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PHILADELPHIA — Another short week brings a major challenge for the Eagles, who face a Buffalo Bills squad desperate to stay in the playoff hunt Sunday (4:25 p.m., CBS, WIP 94.1-FM) at Lincoln Financial Field.
While there’s a 44 percent chance of rain forecast around the opening kickoff, that won’t dampen the enthusiasm of 35-year-old Eagles veteran Brandon Graham, who will play in his 189th game, the most by any Eagles player to pass kicker David Akers. It’s the 14th season for Graham, tied for the most in club history with the late Chuck “Concrete Charlie” Bednarik.
“The beginning was a little rough, but it’s been getting better and better every year, so for me to do this, I just want thank the guys in front of me that have paved the way because you want to keep the train rolling,” Graham said. “I’m just trying to make sure I do the same for the young guys that’s coming, to keep it going.”
With 72 sacks, Graham is fourth on the all-time Eagles list topped by the late Reggie White (124.0 sacks). Trent Cole (85.5) and Clyde Simmons (76.0) are next. Graham has 2.0 sacks this year after producing a career-high 11.0 in 2022.
In a game of inches with little margin for error, Graham has made a career out of helping younger players on and off the field, even at the risk of losing his job to them.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni credits Graham, 36-year-old center Jason Kelce, and Fletcher Cox, the defensive tackle who turns 33 next month, for supplying leadership to maintain team success.
“When he got hurt that first year, I missed him being around every day,” Sirianni said of Graham. “Once he was healthy enough and around every day, you could feel the difference. I could talk about him for a long time here. Man, he’s a special guy. I saw him this summer down the Jersey Shore. We were at the same pool. He was like, ‘Hey, coach, can I use that ball that you have?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ I throw him the ball. He’s like, ‘I’m going to play catch with my son.’ Next thing I know, he’s playing catch with the entire pool, like 30 kids. This is the type of guy he is. The guy is unbelievable. Just not only a great football player, but a great person, a great teammate, a great leader, you name it.”
The Eagles (9-1) need every edge they can get this week, having defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 21-17, Monday night. The players didn’t get back to Philly until about 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Last season, the Eagles struggled mightily in short weeks in wins over Indianapolis and Houston, then a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. All of those games were on the road.
This season, the Eagles labored to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in a Thursday night game at the Linc, and in a short week needed overtime to defeat the Washington Commanders at the Linc.
The Bills (6-5), coached by former Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott, are on their second game with offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who replaced the fired Ken Dorsey. There isn’t much film to study. The Bills have a top-10 run offense with James Cook and Latavius Murray. The Eagles are going to be without run-stopper Milton Williams, who isn’t all the way back from a concussion.
Of course, the Bills have one of the elite quarterbacks in Josh Allen, who at 6-5, 237-pounds is a load to bring down. Allen is second in the NFL with both 22 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions. He also has seven scoring runs, trailing only league leader Jalen Hurts (nine) of the Eagles.
“I played with (Matt) Stafford. He’s like a faster, more athletic Stafford,” Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said of Allen. “Guy with a strong arm, who believes in his arm and can fit (the ball) in any hole. Stafford was the same way. He trusts his arm strength. Great quarterback. Keeps his eyes downfield.”
Allen has accounted for 29 touchdowns, first in the league. Hurts is third at 24.
Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who has 77 receptions and seven TD grabs, is among the top players in the league. Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid has made his presence felt with 51 catches.
Hurts has 15 TD passes, nine interceptions and a 94.8 passer rating. A.J. Brown has 68 receptions and six TDs; he’s third in the league with 1,013 receiving yards.
Keep an eye on giveaways Sunday: Allen leads the NFL with 15 turnovers, while Hurts is fifth at 13.
Though the Bills have been slammed by injuries on the defensive side, they’ve given up an average of just 18.0 points in their last four games and haven’t allowed more than 29 in any game.
The Eagles have allowed just 20.0 points the past two games. More emphatically, they’ve given up a total of just six points in wins over Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes in that time.
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