Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles Week 17 snap counts

There will be no Victory Monday this week, as the Buffalo Bills lost 13-12 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon, bringing their record to 11-5. The loss also clinched the AFC East division title for the New England Patriots, ending Buffalo’s five-year streak. It was an ugly game offensively, and it was the Bills’ lowest scoring total of the season.

Entering Week 17, Buffalo found itself with a few key contributors in safety Jordan Poyer, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and tight end Dalton Kincaid. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and kicker Matt Prater each missed their second consecutive game, and second-year wideout Keon Coleman was a healthy scratch for the fifth time this season.

See the full list of inactive players here: Buffalo Bills Week 17 inactives vs. the Philadelphia Eagles

Bills Week 17 offensive snap counts (76 snaps)

D.Dawkins T 76 100%
D.Edwards G 76 100%
O.Torrence G 76 100%
C.McGovern G 76 100%
J.Allen QB 76 100%
S.Brown T 74 97%
K.Shakir WR 59 78%
D.Knox TE 48 63%
T.Shavers WR 43 57%
B.Cooks WR 39 51%
J.Cook RB 39 51%
J.Palmer WR 38 50%
Ty.Johnson RB 29 38%
G.Davis WR 29 38%
J.Hawes TE 21 28%
K.Latu TE 16 21%
R.Davis RB 10 13%
R.Gilliam FB 7 9%
A.Anderson T 2 3%
R.Van Demark T 2 3%

After logging a season-low 50 offensive snaps in Week 16, the Bills logged 76 snaps in Week 17, the second-most this season. Despite no injury designation and numerous trips to the x-ray room, Josh Allen (100%) still looked a step slow, and it resulted in plenty of points left on the table. Allen was sacked five times and fumbled on Buffalo’s second possession of the game, but he added two more rushing touchdowns to his season total. We can all nitpick his lack of weapons or the inconsistent pass protection, but he missed crucial throws and/or held the ball too long.

Buffalo failed to get running back James Cook (51%) going, as he totaled 20 carries for 74 yards, and the team is now 0-4 in games in which Cook has failed to eclipse 100 scrimmage yards. While Cook garnered four targets, he caught just one of them for three yards, while Ty Johnson (38%) hauled in 3-of-4 targets for 33 yards. Johnson’s 29 snaps were a season-high, likely because of the Bills’ offensive line losing the battle in the trenches all game.

A Dalton Kincaid-less Bills’ offense is hard to watch at times. Tight end Dawson Knox (63%) remains a consistent target across the middle of the field, hauling in all five of his targets for 30 yards. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks (51%) logged 39 snaps, his most since joining the Bills, and was the only pass catcher to consistently create separation. The 32-year-old Cooks caught four balls for 101 yards. It’s also time to give Tyrell Shavers (57%) more opportunities moving forward. He rarely sees targets but makes the most of his opportunities when they present themselves. Shavers hauled in a 32-yard heavily contested catch over Philadelphia’s best cornerback in the third quarter, but the Bills turned the ball over on downs on the 1-yard line.

Bills Week 17 defensive snap counts (54 snaps)

C.Lewis DB 54 100%
C.Benford CB 54 100%
C.Bishop S 54 100%
M.Milano LB 53 98%
Ta.Johnson CB 40 74%
T.Sanders DT 35 65%
G.Rousseau DE 34 63%
S.Thompson LB 32 59%
T.White CB 32 59%
D.Walker DT 31 57%
J.Bosa DE 30 56%
T.Bernard LB 27 50%
A.Epenesa DE 26 48%
M.Hairston CB 22 41%
P.Mathis DT 18 33%
D.Williams LB 17 31%

L.Ogunjobi DT 17 31%

A.Jones DE 16 30%

J.Solomon DE 1 2%

D.Savage S 1 2%

While the offense struggled to put points on the board, the defense certainly didn’t struggle to limit the Eagles’ offense. Philadelphia scored just 13 points, the fourth-fewest points allowed by the Bills’ defense this season. Plus, Jalen Hurts failed to complete a single pass in the second half, and Buffalo still managed to lose. My point is: this loss was not on the defense in the slightest.

The defense was missing a few key contributors, and linebacker Terrel Bernard (50%) picked up yet another injury that forced him out of the game. Bernard has dealt with a laundry list of injuries this season, but man, that offseason extension is looking very bad right about now. Veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson (59%) filled in for Bernard and finished the game with four tackles and one tackle for a loss. Matt Milano (98%) led the defense in tackles for the second straight week.

Safety Cam Lewis (100%) received the start with Jordan Poyer sidelined, and he finished second on the team in tackles. Cornerback Christian Benford (100%) was tasked with covering A.J. Brown, and while he had some hiccups, he did his job and totaled pass defenses in the process. Cornerbacks Tre’Davious White (59%) and Maxwell Hairston (41%) continue to split snaps, with White leading the way. It will be interesting to see if Buffalo continues this plan into the postseason, or if Hairston sees an uptick in snaps only when the opposing team has speed offensively. Newly signed safety Darnell Savage (2%) logged one snap but saw consistent usage on special teams, so his role will be interesting to monitor moving forward.

Perhaps the most interesting development was rookie defensive tackle T.J. Sanders (65%) leading the entire defensive line in snaps. It makes sense, considering the Bills were without both DaQuan Jones and Jordan Phillips, but Deone Walker (57%) also logged just four fewer snaps than Sanders. The youth movement may have finally arrived when it comes to Buffalo’s defensive line. Edge rusher Greg Rousseau (63%) logged the most edge rusher snaps, with Joey Bosa (56%) ranking second.

Bills Week 17 special teams snap counts (24 snaps)

D.Dawkins T 1 4%

D.Edwards G 1 4%

O.Torrence G 1 4%

K.Shakir WR 7 29%

T.Shavers WR 16 67%

Ty.Johnson RB 14 58%

J.Hawes TE 1 4%

K.Latu TE 5 21%

R.Davis RB 10 42%

R.Gilliam FB 17 71%

A.Anderson T 8 33%

R.Van Demark T 1 4%

C.Lewis DB 6 25%

C.Benford CB 3 12%

C.Bishop S 3 12%

G.Rousseau DE 3 12%

S.Thompson LB 2 8%

D.Walker DT 4 17%

T.Bernard LB 2 8%

A.Epenesa DE 3 12%

M.Hairston CB 7 29%

D.Williams LB 20 83%

A.Jones DE 13 54%

J.Solomon DE 20 83%

D.Savage S 11 46%

J.Andreessen LB 23 96%

S.Franklin DB 23 96%

J.Hancock DB 20 83%

R.Ferguson LS 7 29%

M.Wishnowsky P 7 29%

M.Badgley K 4 17%

S.Van Pran-Granger C/G 1 4%