PHILADELPHIA — A late-season trip to Orchard Park, N.Y., rarely offers comfort or clean conditions. But today’s kickoff against the Buffalo Bills sets up another measuring stick for an Eagles team that has found some offensive footing recently against lesser competition.
After a three-game slide, the Birds righted the ship by winning a pair against the Raiders and Commanders while locking up their second-straight NFC East title.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who missed three weeks after undergoing procedures on both shoulders, is expected to return to action today. Whether he’ll be on a snap count is something coach Nick Sirianni will have to weigh.
“He’s had a good week of practice, and I’m excited to be able to get him back out there,” Sirianni said Friday, “if that’s the route we go this week and if we’re ready. He’s a phenomenal football player and so it’s always good when Jalen Carter is on the field.”
He said that same approach extends to weekly schematic decisions — including the use of empty shotgun formations after seeming to find an identity under center — and to the unpredictable elements that often define games in western New York this time of year.
“You can do empty sets from a bunch of different personnel groupings,” Sirianni said. “Each week is a little bit different in terms of how much you use it, when you use it. There are different ways to take advantage of matchups.”
Still, the Birds have to feel good about how they match up on the outside against Buffalo’s defensive backs and about play action with Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby. And coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense has been playing at a championship level, even in Carter’s absence, but will have to contend with quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook.
Play-calling decisions may be influenced by weather, which Sirianni said is baked into the preparation long before kickoff. Wind, in particular, remains the most challenging variable.
“I think the wind is always the thing that’s the most challenging as a coach, as a player to be able to handle,” Sirianni said, recalling previous trips to Buffalo. “You take everything into account and sometimes that changes quarter by quarter of how you play things.”
The Eagles have played through spots of rain, cold and wind going back to late November, a stretch that has reinforced the staff’s emphasis on fundamentals and situational detail.
This matchup inevitably conjures memories of the 2023 meeting at Lincoln Financial Field, a back-and-forth game that ended on a walk-off touchdown after Jake Elliott forced overtime with a late field goal. Sirianni said those moments stand out, but the opponent remains the constant.
“Really good opponent, great coaches, great players,” Sirianni said. “Josh Allen is a phenomenal football player.”
Allen has an ankle/foot injury but was a full participant in Friday’s practice. How mobile he’ll be is a question mark. The Bills are still jockeying for AFC playoff seeding. The Eagles are pretty secure at No. 3 in the NFC but have an outside shot at the two seed. With the postseason looming, Sirianni insisted there’s no room for reflection — only execution.
“You’re always focused on how you get better,” he said. “Our focus is constantly on today.”
Injury report
Eagles: OUT – ILB Nakobe Dean (hamstring), RT Lane Johnson (foot). QUESTIONABLE – T Cameron Williams (shoulder). Friday practice report: DNP – ILB Nakobe Dean (hamstring), RT Lane Johnson (foot).
This will be Johnson’s sixth missed game in a row with a Lisfranc injury. Fred Johnson should once again start in his place, with standout rookie Jihaad Campbell seeing more time again in Dean’s absence.
Friday practice report: FULL – ILB Zack Baun (hand), WR AJ Brown (teeth), LB Jihaad Campbell (back/ankle), DT Jalen Carter (shoulders), LG Landon Dickerson (illness), T Fred Johnson (calf), TE Cameron Latu (stinger), WR DeVonta Smith (illness), T Cameron Williams (shoulder).
Bills: OUT – S Jordan Poyer (hamstring), DT DaQuan Jones (calf), DT Jordan Phillips (ankle), K Matt Prater (right quad). QUESTIONABLE – TE Dalton Kincaid (knee), TE Dawson Knox (knee).
Pregame position grades
Here’s how the teams match up heading into Sunday, based on health and how they’ve been playing recently. Performances will be evaluated postgame.
QB: Bills A+, Eagles B+
RB: Bills A, Eagles B+
TE: Eagles A-, Bills B-
WR: Eagles A, Bills C-
OL: Bills A, Eagles B
DL: Eagles A, Bills B
LB: Eagles B+, Bills B-
CB/S: Eagles A-, Bills B+
ST: Eagles B-, Bills C-
On the air
Eagles (10-5) at Bills (11-4), Today, 4:25, Highmark Stadium.
TV: FOX: Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.
Radio/streaming: 94.1-FM WIP: Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Devan Kaney. Tico: Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen and David Gerhardt. Sports USA: Josh Appel and Charles Arbuckle.
Betting odds
Spread: Bills by 1.5.
Over/under: 43.5.
Money line: Bills -118, Eagles -102.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc for the latest updates.