Five Philadelphia Eagles to watch vs. the Buffalo Bills

The Philadelphia Eagles , owners of the NFL’s best record this season at 9-1, host the Buffalo Bills this weekend in a pivotal game for both clubs. For the Eagles, it’s the latest in a stretch of difficult contests against high-end competition. For the Bills, the consequences of losing are far more dire, as their 6-5 record has them in eighth place in the AFC.

In the preseason, we could have been playing this up as a potential Super Bowl preview; however, with the way the year has gone for the Bills, doing so feels less likely than it did back in August. The Bills will need quality performances from their big names, and they need to limit Philadelphia’s stars in order to emerge from this one with a victory.

Here are our five Eagles to watch this week against Buffalo.

QB Jalen Hurts The former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback has emerged as one of the top signal callers in the NFL, as he is equally adept at scrambling for first downs as he is beating a defense with his arm. Hurts has plenty of weapons at his disposal, and given his arm talent and overall athleticism, he is extremely difficult to defend. Hurts has run less this season, however, as he’s been limited by a knee injury. The Bills could use this to their advantage on Sunday by following a similar blueprint to the one the Kansas City Chiefs deployed last week. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo brought plenty of pressure at Hurts off the right edge, thereby limiting his ability to scramble that way while also speeding up his decision-making. Hurts also seems less comfortable forcing the ball outside of the numbers without his tight end Dallas Goedert, who served as a safety blanket of sorts whenever he needed an outlet. If the Bills can give Hurts plenty of different looks while keeping him in the pocket, they have the chance to force some turnovers. Hurts has nine interceptions and five fumbles this season — not quite Josh Allen-level numbers, but not exactly turnover-immune, either.

RB D’Andre Swift Swift has been a revelation since leaving the Detroit Lions — he looks outstanding in Philadelphia’s potent offense. He’s already set a career-high in rushing yards with 690 entering play, a number which puts him in third place in the league thus far (he’s just two yards ahead of Buffalo’s James Cook). Swift hasn’t been quite as valuable as a receiver, with 33 receptions for just 197 yards, but that’s still an aspect of his game that makes him extremely dangerous. As I wrote last week, Buffalo’s run defense has really normalized over the last month since the team signed former Eagles defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and if the Bills can make Philadelphia more one-dimensional, it will help the team to defend against Hurts and the pass. Avoiding 3rd & Short situations, as well as 4th & Short situations, is about the only way to avoid “The Brotherly Shove” play, so pulling a page out of the Chiefs’ book and treating early downs like third down in terms of the coverage mixing and blitzing could help in that aim. Swift rushed 10 times for just 18 yards in Philadelphia’s only loss, which came at the hands of the New York Jets . Limiting the run is of great importance every week, but it’s especially important this week.

WR A.J. Brown Buffalo is down Dane Jackson, who suffered a concussion last week in their win over the New York Jets. That leaves just Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford on the active roster, though the team will probably either elevate Ja’Marcus Ingram from the practice squad or sign Josh Norman from the practice squad. I expect that they’ll make the former move given that the latter would require releasing a player, and that gives Buffalo another big, physical corner to deal with Philly’s big, physical wideout in Brown. The Bills have struggled with bigger receivers over the years, but with Douglas, who’s 6’2” and 210 pounds, the team has some physicality outside that they didn’t previously. Brown has appeared frustrated at times on the sideline with his lack of targets, but he leads the team in every important receiving category this season (99 targets, 68 receptions, 1,013 yards, six touchdowns). Since Goedert broke his forearm against the Dallas Cowboys , Brown has only been targeted six times in five quarters, racking up two catches for 12 yards and a touchdown. If Buffalo can limit him on Sunday and force Hurts to use his other receivers, that’s a win for the Bills’ defense.

OLB Haason Reddick The veteran is a great pass rusher, and he does a fantastic job setting the edge against the run, as well. Reddick is a big part of the reason why Philadelphia is not only number-one in the league against the run, but also in the top 10 in total teams sacks with 31. Reddick has 8.5 of those sacks, and it will be up to a revamped Buffalo offensive line to ensure that he doesn’t add to that total this week. Whether it’s right tackle Spencer Brown or left tackle Dion Dawkins, the Bills need to account for No. 7 at all times. The issue, of course, is that the Eagles have tremendous depth along the defensive line, so zeroing in on one player is difficult. Reddick is the guy you just can’t let beat you, however, so if there is help to come in the form of chips from the tight ends and running backs, it’s probably going to be directed at Reddick.

CB Darius Slay Philly’s corners are really, really good, as James Bradberry and Slay make up a solid veteran duo. If the Bills have a better shot at beating one, though, I think it’s Slay, who gives up some size to wide receiver Gabe Davis and some speed to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. This game is probably going to be won for the Bills by using the middle of the field, though, and whether that means moving Diggs into the slot or trusting tight end Dalton Kincaid and wide receiver Khalil Shakir in there is up to interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Slay has allowed 66.2% of the passes thrown his way to be completed for a total of 480 yards. He has allowed two touchdowns and made two interceptions on the year. Slay has had some struggles with bigger wideouts at times, so if Buffalo can isolate Davis on him — or better yet, Kincaid if they can split him out wide against a zone — there is opportunity to be had. He’s one of the league’s best zone corners, but the team can’t shy away from throwing the ball. Quarterback Josh Allen needs to take what the Eagles give him and force players like Slay to come up and tackle.