This is the kind of game to win in Week 17: Tight, physical, crappy weather conditions on the road against a Super Bowl-contending team. It wasn't always pretty, but the Eagles' 13-12 win on Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo gives Philadelphia its third straight win, upping the season record to 11-5 with a Week 18 game at home against Washington all that remains.

A 13-0 halftime lead slowly melted away in the second half as the Eagles struggled to build on its first half offensive performance, but the defense was stout and, in one final play, forced a Josh Allen incompletion on a two-point conversion to seal the victory.

Some observations as the Eagles, currently the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff picture, keep alive their chances for a No. 2 seed (prior to Sunday night's Chicago-San Francisco game) …

1. Play to the whistle

It appeared, initially, that Allen had his arm moving forward as he rolled right at the Philadelphia 28-yard line. Jaelan Phillips closed in on Allen, and the ball popped loose and went skidding backward all the way to the Buffalo 45-yard line. A hustling Jihaad Campbell – who had a terrific game playing the entire way in place of Nakobe Dean – beat Buffalo offensive lineman O'Cyrus Lawrence to the football – to give the Eagles possession. The morale of the story: The play isn't over until the whistle blows. We see it all the time – players think the play is over and stop. Campbell didn't stop, and he had the only takeaway of the game.

2. Points off turnovers are huge

That set up the Eagles offense, which went 45 yards on seven plays – a 4-yard completion from Jalen Hurts to Darius Cooper, a 27-yard completion to A.J. Brown, a 3-yard pass to Grant Calcaterra, another completion to Brown that gained six yards to the Buffalo 5-yard line, a Saquon Barkley run for three yards to the 2-yard line, another Barkley plunge for a yard to the 1, and then a neat little completion from Hurts to Goedert for a touchdown and, after Jake Elliott's PAT, a 7-0 advantage in a driving rain for much of the game. Scoring points off of turnovers – that is complementary football.

3. Jake Elliott good is a great sign

Jake Elliott has struggled at points this season. The Eagles stuck with him because they know he will get it right, and he did so on Sunday. In really bad kicking conditions, Elliott nailed a 47-yard field goal, a 28-yard field goal, his lone PAT, and he kicked off well. This is a fantastic sign with one week to go in the regular season. The Eagles have full belief in Elliott for a reason, as we saw in tropical conditions in Buffalo – always a wild weather place to play.

4. Speaking of special teams …

In addition to Elliott, the special teams had a huge hand in this win. Punter Braden Mann kicked seven times and averaged 55.4 yards per boot, with a net of 45.4 yards. Jalen Carter blocked an extra point after the first Buffalo touchdown, which obviously dictated the Bills' decision to go for two points at the very end of the game. The coverage teams were solid against an explosive Buffalo return game, and the Eagles did their job in the return game. Mann's ability to flip the field had a significant impact in this one.

5. The rust is off for Jalen Carter

Welcome back, Jalen Carter. He missed three games with shoulders injuries, and he came back with thunder in his game. The stat sheet says that Carter had only one tackle, but he was commanding inside with a quarterback sack, a pass deflected, pressure inside, and sheer force when he was on the field. He seems to be ready for the postseason, and the Eagles will need him to be at his dominating best.

6. A first half to treasure for the Eagles

The Eagles led 13-0 after two quarters, and it was just something to behold and hope they duplicate throughout the playoffs. The defense, great all game, limited Buffalo to 121 total net yards and six total first downs. Amazing. Buffalo averaged 158.9 rushing yards per game in leading the NFL through 16 weeks and had just 25 in the first half. Meanwhile, the Eagles had 174 total net yards of offense, 10 first downs, and converted three of eight third downs. Brown had five catches for 68 yards on six targets. Hurts was 13 of 20 for 110 yards and the touchdown in awful conditions. Leading 13-0 and taking the Bills Mafia out of the game? That's huge.

7. Running game continues to produce

Yes, the offense bogged down in the second half, and the Eagles need to be better for 60 minutes in the postseason. But they had some moments running the ball in this one and the running game is on the upswing. Barkley had 51 rushing yards in the first half and finished with 68 on 19 attempts. That is more encouragement heading into the postseason.

8. A milestone kind of game

Just some notes: Goedert has 11 touchdowns, a single-season record for Eagles' tight ends, topping Pete Retzlaff's 1965 season. Brown went over the 1,000-yard mark receiving for the season, and the Eagles pushed their record to an amazing 42-2 when winning the takeaway battle under Head Coach Nick Sirianni.

9. Pass rush design was perfect

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio knew that quarterback Josh Allen would be tough to corral, so he wanted his defense to "cage" Allen in this game. They did just that, sacking him five times, pressuring him another dozen times, and limiting Allen to 27 rushing yards on seven attempts. Allen rallied late to throw for 262 yards, but much of that came in the fourth quarter in desperate situations. The pressure came from inside with Carter, Moro Ojomo, and Jordan Davis doing the damage, while Jalyx Hunt, Phillips, and Nolan Smith brought it from the outside. Some timely blitzing from linebacker Zack Baun was effective. The defense had sticky coverage underneath and gave up only a couple of 50/50 balls down the field

Oh, and James Cook, the leading rusher in the NFL with 1,532 yards (5.3 yards per carry), gained only 74 yards on 20 carries, with a long run of 10 yards.

10. A couple of other things …

• Another great game from Pro Bowl defensive back Cooper DeJean, who had nine tackles and who was all over the field. He's so valuable in so many ways.
• Loved the way safety Marcus Epps crashed the line of scrimmage in the blitz game and tackled so well. He had nine tackles, including one for a loss.
• Two more quarterback sacks for Hunt, who now has 6.5 for the season. He has really taken that next step in year number two.
• No matter the areas that need to be improved, and there are always coaching and teaching points, remember this: The Eagles never trailed in Buffalo, in lousy weather, with the Bills Mafia roaring, against one of the NFL's best offenses, against a Buffalo team that NEEDED this win … that's impressive.