Philly Front Office

As much as we want to hype this Sunday’s Eagles-Bills game as a showdown between two of the league’s best over the last few years, it isn’t. The truth is, this game means much more to the Bills than it does to the Eagles. They need this game, the Eagles do not. I still think the Birds are going to win, but the motivations could not be any different. The media may think the Eagles have something to prove but with their place in the postseason nearly set, a trophy already in the case, injuries, and quality wins on the resume, Philly is fine. Josh Allen on the other hand, whether the media wants to focus on it or not, needs to prove himself and the team’s contender status against the best in the league.

Eagles Christmas Gift: Hope

This season has recently been deemed his best chance to win the Super Bowl. Why? Because his contemporaries at the top of the AFC QB list have almost all been eliminated. No Pat Mahomes, no Joe Burrow, and probably no Lamar Jackson at this point either. None of the other QBs in the conference have done anything yet. Sure the big boys out, but how good is his shot to represent the conference this year?¹ Let’s look at his threat level…

#7 – Pittsburgh Steelers

In the playoffs this year, the 4th seed is going to be significantly worse than the rest of the field. While damn near everyone else is in the running for the top spot in the conference, the Steelers are not and haven’t been the whole season. Combine that, an aged roster (that might be Watt-less), and perpetual underachievement by Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs and you have an easy recipe for a 1 and done at Heinz Field especially if they play the Bills in the first round. This is not a good secondary and Allen has already faced them once on the road this year, casually winning 26-7 where their 26 points were scored consecutively to end the game. Threat Level = Green…very light green.

#6 – Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers always look good, but then they and their fraud QB shrivel come playoff time. Herbert is having an okay season but has fallen off since he was the MVP front runner after the first 2 weeks. The Chargers depleted offensive line should allow the Bills to mess Herbert up enough to simply score more. This prospective matchup would be a 60-minute stereotype. The Chargers would go up 17-3 early and lose 31-23, I can see it now. Threat Level = Blue.²

#5 – Denver Broncos

Do I think we live in a world where Bo Nix can and will beat Josh Allen in the playoffs? No. No, I don’t. However, there is a chance that dirty Sean Payton and this defense can bottle up what makes Allen special and squeak out a win. That’s how they got to 13-3. Do you know how many of their games have been decided by 1 score? 13!!! Going 11-2 in those games is not exactly a strategy you want to bank on, there’s something to say about it working this season. Buffalo is no slouch in the department either going 5-2. Threat Level = Light “Too Many Drinks” Yellow

#4 – New England Patriots

When the Patriots beat the Bills earlier in the year, Buffalo was not playing their best. In fact, it seemed like they forgot how to play football, 2023 Eagles-style, for a few weeks. Then when they met again, New England blew a 21-point lead. Should we take that as good for NE that they went up by 21 or good for Buffalo that they came back? No idea. The NFL world is probably hoping that these teams meet for a 3rd time to settle the debate. A was dubious of Drake Maye earlier in the season due to a creampuff schedule, but he has done nothing but play clean smart football all year. If he can fight the urge to try to be the hero in the playoffs, this game will be a toss up. It will probably come down to what QB makes a mistake. Threat Level = Dark “Dehydrated” Yellow.

#3 – Jacksonville Jaguars

What I saw from the Jaguars against the Broncos last week was an offense playing in the future. I never, EVER thought I would be impressed with a Trevor Lawrence led team, but that was something completely different. Jaguars vs Bills is the matchup America doesn’t know it wants yet. This has all the makings of the KC-Buffalo shootout we saw back in 2022. This is the first team in the mix I would bet on over the Bills even though I think it will a barn burner of a game. Threat Level = Orange

Eagles Rooting Guide: Week 17

#2 – Himself

Despite not making it to a Super Bowl, Allen has been nothing but solid statistically in the playoffs over the years. The problem has been Patrick Mahomes. He is infamously 0-4 against him in the postseason. He doesn’t have that impediment this year. This will be the first time in Allen’s playoff life he hasn’t had the Mahomes wall to scale looming on the horizon. How is he going to handle it? To beat Mahomes in the past, he needed to be perfect. Then the day he WAS perfect, even that wasn’t enough! It sounds weird, but Allen will need to be prepared to NOT have to go through his arch nemesis. He’ll basically need to get over the hump without having to get over the hump.

While Allen and the Bills are perpetually aware of Mahomes and the Chiefs, they simply haven’t faced the challenge of their possible playoff opponents this season. Look at their schedule. They have not played any of the best teams in the league other than New England and Houston. Their best win was against the Patriots and they were down 21 in that one. They don’t even really have a second best win unless you count the Ravens in Week 1 before we knew they were kind of bad. This is a team that has essentially coasted to the playoffs but still has 4 losses. If they think they can walk past anyone because the Chiefs aren’t around, they will get smoked. Essentially every playoff game will be a trap game. It is up to Allen to not let complacency set in. Threat Level = Blood Orange

#1 – Houston Texans

Allen is far and away the best QB in the AFC playoffs. Maye is the only one close and that is just an assumption at this point. CJ Stroud has had a disappointing season so far, but has been solid in the playoffs. Despite getting sacked 8 times in last year’s loss to the Chiefs, that game was close until the end and Stroud didn’t screw up despite the pressure. If the Texans get that Stroud, it’s not crazy to say they are the favorite in the AFC despite currently being the 7th seed. That’s how good this defense is. When they played last month, the Texans held Allen to just a field goal in the 2nd half, that included an INT, fumble, and a turnover on downs. They shut him down every way possible. Houston also won the game with Davis Mills under center. If Stroud can avoid mistakes against a not very good Bills defense, then Will Anderson, Derek Stingley, and company can realistically take care of the rest. Threat Level = That Awesome Red That the Texans Wear

1. For the purposes of this article, let’s ignore how ridiculous it is that a lack of elite challenge is seen as a good thing for Josh Allen, but is used to downgrade the Eagles in both 2022 and 2024. ↩︎
2. We are using the standard Homeland Security/Forest Fire color chart that goes Green, Blue, Yellow, Orange, Red. Who in the world designed that chart by the way? Shouldn’t Blue be first? In terms of colors, orange being between red and yellow makes sense. Blue being between Green and Yellow doesn’t make any sense at all. ↩︎