For the first time since 2020, the Buffalo Bills will not be AFC East champions. With their 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots have taken the division and the Bills will now be on the road for the playoffs.
The Bills came so close to making yet another comeback, being down 13-0 going into the fourth quarter. Buffalo scored a potential game-tying touchdown with just five seconds left and they opted to go for two and end it. Instead, Josh Allen couldn’t get the pass completed to Khalil Shakir and that’s all that was written for Buffalo in this game.
The Bills couldn’t make it five wins in a row unfortunately. Now they will turn their attention to the New York Jets for what could be Buffalo’s final game in the current Highmark Stadium.
As the sting of this loss arrives, here are the winners and losers from this huge loss by the Bills.
Winners and losers from Bills' heartbreaking Week 17 loss
Winners
WR Brandin Cooks
Until this game, Brandin Cooks was a non-factor for this offense. However, that changed when he caught two long catches to put Buffalo deep into Philly territory. He finished the game with 4 catches for 101 yards which included a 50-yard catch early on in the game.
DC Bobby Babich
Usually the defense for the Bills is the liability of the team. In this game, they were the big strength that kept the Eagles’ offense in check for the most part and credit should be given to defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. Under Babich in this game, Buffalo’s defense only gave up 190 yards, including just 17 yards in the second half. It’s too bad that the offense couldn’t do their part.
LB Matt Milano
Matt Milano is playing well for this defense and he once again shined from sideline to sideline. He was Buffalo’s leading tackler with seven total, and he also added on a tackle for loss and half a sack. Milano may very well be playing his final games with the Bills so him playing strong now could get him atleast one more contract in the NFL.
Losers
WR Keon Coleman
Putting someone on this list that didn’t play? Yes, absolutely. Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch for the fourth time since Week 11 and it just feels like there is no room for him on this roster going into the offseason. Outside of Week 1 against the Ravens, he hasn’t done anything spectacular on the field and his work ethic has been seriously questioned the last month.
DE Joey Bosa
Jalen Hurts was sacked only once this game, but it wasn’t from Joey Bosa who once again was very quiet throughout the game. He finished with just two total tackles and he didn’t provide a ton of pressure off the edge. Now is not the time for Bosa to disappear and going into the playoffs, he needs to step it back up from when he was producing early on.
QB Josh Allen
This might cause arguments considering how Allen and the offense came alive late in the 4th quarter, but Allen deserves a good amount of blame. He at one point took an 18-yard sack where he held onto the ball for way too long and it severely hurt Buffalo’s chances at scoring before the 4th quarter.
He had off-target throws, including the failed 2-point conversion. While he did have two rushing touchdowns, Allen was not able to put on the Superman cape today against the Eagles despite his defense putting on a great show.
Bills offensive line
This offensive line has been playing terribly the last couple of weeks and it continued against the Eagles. While it wasn’t their fault for all five sacks given up, they gave up a ton of pressure and couldn’t handle the blitz that the Eagles were sending. O’Cyrus Torrence and David Edwards both heavily struggled on the interior. Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown were no more than average at protecting the outside of the pocket.
Overall, it was not a great performance by this unit that has slowly started to fall apart the last couple of games.
K Michael Badgley
This ended up being a one point game and we can’t ignore one of the biggest reasons why it was. After Buffalo scored their first touchdown in the final quarter, the Bills went for a PAT kick and Badgley’s kick was blocked which would ultimately cost the Bills a potential tie and force the game into overtime.