Bills' leaky run defense can learn from last time Eagles came to town

The last time the Buffalo Bills hosted the Philadelphia Eagles, "Fly, Eagles Fly" chants took over what's now Highmark Stadium six years ago, in Week 8 of 2019.

Philadelphia, however, didn't hand the Bills a defeat through the air, but rather with a punishing ground game, a common theme for Buffalo in 2025.

The Bills were a pretty 5-1 at the time, their best start since 2008, while the Eagles entered this game at 3-4, coming off a brutal blowout loss to the rival Cowboys. Both teams began this game slowly, with the Eagles scoring first with a field goal, which would be the first quarter's only points.

Josh Allen and the Bills followed that up by putting together a 10-play, 75-yard drive headlined by a bevy of Allen runs and capped off by him finding Cole Beasley in the end zone.

Oct 27, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley (10) scores a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter at New Era Field. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Both teams exchanged a couple of punts, then Allen fumbled inside his own 25-yard line with less than two minutes left in the half, and the Eagles turned that into a quick touchdown with a two-point conversion on top to go up 11-7. The Bills had one more chance, but Stephen Hauschka was wide right from 53 yards out.

Two plays into the second half, Eagles rookie running back Miles Sanders darted up the middle for a 65-yard touchdown sprint that put the Eagles up 17-7 with a missed extra point.

The Bills and their fans are hoping another Eagles running back from Penn State wearing the number 26 won't have big gains on Sunday.

Buffalo Bills — Oct 27, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Eagles running back Miles Sanders (26) runs with the ball on his way for a touchdown against the Bills during the third quarter at New Era Field. | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Saquon Barkley, last season's Offensive Player of the Year, who played with Sanders for two years with the Nittany Lions, hasn't been the same player as he was in 2024, being on pace for about 800 fewer rushing yards, but a player as dynamic as he is can still be a game-breaker.

Back in the game, the Bills responded with a long drive, with Josh Allen going 5-of-8 passing with 76 yards passing and dumping a pass down to rookie runner Devin Singletary, who dashed down the left side for a 28-yard score. However, Hauschka's extra point was blocked, leaving the score at 17-13.

Overall, Allen failed to complete half his passes, going 16-of-34 for 169 yards and two touchdowns, and he led the Bills with 45 rushing yards.

Oct 27, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) avoids a tackle by Eagles cornerback Rasul Douglas (32) to score a touchdown in the third quarter at New Era Field. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia responded with a quick scoring drive ending with a Boston Scott touchdown, but the Bills forced a Scott fumble on a punt return after a three-and-out on their next drive, only to turn the ball over on downs, leaving the Eagles with a 24-13 lead through three quarters.

Following that, Carson Wentz and Jordan Howard took over, dicing up the Bills' defense on a 14-play touchdown drive ending with a Howard 3-yard burst.

In the Bills' 31-13 defeat to the Eagles that day, the Bills allowed 218 rushing yards, a mark that teams have passed twice in 2025 against Buffalo's third-worst ground defense.

The Bills can't afford to have history repeat itself on Sunday if they want to keep pace with the New England Patriots for the AFC East and possibly the top seed in the AFC, so shutting down Barkley and Jalen Hurts on the ground is vital to success.

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