First Division Title Is New For Eagles DB, But Playing The Bills Isn't

PHILADELPHIA – Law school teaches you to never ask a question in open court that you don’t know the answer to. That philosophy found its way into the Eagles’ locker room on Friday, just 48 hours before they travel to Buffalo to meet the Bills in a 4:25 p.m. kickoff on Sunday.

It was a question asked of Michael Carter, the Eagles’ defensive back who joined the team in a deadline deal in early November: “Was last week your first division title?”

The answer was already known. Carter played for the Jets, after all, and New York hasn’t won a division title since 2002. It was the reaction the questioner was looking for, and got it when Carter laughed then said, ‘For sure, yeah.’”

“It felt great,” he added. “It felt great to have that feeling and to be playing for something, especially in December and all the games leading up to it. They all felt like big games. I guess that was something a little new, but I felt comfortable. It just felt good to be in that environment where every game we play means something. So, being a part of that and being a part of the back-to-back was awesome. It was a special thing.”

Carter hasn't played many snaps since the Eagles acquired him at the trade deadline in early November, but winning a division title still means a lot to him.

Familiarity With Bills

Oct 15, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II (30) celebrates after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"It’s one of those things where you don’t take it for granted because it’s hard to win in the National Football League, and I lost a lot of games, so coming here and still seeing it, it’s still hard to win no matter what, but you find a way at the end of the day, and that’s what this team does at a really high level," he said.

"It’s a really good team. I wouldn’t say that you would have to go through it to understand, but going through what’s been, for me, to get to this point and be a division champion, it made it that much more special, for sure."

Carter is very familiar with the Bills and their MVP-frontrunner quarterback Josh Allen having played in the AFC East since entering the league as a fifth-round pick of the Jets in 2021.

The DB has been on the winning side of games against the Bills just twice, and they play each other twice a year. Both wins came at home. Never has he flown home from Buffalo with a win packed in his carry-on.

“For some reason, when we played Buffalo, we’d always play them earlier in MetLife then we’d play them later in Buffalo, and you know how it is later in the year in Buffalo, it’s brutal weather-wise,” he said. “They believe it’s an advantage for them. You get what you think when you go to Buffalo – it’s cold, it’s windy, whatever you may think. I like the environment in Buffalo, too. They have good fans who are passionate, so it’s always exciting to play there.”

The weather in Buffalo on Sunday is supposed to be in the 40s but windy and rainy. Maybe some sleet, too. Not terrible, but not ideal, either.

What will it take for the Eagles to snap the Bills’ four-game winning streak while growing their own winning streak to three?

What will it take to snap Allen’s 12-game streak of regular-season home wins in December and January games dating back to 2021?

“For one, stopping the run is huge,” said Carter. “We know what they bring to the table with that and how successful they’ve been this year doing that, so just stopping the run, and two, making sure we tackle, being good tacklers. That’s on the running back, the receivers, who are really good at getting yards after catch, and (Allen) as well as keeping him in the pocket and getting him down.

More NFL: Eagles Share Best Memories Of Previous Christmases