Week 17: Bills vs. Eagles
at
Sunday, Dec. 30th
1:00pm ET
Stats Matchup
The Bills close out the season looking for a win to finish at the .500 mark which would be a game better than last season. The Bills have lost two straight and are reeling while the Eagles have won two in a row and want to cap off a disappointing season on a high note at home.

FACTS AND FIGURES

Matchup: Buffalo (7-8) vs. Philadelphia (7-8)
Place: Lincoln Financial Field
Television: CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
Spread: Eagles by 7½
Series: Series tied 5-5
Streak: Eagles Won 1
Last Meeting: Eagles 23-13 in Buffalo (2003)
Eagles Offense: Rush (7th); Pass (13th); overall (t-6th)
Eagles Defense: Rush (5th); Pass (21st); overall (9th)
Bills Offense: Rush (15th); Pass (30th); overall (31st)
Bills Defense: Rush (27th); Pass (27th); overall (30th)


INJURY UPDATE

Jason Peters will miss the finale with a groin injury. Copeland Bryan remains out with a knee injury. Coy Wire hasn't played in a month with a neck stinger but has practiced on a limited basis. He likely will miss the finale as well. The Bills have 15 players on injured reserve including Ryan Denney, George Wilson, Anthony Thomas, Matt Murphy, Kiwaukee Thomas, Derek Schouman, Peerless Price, Ko Simpson, Kevin Everett, Paul Pozluszny, Jason Whittle, and Jason Webster are among the long list on injured reserve.

For the Eagles OG Shawn Andrews is uncertain for the finale with a knee injury. CB Lito Sheppard is day to day with a knee injury of his own. LB Omar Gaither has a quadricep injury that his him day to day also. FS Brian Dawkins may be out after injuring his foot.
Bills Daily Injury Page

KEY MATCHUPS

LB John DiGiorgio vs. RB Bryan Westbrook:
DiGiorgio will be the guy to try to stop Westbrook from running wild. The Bills will look to slow down an opponent's running game after getting run through the past two weeks. Westbrook is the type of misdirection back that the Bills play better against instead of the big, bruising back.

SS Donte Whitner vs. RB Bryan Westbrook:
We are putting Westbrook on the matchups twice since he's a huge double threat. Westbrook is perhaps better as a receiver than he is as runner and he's pretty good running the football. Whitner will probably match up with him in the passing game.

CB Jabari Greer vs. WR Kevin Curtis:
Greer will lineup against Curtis who surprisingly has been the number one receiving threat besides Westbrook. Curtis is over 1,000 yards and was a big time threat last week in the win over the Saints.

DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT William Thomas:
Schobel has sacks in four straight games as he is finishing with a flourish after a slow start to the season. Thomas is a veteran who will give Schobel a battle.

LT Kirk Chambers vs. DE Trent Cole:
Chambers gets his first start replacing the pro bowler Peters. Cole leads the way with 12 sacks and the Bills will need to chip him a bit to give Chambers a hand or else Edwards will have constant pressure on his blindside all day.

WR Lee Evans vs. CB Sheldon Brown:
Evans has had a disappointing year and will look to finish strong against Brown.

GAME PLAN

When The Bills Have The Ball: Look for them to try to establish a passing game as the pass defense of the Eagles is their weak point and they are suffering from some injuries in the secondary. This would be a good game for Trent Edwards to re-gain some confidence and there could be plenty of passes flying if the weather cooperates.

When The Eagles Have The Ball: Look for them to move McNabb out of the pocket and use his mobility a lot in this game. They will also look to get the ball into the hands of one of the best all around backs in the league in Westbrook.

BILLS DAILY PREDICTION

Season finales among two teams that are out of it can go either way. The Eagles are trying hard to get back to .500 after struggling much of the season. They will likely be more motivated playing at home. The Bills seems dejected by the loss to the Giants as they wanted to finish on a high note. They have been resilient all year but they may have reached their breaking point:
Eagles 30, Bills 14

Season Prediction Record: (8-7)
Season Record Against The Spread: (8-7)

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