been a 14-yard total gain. On the second run, an eight-yard rush, left tackle Dion Dawkins drew an offensive holding penalty, backing them up into their own territory again. Buffalo eventually punted on the drive.
With Hurts and his offense back on the field, the Bills’ defense came up with a stop of third-and-12. However, linebacker Matt Milano was called for defensive holding, giving the Eagles an automatic first down and more life. Philadelphia ended the drive with a successful, 47-yard field goal.
Key Stats and Facts
- Bills are 27-5 in December/January regular season games since 2020.
- Bills are 23-7 against NFC teams since 2020, including a 14-1 home record.
- Josh Allen reaches 30,000 regular season passing yards in his career.
Scoring Plays
BUF 0, PHI 7 – J.Hurts pass short right to D.Goedert for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. J.Elliott extra point is GOOD.
BUF 0, PHI 10 – J.Elliott 47-yard field goal is GOOD.
BUF 0, PHI 13 – J.Elliott 28-yard field goal is GOOD.
BUF 6, PHI 13 – J.Allen left guard for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. M.Badgley extra point is Blocked.
BUF 12, PHI 13 – J.Allen right guard for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN. TWO-POINT CONVERSION ATTEMPT. J.Allen pass to K.Shakir is incomplete. ATTEMPT FAILS.
Milestone Watch
- Bills tight end room has 30-plus receptions in one season for the first time in franchise history.
- Josh Allen becomes youngest and fastest player in NFL history to eclipse 300 regular season touchdowns.
- Josh Allen becomes first quarterback in NFL history with at least two rushing touchdowns in five games in one season.
