The Buffalo Bills dropped their Week 17 matchup to the Philadelphia Eagles in a 13-12 final.
Buffalo (11-5) mounted a tremendous comeback, tying the game with five seconds remaining in the game. Quarterback Josh Allen misfired on the two-point conversion, missing an open Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone.
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The loss officially places the Bills as a Wild Card participant for the postseason. The AFC East is gone.
There were many ups and downs from this week’s game for the Bills.
Here is how Bills Wire graded the Bills’ loss to the Eagles (11-5) on Sunday:
Pass offense: C
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) calls the snap count at the line of scrimmage against the Philadelphia Eagles defense during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
It was an inconsistent day for the aerial attack. Allen piled up 262 passing yards on a 23-of-35 passing day. However, Allen was sacked five times. Two of the sacks obliterated Bills drives. Allen attempted to tuck the ball back into his possession and was hit by an Eagles defender. The fumble went backwards over 25 yards, and it was recovered by Philadelphia. The second major sack took the Bills out of field goal range, as Allen lost 18 yards on an attempted heroic runaround of the Philadelphia defense.
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Buffalo’s receivers did show up in a way that hasn’t been seen in a while. Brandin Cooks broke out with four receptions for 101 yards. Cooks had two tremendous contested catches in the game. Tyrell Shavers added a stellar 50-50 catch to put the Bills deep in Eagles territory.
However, Allen missed badly on the final play of the game. The two-point conversion attempt failed, as Allen misfired at an open Shakir.
Rush offense: C+
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs the ball against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt (58) during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
The rushing attack had a few nice runs. However, Philadelphia prevented any big runs on the ground. Allen had the longest run of the day: a 17-yard scamper. James Cook’s longest run was only 10 yards.
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Buffalo ran a total of 33 times for 120 yards. James Cook led the way with 20 rushes for 74 yards. Allen scored both of the Bills touchdowns on tush pushes.
The Bills line had issues with creating spaces for Cook. Too often, the Bills relied on their runners to squirm through limited holes rather than scheme open running gaps.
Pass defense: A
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs the ball against Buffalo Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard (8), defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) and defensive end Joey Bosa (97) during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Buffalo held Philadelphia to only 110 yards through the air. Hurst completed fewer than half of his passes, finding his targets on only 13 of his 27 attempts.
AJ Brown led the way for the Eagles with five catches for 68 yards.
The only major blemish on the afternoon was the Dallas Goedert touchdown. The Bills lost him in coverage, and he scored an easy touchdown on a Jalen Hurts play-action pass.
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Rush defense: A-
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby (37) runs the ball and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) blocks against Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Saquon Barkley found some space early in the game. However, as the game progressed, the unit had a greater gap integrity and limited Barkley from finding open space at the line of scrimmage. Barkley ended with 68 yards on 18 carries.
All told, the Eagles averaged only 3.2 yards on 26 rushes.
Matt Milano led the Bills with seven tackles.
Special teams: B-
Mitch Wishnowsky had a solid day, averaging 43. 7 yards on six punts. He placed three punts inside the 20-yard line.
Mike Badgley’s missed PAT put forth a series of unfortunate events in motion for the Bills. Jalen Carter blocked the PAT, forcing Buffalo to make some challenging decisions toward the end of the game.
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Ray Davis had a nice kick return of 32 yards. Khalil Shakir averaged 16.7 yards per punt return.
Coaching: B-
Dec 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott looks on during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
It was difficult to assess the coaching as a whole, since it was quite a roller coaster ride for Buffalo.
The offense could not get out of its own way for the first three quarters of the game. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady struggled to find answers against the Eagles aggressive defense. Buffalo could not run consistently, and they relied on contested catches to move the ball through the air.
It wasn’t until the Bills had their backs against the wall in the fourth quarter that the group came to life. The lack of diversity in the playcalling was a problem for Brady.
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Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and head coach Sean McDermott found answers to stifle the Philadelphia offense. The Eagles gained only 16 yards in the second half.
McDermott did a nice job challenging a DeVonta Smith catch. In addition, it was a brave move to put the ball back into Josh Allen’s hands for the two-point conversion at the end of the game. The offense was moving the ball well, and the defense halted the Eagles progress throughout the half. Thus, the decision to go for two will be debated quite a bit. Buffalo had the correct play call, but the execution failed.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Report card: Bills lose 13-12 vs. Eagles in Week 17