Matt Lombardo | For NJ Advance Media
Eagles beat Bills: 10 things we learned
After toppling the mighty but wounded New England Patriots in Week 13, many wondered if the Eagles' victory was a fluke. Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field the Eagles answered the bell and their critics with a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills, spoiling LeSean McCoy's homecoming, in the process. Scroll through this gallery for a look at 10 things we learned:
James Lang
Same old LeSean McCoy
It became fairly obvious fairly early on this week that Sunday's game had plenty of added meaning for LeSean McCoy after being traded to the Bills last winter. By game's end, it was the Eagles' defense that had the final say, holding McCoy to just 74 yards rushing. Afterwards, McCoy blew off the media and stuck to his guns by blowing off Chip Kelly and the Eagles after the game, opting to run into the tunnel rather than shake hands postgame. McCoy's maturity was often called into question throughout his career in Philadelhia and Sunday did nothing to dispel those criticisms. (James Lang|USA TODAY Sports)
It took 14 weeks, but Nelson Agholor scored his first NFL touchdown in emphatic fashion. Sam Bradford hit Agholor, who had a step on a Buffalo defender, in stride for a 53-yard touchdown in the second quarter for the first score of the first-round draft choice's NFL career. There was plenty of talk this summer about Agholor's ability to 'blow the top off' defenses but Sunday was only the second time this season that we've seen that sort of big-play ability from the USC product. (Photo by Elsa|Getty Images)
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Nelson Agholor can be deep threat for Eagles
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Michael Perez
Fletcher Cox is a transcendent player
It's safe to say Fletcher Cox enjoyed his 25th birthday. Cox' sack of Tyrod Taylor set a new career-high and tied him with Brandon Graham with 6.5 sacks on the season and he led the team with seven tackles. Many would have accepted including Cox in a draft-day trade for Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota, but Cox has become the cornerstone of the Eagles defense and each week inches closer to becoming the most dominant defensive player in the league. Sunday was no exception. (AP Photo|Michael Perez)
Mitchell Leff
This is quickly becoming Sam Bradford's team
There isn't a whole lot of flash to Sam Bradford's game, but his efficiency has kept the Eagles afloat and he is quickly building on the respect and trust of his teammates. Bradford threw for 247 yards, one touchdown and one interception after delivering an inspiring pre-game speech Sunday against the Bills. The Eagles are now 6-2 in games that Bradford has started and finished this year. (Photo by Mitchell Leff|Getty Images)
Bill Streicher
Chip Kelly's pulling out all the stops
Whether it's simplifying the playbook for Sam Bradford during the bye week, demoting DeMarco Murray against the New England Patriots or releasing Miles Austin, it is becoming more and more obvious each week that Chip Kelly is pulling out all the stops to salvage this season. That continued Sunday as there were several instances in which Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff and Nelson Agholor were on the field together, which had been a rarity throughout the season. Say what you will about Kelly, but it seems his team's three-game losing skid last month has caused him to adapt on the fly and the results have been impressive. (Bill Streicher|USA TODAY Sports)
James Lang
This is probably close to how Eagles envisioned the run game
After airing his grievences to owner Jeffrey Lurie last Sunday, DeMarco Murray saw an uptick in playing time against the Bills, carrying the ball 11 times for 34 yards. The Eagles likely envisioned much more from Murray after signing him to a $45 million contract last offseason, but as far as distributing carries goes, Kelly likely doesn't have an issue with Murray's workload combined with Ryan Mathews' 13 carries and Sproles' seven. It wouldn't be surprising to see Sunday's formula replicated over the final three games of the season. (James Lang|USA TODAY Sports)
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Caleb Sturgis is ... Consistent?
Where kicker Caleb Sturgis was once shaky he's quickly becoming ... Reliable. Sturgis has now made 80 percent of his kicks on the season, including a 45-yarder Sunday afternoon and a clutch 30-yarder in the fourth quarter that proved to be the difference-maker. (Photo by Elsa|Getty Images)
Bill Streicher
Ed Reynolds comes up big in game's biggest moment
Really gutty showing from Ed Reynolds. The Stanford product easily could have packed it in after playing a key role in giving up Sammy Watkins' 47-yard touchdown. Instead, Reynolds came up huge with the game-sealing interception off Tyrod Taylor. Given the injury to Nolan Carroll, Reynolds' role should increase down the stretch and he's proving to be worthy of the added playing time. (Bill Streicher|USA TODAY Sports)
Michael Perez
Special Teams strikes again
The Eagles were carried by strong play from the defense and special teams in 2014 and over the past two games, they have suddenly become dominant again. Bryan Braman recovered a muffed punt in the second quarter after paving the way for Chris Maragos to block a punt that was returned for a touchdown in Week 13 against the New England Patriots. (AP Photo|Michael Perez)
Mitchell Leff
The Eagles have found a rallying cry
With three games remaining the Eagles are very much in control of their own destiny in the NFC East race and have adopted an 'Us against them' mentality. Sunday, that mentality manifested itself in the form of black shirts emblazoned with '53 Angry Men' that were designed and distributed Sunday by owner Jeffrey Lurie after telling his team to 'Play angry' against the New England Patriots in Week 13. Winning certainly cures all ills and seems to have united this group after an ugly three-game losing skid that threatened to destroy the fiber of the locker room that appears stronger than ever right when it matters most. (Photo by Mitchell Leff|Getty Images)
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