Good afternoon and happy Victory Monday, everyone! The Eagles won their second straight game on Sunday to push their record to 6-7. There were plenty of storylines to come out of the big win, so in case you missed any of them, we've got you covered here at PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
Here are some of the top headlines from yesterday's 23-20 victory ...
Football Wins Over Hype For Eagles - Dave Spadaro
"Think back to where the Eagles were after the loss in Detroit on Thanksgiving, their third straight, and the feelings for this football team. The difference between then and now is stark after a thrilling 23-20 win over Buffalo on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
It wasn't exactly a man-bites-dog moment, but the 60 minutes of football played on Sunday was better, hands down, than a week of drama that led to the opening kickoff. The sub-stories were juicy, indeed: LeSean McCoy coming back to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time after the Eagles traded him to Buffalo in the offseason and vowing to "not shake" the hand of head coach Chip Kelly; the speculation on how the Eagles would handle their running back rotation in light of DeMarco Murray's frustration and post-game conversation with Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie after the victory at New England and, of course, the whole it's-December-and-who-is-going-to-step-up-and-win-the-NFC East angle.
It was a lot to digest.
'It's a real confident feeling now for everybody now and that's the difference from that time after the Detroit game,' linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. 'We have a lot of energy. I love our energy level. We know we can go out there and hang with anybody, beat any team, and that's a great feeling. To get this win is an important one. It's December. We didn't do a good job in December last year. Now we're 2-0.'
They are because they went toe-to-toe with a dangerous Buffalo team that featured a lot of dangerous offensive weapons and a defense capable of dialing up some serious pressure. The Eagles led early on a 1-yard Darren Sproles run to cap a nine-play, 61-yard touchdown drive and then Buffalo came right back with a Tyrod Taylor touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins, a play that was significant in that safety Ed Reynolds was unable to make the play over the top in coverage, a lesson he learned quickly enough to make a difference in the fourth quarter."
Tweet Of The Day
Bills Vs. Eagles: Players Of The Game
These Eagles soared during the Week 14 win over Buffalo at Lincoln Financial Field ...
A quick recap at some of the key players who powered the Eagles to their 23-20 win over the Bills. View the full gallery here...
DE Fletcher Cox was a disruptive force on defense, finishing with eight tackles, seven solo, and one sack
S Ed Reynolds had an interception at the end of the game to secure the victory for the Eagles
QB Sam Bradford threw 23 completions for 247 yards and one touchdown
TE Zach Ertz lead the team with five receptions for 98 yards
RB Darren Sproles lead the team with 41 rushing yards, had one touchdown and also returned four punts for a total of 47 yards
WR Nelson Agholor scored his first NFL touchdown and also had 62 receiving yards
P Donnie Jones tallied seven punts for a total of 353 yards to help the Eagles defeat the Bills
K Caleb Sturgis made three field goals, 45, 41, 30
LB Bryan Braman recovered a key fumble that allowed the Eagles to regain control of the game
CB Byron Maxwell had two tackles and a forced fumble
DB Eric Rowe had four tackles on the day
Agholor Remains Team-First After First TD - Alex Smith
Nelson Agholor caught his first-career touchdown pass on Sunday, and after the game he was quick to praise his teammates and coaches for the opportunity ...
"Nelson Agholor is the definition of a team-first player.
When he made a one-handed catch against Washington earlier in the season, he spoke about the team. When he caught a touchdown pass in the preseason opener against Indianapolis, it was about the team.
On Sunday, he caught his first-career regular season touchdown, torching the Buffalo defense for 53 yards in the 23-20 Eagles win. As you can probably guess, he was all about the team when asked about the play in the locker room after the game.
'Sam (Bradford) gave me an opportunity. It was a great play call by the coaches to give me an opportunity,' Agholor said. 'It felt great because it was a play that helped us out.'
It was the first touchdown reception of the receiver's young career, 13 games into his rookie season. Upon entering the end zone, he celebrated with his teammates, but he also celebrated with the 70,000 fans in the seats at Lincoln Financial Field.
'The Linc was rockin'. It wasn't just me,' said Agholor, who finished with 62 yards receiving on three receptions. 'Everyone was going crazy so I fed off of that emotion and it was fun. That's what it's supposed to be like. This is the highest level of football, and we have some great fans and great players on our team. It meant a lot to score in the situation that I did and for my teammates. You have to think about it. On that series we got pushed back a little bit, and I needed to make a play, and I did.'"
Eagles Win, You Win
Miss any of yesterday's action? Check out the highlights from the Eagles' win over Buffalo, which featured a stingy defensive performance in the second half and the first touchdown for an Eagles rookie ...
Other Views
Jason Peters: Twilight Before The Hall – Tim McManus
"He was a standout baseball player (pitcher, mostly) and was so good at hoops that he entertained what seemed like legit NBA aspirations. But once he began playing football his junior year, the path became clear. He was featured on both sides of the ball for the Bulldogs and was the team's kicker. Earned All-District and All-Area honors as a defensive end, which was the position he was recruited to play for the University of Arkansas.
'I was the number one defensive end coming out going to Arkansas. When I got there, MVP of the Red and White game, I think I had like 14 tackles, 4-5 sacks,' said Peters during his sitdown with Birds 24/7. 'And I remember we were playing Alabama and a couple tight ends got hurt. And the coach asked me to go in and he told me what to do. 'Block this guy.' And I blocked him and pancaked the guy. He put me back in there, 'block this guy,' and I blocked him and we got outside the edge. Then he told me to block him and release to the flat. I caught the ball for a first down. And he just kept me there, and it just went from there.'
Turns out, he was still years away from finding his true calling."
Bradford The Key In Eagles' 2-Game Win Streak – Mike Sielski
"'The worst thing in the world you can do to any player, particularly a quarterback, is to rush to judgment,' Schottenheimer said. 'If you do that, you're going to be wrong more often than you're right.'
Only now, in the wake of the Eagles' 23-20 victory Sunday over the Bills, are people beginning to understand the wisdom of what Schottenheimer was getting at, of the need for patience and prudence when it came to evaluating Bradford. The Eagles' resurgence - their back-to-back wins to keep themselves in the playoff race - has coincided with Bradford's return to the lineup from a shoulder injury and a concussion, and only now are we beginning to see who Bradford can be.
They had burped up that game to the Dolphins last month after Bradford left with a lead, and they'd given up 90 points over those humiliating losses to Tampa Bay and Detroit. And if you believe that, with their season in the balance, the Eagles would have rallied to beat New England and Buffalo with the spasmodic Mark Sanchez at quarterback, well, you keep telling yourself that. Bradford hasn't been the only difference, but he's been a damn big one."
