December 23, 2025
Geoff Burke/Imagn Images
Saquon Barkley might've been quietly, finally, getting into rhythm.
The Eagles are going to Buffalo this week for their last major test of the regular season.
The NFC East is clinched and their playoff ticket is punched after the Birds bounced back to two straight wins over the Raiders and then the Commanders these past couple weeks, but they still have reason to play this Sunday with a narrow shot at the NFC's No. 2 seed in the postseason field.
It'll also be one more chance for Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and the Eagles' first stringers to make a statement as one of the NFL's most dangerous teams heading into the playoffs, if they can find a way to take down Josh Allen, James Cook, and the high-powered Bills.
Approaching Sunday, though, sportsbooks see the Bills with the edge at home. Here's a look at the bettings odds and money lines for Week 17...
| Sportsbook | Spread | Money Line | Total O/U |
| DraftKings | BUF -1.5 | PHI +110 BUF -130 | 43.5 |
| FanDuel | BUF -2.5 | PHI +116 BUF -136 | 44.5 |
| BetRivers | BUF -2.5 | PHI +110 BUF -139 | 44 |
| BetMGM | BUF -2 | PHI +115 BUF -140 | 43.5 |
| Caesars | BUF -2 | PHI +112 BUF -132 | 43.5 |
*Lines as of Tuesday, Dec. 23
The Bills will be coming in with the NFL's top-ranked rushing offense at an average of 158.9 yards per game, and with Cook as the league's leading rusher with 1,532 yards. Allen, as an ultra-athletic dual-threat QB, is an ever-present threat to keep the ball and run, too, with 552 rushing yards on the season.
That kind of ground attack often keeps defenses honest up front, which opens up the pass, and though the Bills don't hve any truly elite threats at receiver, Allen has still been able to effectively spread the ball around with 3,406 passing yards and 25 touchdowns entering Sunday.
The Eagles' defense, however, might have the firepower to match Buffalo's offense.
Ever since getting gashed by Chicago's run game on Black Friday, the Philly defense has played exceptionally stronger football, marked by Brandon Graham's newfound resurgence as an interior pass rusher, Jordan Davis' stronger consistency as a run stuffer, and a backfield that can cover mostly well thanks to newly-minted Pro Bowlers Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
The Eagles might also be getting their star defensive lineman Jalen Carter back this week, along with their future Hall of Fame offensive tackle Lane Johnson, which could be a boost so long as they're both cleared from injury and it makes sense in the team's eyes for them to play before the postseason.
And on the other side of the ball, there might be a big opportunity to re-establish what was such a core element of the offense last season on the way to the Super Bowl.
Barkley ran for 132 yards on 21 carries in last week's win over the Commanders, salvaging a 1,000-yard rushing season out of a year that paled in comparison to his generational 2024 campaign.
The makeup was just different this year for the Eagles' offense. The line was banged up and not as elite as it was, opponents have been expecting the run, stacking the box, and getting to Barkley often before he even could get to the line of scrimmage, and then Barkley himself hasn't been as effective in finding and bursting through holes like he was last year.
But in the past three weeks, where he's run for more than 100 yards twice in the loss to the Chargers and then the win against the Commanders, Barkley might have started to find a bit of a rhythm late, which might be key against a Buffalo defense that has bled an average of 144.3 rushing yards per game this season – the third worst rate in the NFL.
This could be a big week for Barkley to make the league fear him and the Eagles' rushing attack again, maybe even more so if Lane Johnson is ready to go, too. It might also be time for the Eagles to get Tank Bigsby's downhill running style more into the mix as well for a strong 1-2 running back punch.
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