The Buffalo Bills could not overcome 15 penalties and a costly first-half turnover in losing on the road to the Philadelphia Eagles this afternoon, 23-20. Coupled with a Pittsburgh Steelers win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills' chances at sneaking into the AFC playoff field in the last month of the season are now, for all intents and purposes, nil.
On top of the mistakes, the Eagles' offense also made more big plays in the second half to stave off a Bills comeback attempt. Of particular note, tight end Zach Ertz caught a short pass and broke a Leodis McKelvin tackle attempt, rumblings 41 yards to set up Philadelphia's game-winning field goal with just over three minutes remaining.
Mario Williams recorded a 15-yard sack on Sam Bradford at the two-minute warning to aid the start of the Bills' final drive, but after the fifteenth Bills penalty on the day turned 3rd-and-3 into 3rd-and-8, Tyrod Taylor threw an interception to put the game on ice for Philadelphia.
LeSean McCoy ran the football 20 times for 74 yards in his return to Philadelphia, adding 35 receiving yards on four receptions, but Chip Kelly's Eagles had the final laugh.
The Bills are now 6-7, two games behind the second-place New York Jets in the AFC East, and facing the overwhelming probability that they'll miss the playoffs for a sixteenth straight season. They play the Washington Redskins on the road next Sunday in a game that will only be meaningful for one team.
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