Eagles hang on to defeat Bills

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At this stage of the season, every game is a must-win for the Eagles. And for the second straight week, credit the defense for sealing a crucial victory.

The Eagles kicked two field goals in the second half as the offense was shut down by Rex Ryan's Bills. But a late interception for Ed Reynolds sealed the deal for the Eagles, giving them a 23-20 win over the Bills at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills	7	3	10	0	20
Eagles	7	10	3	3	23

The Eagles opened the scoring on their first offensive possession. Driving 61 yards to the endzone, the Eagles used three big plays to get there. A 21-yard pass from Sam Bradford to Zach Ertz moved the Eagles into the redzone. Darren Sproles then carried the ball 14 yards to the one before getting the final yard on the next play for the touchdown.

The Bills wasted no time answering. It took just 1:36 for the Bills to score, as Tyrod Taylor completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins.

The Eagles would strike just over four minutes into the second quarter. After a muffed punt and recovery by the Eagles gave the offense new life inside the 40, the Eagles were moving backwards before a perfect throw from Bradford to Nelson Agholor resulted in a 53-yard touchdown.

The Bills would kick a field goal on their next drive, with Dan Carpenter hitting from 38 yards. The Eagles added a late field goal from 45 yards to give the Eagles a seven-point lead at the half.

The Eagles opened the second half with a strong drive that stalled inside the 25. The 11-play drive resulted in a 41-yard field goal for Caleb Sturgis to extend the lead to 10.

The Bills got another field goal on their next drive with Carpenter connecting from 40 yards.

Buffalo would tie the game on their next drive. After converting on 3rd and 13 with a 14-yard scramble by Taylor, Mike Gillislee ran in from 19 yards out for the game-tying touchdown.

The Eagles got deep into Buffalo territory again on their next drive, only to have a pass intercepted. Bradford's throw appeared to be in the hands of Brent Celek before being ripped out by Leodis McKelvin for the interception.

The Bills did not capitalize on the turnover, and the game remained tied into the final minutes of the fourth.

The Eagles would move in front with 3:26 to play in the game. A 41-yard catch by Ertz on 3rd and 3 helped the Eagles move into the redzone. Sturgis would hit his third field goal of the game from 30 yards to give the Eagles the lead again.

Given one last chance to tie or win the game, the Bills would seal an Eagles win as Taylor was intercepted by Reynolds on 3rd and 3.

LeSean McCoy rushed for 74 yards on 20 carries and caught four passes for 35 yards and did not factor into the scoring.

The Eagles win, coupled with Washington's 24-21 win over Chicago, keeps the Eagles tied for first place in the NFC East for another week with the Week 16 meeting between the two drawing closer.

Passing Summary:

Eagles

Sam Bradford: 23/38, 247 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 77.4 RTG

Bills

Tyrod Taylor: 19/36, 268 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 74.8 RTG

Top-Performing Receivers:

Eagles

Zach Ertz: 5 rec, 98 yards
Nelson Agholor: 3 rec, 62 yards, TD
Riley Cooper: 3 rec, 28 yards

Bills

Robert Woods: 5 rec, 106 yards
Sammy Watkins: 5 rec, 81 yards, TD
LeSean McCoy: 4 rec, 35 yards

Top-Performing Rushers:

Eagles

Darren Sproles: 7 car, 41 yards
Ryan Mathews: 13 car, 38 yards
DeMarco Murray: 11 car, 34 yards

Bills

LeSean McCoy: 20 car, 74 yards
Tyrod Taylor: 8 car, 53 yards
Mike Gillislee: 3 car, 24 yards

Breakdown:

First Downs: Eagles – 20, Bills - 18
3rd Down Efficiency: Eagles – 9-for-18, Bills – 6-for-16
4th Down Efficiency: Eagles – 0-for-0, Bills - 0-for-0
Total Plays: Eagles – 73, Bills – 69
Total Yards: Eagles – 348 yards, Bills - 412 yards
Passing Yards: Eagles – 232 yards, Bills – 260 yards
Rushing Yards: Eagles – 116 yards, Bills – 152 yards
Redzone: Eagles – 1-for-2, Bills – 1-for-2
Penalties: Eagles – 5 penalties, 55 yards; Bills – 15 penalties, 101 yards
Turnovers: Eagles – 1, Bills – 2
Time Of Possession: Eagles – 24:46, Bills – 35:14

What's Next:

Sunday, December 20, 2015: vs. Arizona Cardinals, 8:30 p.m.

Lincoln Financial Field; TV: NBC; Radio: 94 WIP

Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.

Eagles hang on to defeat Bills

Kevin Durso

Kevin Durso

Kevin Durso

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