This Eagles team needs to get better fast.
Despite Carson Wentz’s talent, this Philadelphia Eagles offense has been anemic. Luckily, the Eagles face an equally weak offensive attack in the Buffalo Bills this week. This could be the game where the Eagles get right.
Wentz deserves a bit of a break because he doesn’t have much help. Without DeSean Jackson, this receiving corps is laughably bad. While the running game has been solid, it hasn’t been enough to win when the receivers aren’t clicking with Wentz.
Philly’s pass defense is also awful, which is particularly troubling considering their receivers are so ineffective. Two weeks ago, the team gave up 333 yards and four touchdowns to Kirk Cousins. They let Aaron Rodgers throw for over 400 yards a couple weeks before that.
Going up against a 5-1 team would normally feel daunting for a sub-500 squad, but there is hope for the Birds here. Buffalo’s Josh Allen led offense is not very good, and as Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz pointed out on Twitter, the stellar defensive play may partially be a product of inferior opponents.
One more schedule tweet. Based on current DVOA, the Buffalo Bills are projected to finish with the easiest schedule faced by any defense ever. Their remaining schedule of opposing offenses is easier than New England’s. Current record is 1992 Chargers (-10.9%).
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) October 22, 2019
That being said, there are some strong aspects to this Buffalo team. The defense is still a respectable 12th in DVOA, which controls for strength of schedule. Buffalo was able to hold their strongest opponent to date, the Patriots, to 16 points.
Last week, against the Dolphins, cornerback Tre’Davious White pretty much won the game for the Bills single-handedly. On consecutive possessions, he intercepted the ball on the two-yard line and forced a fumble, leading to two touchdowns.
While the passing game isn’t great, the running game led by the ageless Frank Gore has been effective enough to generate offense. Gore is averaging a respectable 65 yards and Devin Singletary is developing nicely behind him. And while there hasn’t been a ton of yardage, John Brown has been a real receiving threat, a perfect fit for this modest offense.
The Eagles have more offensive firepower when they play well, so Philly might have the advantage here. However, a team that lost to the Falcons could easily lose to this competent, tough Bills team.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Buffalo Bills
- When: Sunday, Oct. 27 at 1pm ET
- Where: New Era Field in Buffalo, New York
- Streaming: Fox, NFL Sunday Ticket
There are a number of options for watching Eagles vs. Bills on streaming platforms that carry FOX. However, consult a coverage map to see what game your regional channel will be playing.
If a game is not being carried in your area, the only option might be an NFL Sunday Ticket package.
Eagles vs. Bills live stream: How to watch NFL online
1) FuboTV
- Cost: $54.99 per month
- FuboTV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV, iOS and Android devices
- FuboTV local channels: Fox, NBC, CBS (check local availability here)
If you’re a big-time sports fan, FuboTV is your best streaming service option. If you love international soccer and you’re a Spanish speaker, FuboTV also offers various add-on packages, including Fubo Latino and Fubo Português. FuboTV’s basic plan showcases nearly 100 channels and includes NFL Network. At $54.99 per month, you’ll also get FS1, FS2, NBCSN, NBA TV, Big Ten Network, Pac 12 Network, BeIn Sports, and CBS Sports Network, along with premium channels like FX/FXX/FXM. The only notable omission for sports fans is ESPN. You can add Fubo’s Sports Plus package for an additional $8.99 per month, which allows you to stream NFL RedZone, (Here’s the complete FuboTV channels list.)
2) Hulu with Live TV
- Cost: $44.99 per month
- Hulu devices: Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick and Fire TV, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and iOS and Android devices
- Hulu local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the CW (check your local availability here)
Hulu with Live TV includes sports programming among its offerings, including ESPN and FS1, and as a subscriber to the service, you’ll get free access to Hulu’s sizable on-demand library. (Check out the full list of Hulu Live TV channels.)
3) AirTV
AirTV solves one of Sling’s biggest problems: The inability to receive all of your local channels. By purchasing a basic AirTV for $79.99 or the AirTV Player for $119.99, you can merge those local channels into your Sling TV, (or on your mobile device if you have the basic AirTV). As the Daily Dot wrote in its AirTV review, “It’s practically magic.” While select football games are no longer on Sling after its contract impasse with Fox—which for now means no Fox, FS1, or FS2 via Sling—you can still catch the Fox telecasts with AirTV.
The basic AirTV is a dual-tuner streaming device, while the AirTV Player is basically an upgraded Chromecast that has Netflix preinstalled. You’ll still need to own an HD antenna because even though AirTV gets you access to your local channels, it doesn’t actually physically show them to you.
But AirTV—which has no monthly fee—serves to strengthen one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses compared to other live streaming services like Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. All those services have plenty of local channels.
4) PlayStation Vue
- Cost: $44.99-$79.99 per month
- PlayStation Vue devices: PlayStation 3 and 4, Roku, Amazon Fire, Google Chromecast, Kodi, iOS and Android devices
- PlayStation Vue local channels: NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
If you’d like to watch live NFL games directly from your PS4, PlayStation Vue is your best bet. PlayStation also works with streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire products, but what separates PlayStation from the rest of the streaming services is that it’s also compatible with Kodi. No matter how you stream, you’ll get to choose from four tiers of channels—all but the cheapest include NFL Network. From there, you can also add NFL RedZone as part of the $10-per-month Sports Pack, which also unlocks ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Classic, Longhorn Network, Outside TV, and NBCUniversal regional sports networks. You can see the full list of PlayStation Vue channels here. Two other great perks: You can stream on up to five devices at once, and there’s also unlimited cloud DVR.
5) YouTube TV
- Cost: $50 per month
- YouTube TV devices: Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android devices
- YouTube TV local channels: NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC, the CW (enter your ZIP code here to check your availability)
YouTube TV is a great option for college football fans, including ESPN and FS1. (Take a look at the full list of YouTube TV channels here.)
6) NFL Sunday Ticket
Cost: $73.99 per month for four months, or one single payment of $293.96
There are two—and only two—ways of acquiring NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV.
There’s NFLSundayTicket.TV, which costs $73.99 per month for four months. It’s everything you love NFL Sunday Ticket but online-only. You can stream from pretty much any device that connects to the internet (but only on one device at a time).
You can also upgrade to the NFLST.TV Max bundle for a total of $99 per month for four months or one single payment of $395.99. You can also add on NFL Game Pass, which allows you to watch replays of every game after they air, for $50 for the full season.
There’s another way to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without DirecTV: Amazon Prime. While you can’t pay for the package using Amazon Prime, you can at least watch all of the games on the service. To start, first download the NFL Sunday Ticket channel on Amazon Prime. It’s free. From there, you’ll just need to sign in with your subscription credentials.
College students can purchase NFL Sunday Ticket at a discounted price through NFLSundayTicket.TV U.
Fantasy football: Who should I start?
Eagles
Jordan Howard, Running Back: Until DeSean Jackson comes back, you want no part of this passing game from a fantasy perspective. Howard hasn’t been amazing, but he will get you some points.
Bills
John Brown, Wide Receiver: Despite Josh Allen’s conservative style of play, John Brown is a number one receiver in this offense. After all of those years in Larry Fitzgerald’s shadow in Arizona, Brown is averaging almost 80 yards per game in a passing attack catered to his playing style.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Buffalo Bills: Why it matters
If the Bills are going to make the playoffs, they are going to be a wild card team. The Patriots are just too good. That means every game matters for this Bills team.
We would say that the Bills need to stack wins to prepare for teams with a good passing attack, but this is almost the high-water mark. Tough games against the Cowboys, Ravens, and Patriots will come later in the season. But with opponents like Redskins, Dolphins, and Broncos in the mix, this could easily be a 12-4 team. Nonetheless, with this weak offense, Buffalo should take all the Ws they can get.
The Eagles have a harder road to the playoffs. The Cowboys control the NFC East. With games to the Patriots, Seahawks, and Cowboys coming up, a loss here could effectively end their season.
Expect a hard-fought battle that could truly go either way. Both teams will be hungry, but only one of them can eat.
READ MORE:
- How to watch NFL RedZone without cable
- How to watch NFL Sunday Ticket without a DirecTV satellite
- How to watch NFL Network online (without cable)
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