The Birds have secured the third playoff slot in the NFC, but with a win against Washington on Sunday combined with a Chicago loss to Detroit — whose kickoff is at the same time as the Eagles’ — they would seize the second seed, guaranteeing two home games at Lincoln Financial Field instead of one if they advance.

Most of the Philly starters are active on the mandated practice reports, but multiple media outlets have stated the Eagles plan to rest quarterback Jalen Hurts and the bulk of the first team against the Commanders (4-12). Coach Nick Sirianni wouldn’t confirm or deny Wednesday.

“Nearing in more on a decision,” he said.

If the reported scenario plays out, this is the first big test for backup QB Tanner McKee.

But he can handle it.

McKee, who turns 26 in April, played into the third quarter against Cincinnati in the preseason — with the Bengals playing most of their starters — and slung the ball around the yard like a natural, making quick decisions while completing 20 of 25 passes for 252 yards and delivering two TDs (plus a tush-push rushing score) for a passer rating of 135.3.

In Week 18 last season, the 6-foot-6, 231-pound Stanford alum — who overcame melanoma as a teenager and later committed two years of his life to being a Mormon missionary — made easy work of the New York Giants during his first NFL start of any kind. He threw for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns while finding eight receivers in a 20-13 victory.

Neither of his starts carried any real implications for the Eagles beyond future possibilities, but Sunday will. For everyone who has been clamoring to see McKee when it counts, this is the moment.

Even if the Bears beat the Lions, thus locking up the No. 2 seed, McKee’s performance will matter because there’s something at stake when the game kicks off.

This is big-time for him.

“I think that when you see Tanner, he’s really good about knowing where to go with the football, seeing the defense and being able to deliver things accurately,” Sirianni said. “It’s a great room where those guys feed off each other and learn from each other.

“He’s got Jalen, being able to learn from Jalen, which is a huge deal,” he said. “Any time you’re around a really good quarterback, your game goes up, too. He’s able to sit in that meeting room with Jalen for hours upon hours a day just learning from him. That’s a big deal.”

As a pure passer and decoder of defenses, and judging only from a small sample size, McKee can run the Eagles’ offense better than Hurts. No muss, no fuss, no drama. That’s not a slight against Hurts, a proven winner; their skill sets are just different.

And that judgment isn’t just based on McKee’s two starts and spot appearances. He has looked good in practices and training camp.

“You want me to open the doors and let you guys see more?” a guarded Sirianni joked when asked in depth about McKee. “We will see, obviously, what we do this week, but I like his continued development of what he’s done.”

The Commanders stink. Their season cratered when quarterback Jayden Daniels was injured and then injured again. Even more injuries have piled up, including to former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, and Washington is now on its third QB in Josh Johnson after backup Marcus Mariota also went down.

The Eagles (11-5) shouldn’t need their starters to beat this team. They can do two things at once: rest their starters and go after the No. 2 seed.But whatever happens, first things first — the Eagles need to win in the first round, regardless of the opponent.

A third seed would mean they play either the 49ers or Rams in the playoff opener. A second seed would likely be a matchup against the Packers.

•••

Thursday practice report: DNP — DT Jalen Carter (hip), LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring), TE Dallas Goedert (knee), RT Lane Johnson (foot), EDGE Jaelan Phillips (ankle). FULL — LB Jihaad Campbell (back/shoulder).

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In the second half against Buffalo, the Birds’ offense produced just 16 yards, and Jalen Hurts didn’t complete a pass. It was the second time this year the quarterback went an entire half without a completion (the first was in Tampa in Week 4).

The lack of offensive production remains jarring, given the talent and NFL-leading payroll on that side of the ball.

Except for a handful of games, the second half has been a nightmare offensively, with frequent three-and-outs spurred by inefficiency on first down. But with the playoffs around the corner, no one in the building seems to have an answer, including offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

“We’re working through that right now still,” Patullo said Tuesday. “We watched (the film) right after the game as a staff. We watched through it on the plane, then we went through it yesterday, and we’re still going through some stuff now as we speak.

“Really, when you look at it, the amount of drives we had and plays and some of the starting positions, it was the first down thing again. We had four drives where we had inefficient first downs, put us in four second-and-longs, and then from that, we were in three third-and-longs.”

Right, but why is first down such a bugaboo, particularly in the second halves of games? Is it really that hard to pick up a few yards on first down?

What are the keys to this troubling trend?

“I don’t think it’s one schematic thing or something the defense has been doing necessarily, and that’s why we’ve got to keep working through it,” Patullo said. “It’s not just about one player, one coach, one call. It’s all of us together.

“We’ve got to all make sure we’re on the same page as far as coaches, players. Execute it, call it right. We’ve got to do the right thing. I think we’ve just got to continue to press on getting these things done when we’re having a moment of, ‘OK, we didn’t have what we wanted on first down, we’ve got to get it going on second down,’ so we don’t have these moments.”

Coach Nick Sirianni offered up similar words a day earlier: “That’s something we’re going to study and we have been studying.”

In other words, they don’t know.

This is January, and the Eagles’ offense is at the same impasse as it was in September.

Perhaps, for whatever variety of reasons — lack of health on the O-line, play calling, Hurts not executing — this is what the Eagles’ offense is. That notion is difficult to reconcile because it certainly seems like they’re massively underachieving.

In fact, it’s hard to imagine that some other NFL coaching staffs — such as the Bears, Rams, 49ers, Packers, Vikings, Broncos, Jaguars or Chiefs, or even some lesser-noted staffs who are desperate for talent — would struggle with these weapons.

Patullo intimated that the Eagles may have found something to get the offense going, but he didn’t elaborate. He said it’s not as easy a flipping a switch, but he still thinks it’s possible to find some consistent rhythm, to play four complete quarters.

“I wouldn’t say there’s a switch,” Patullo said. “I think we’ve been a little inconsistent, and we know we have it in us to do what we need to do because we’ve done it in spots. That’s what we’ve got to really lean into and press into and be detailed and do what we have to do.”

Time will tell.

• • •

The Eagles cut long snapper Charley Hughlett at the beginning of the week, but special teams coordinator Michael Clay says not to worry.

“(General manager) Howie (Roseman) does a great job in terms of the roster and all the moves,” Clay said. “We always have a plan in place, so it all falls into it and I don’t want to get too much into it. We’ve got a plan in place.”

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“I have to help,” Sirianni said. “I put it on myself. I have to help with some things there, with some things that I know we want to get called. (Offensive coordinator) Kevin (Patullo) did a good job in that first half. But I’ve got to help in that second half a little bit, getting some things that we want to get called there.”

It was Sirianni’s most direct admission all year that Patullo wasn’t getting the job done. The Birds produced 174 yards of offense in the first half but just 16 the rest of the way, when quarterback Jalen Hurts was 0-for-7. They finished 3-of-13 overall on third down.

“I think we kind of went back to the consistent theme of playing really well one half and not well the other half, not putting a full game together,” said running back Saquon Barkley, who had 68 yards on 19 carries. “Obviously, we know we gotta get better. It’s a lot easier to get better from a win.

“But I feel like when there was like 6 minutes left, you want to end the game with the ball in your hands and we didn’t do that, I didn’t do that. I’ll take responsibility for that.”

The Eagles possessed the ball for just 8 minutes, 45 seconds in the final two quarters, generating only one first down and four three-and-outs. Sirianni insisted on Monday that the offense didn’t take its foot of the gas.

“Being up 13-0 at half is not — I mean, you’d rather be up 13-0 than be down 13-0, obviously — but by no means are we ever saying, ‘Hey, that’s good. Take your foot off the pedal.’ We’re trying to press still and go and continue. You don’t start thinking about that until well into the fourth quarter of when you start to get into type of football.

“I have to do a better job in that second half to allow us to be in those positions. I think that we weren’t efficient on first and second down, and then we obviously had a hard time there on third down. When you get into those where you’re having some three-and-outs, when drives don’t extend, obviously your yards are coming way down, your efficiency’s coming way down, all those things are happening.

“It wasn’t just the passing game. We just weren’t efficient enough on offense and we all share that — execution, coaching, everything.”

The Eagles’ most complete games this season were against the Vikings, the second meeting with the Giants, the Raiders and Washington. They moved the ball against the Chargers, but Hurts turned it over five times. Otherwise, the offense has failed to play produce for 60 minutes.

Except for the Rams game in Week 3, when the offense came to life in the second half by feeding A.J. Brown, the Birds’ attack has either struggled throughout or has sputtered after halftime — straying from what’s working or failing to adjust to opponents’ adjustments.

Often the overworked defense has bailed them out, but not always. Perhaps the most egregious example of a second-half offensive breakdown was the Week 5 loss to Denver, when the Eagles blew a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter — aiding the Broncos with a series of puzzling play calls and short-circuited drives.

Week 12 in Dallas, when the Eagles blew a 21-0 lead, is another glaring example.

The Eagles’ defense is clearly playing at a championship level, and pulling out a win in Buffalo is big, no matter how it looks, but the Week 17 offense looked a lot like the Week 5 offense.

•••

The Birds face a big decision in the coming days: whether to rest their starters after locking up the NFC’s No. 3 seed, or gear up to play Washington in Sunday’s regular-season finale at 4:25 p.m. in pursuit of the No. 2 seed, which would guarantee two home games (instead of one) if they advance.

The Eagles can secure the two seed with a win and a Bears loss to Detroit. The Bears and Lions also play at 4:25 p.m. ET.

“We’ve done it both ways,” Sirianni said. “We’ve had opportunities to rest. We’ve had opportunities to continue to get a better seed and played. You go through your process, you go through all those different things, but every season’s a little bit different. Every team’s a little bit different. We will end up doing what we think is the best for the team as we go through our process, and we’re still thinking through that. That’s not a decision I have to make today or even tomorrow. It’s just something that you have to go through the process of making.”

•••

NOTES: The Eagles waived veteran long snapper Charley Hughlett. Kicker Jake Elliott has had a turbulent year, but he was 2-for-2 on field goals and made his only PAT in Buffalo. Hughlett played the last two games after a stint on injured reserve. … Punter Braden Mann continued his outstanding 2025 campaign against the Bills, averaging 55.4 yards on seven punts.

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Here are five things we learned from the Birds’ Week 17 win at Highmark Stadium, where the Bills were 26-2 in their last 28 games.

1. The defense is elite, and travels

Buffalo entered with the fourth-best scoring offense in the league (29 points per game) and finished with just 12 points.

The Bills moved the ball (331 total yards) and possessed it for more than 35 minutes, but the Eagles controlled the game for three quarters and survived the fourth with a series of high-leverage stops. They sacked Josh Allen five times, forced the game’s lone turnover on Jaelan Phillips’ strip-sack that Jihaad Campbell recovered, and kept the Bills off the scoreboard until Allen’s 2-yard keeper with 5:11 left.

A signature stand came in the third quarter: a fourth-and-goal stop at the 1 when Zack Baun tackled Allen short. By the time the Bills finally broke through, the Eagles had already built a 13-0 cushion — and their defense kept finding answers just often enough to protect it.

2. The offense still has questions it can’t dodge

The Eagles’ offense produced 190 yards, 11 first downs and zero points after halftime — a combination that will get you beat in January against an opponent that finishes drives. Jalen Hurts went 13-of-27 for 110 yards and a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, but he didn’t have a second-half completion, a damning stat even in ugly weather.

The O-line played just well enough to win but little more. Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens and right guard Tyler Steen were weak spots. The early lead mattered. So did the way the Eagles nearly squandered it.

3. Jake Elliott looked steadier

The Eagles needed every point. After a season in which every kick has felt like an adventure, Elliott delivered a clean, workmanlike day: field goals of 47 and 28 yards to account for six of Philly’s 13 points. In a game where the Birds’ offense disappeared after halftime, those kicks weren’t just helpful — they were the margin between a road win and a collapse.

Elliott’s 28-yarder just before halftime also put him into the 1,000-point club for his career, a reminder that the team still trusts his track record even as it rides out his turbulence.

4. Goedert continues to be a big target

The Eagles didn’t generate much in the passing game — A.J. Brown (five catches, 68 yards) was the lone consistent threat — but Goedert again proved he can swing tight games with one moment. His 1-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter was his 11th receiving TD of the season, breaking the franchise’s single-season record for a tight end previously set by Pete Retzlaff in 1965.

In a week where the offense looked clunky and the weather removed some of the downfield menu, the Eagles leaned on a simple truth: Goedert is a reliable finisher when the field shrinks.

5. The Eagles’ “winning plays” keep showing up in crunch time

This one wasn’t just defense; it was situational football.

D-tackle Jalen Carter returned to action and made an impact in myriad ways — a sack in the second quarter, then a blocked extra point that loomed large when Buffalo chased points late. Jalyx Hunt posted two sacks, including a fourth-quarter takedown that yanked the Bills out of field-goal range. Campbell’s fumble recovery set up the game’s only touchdown drive.

The offense didn’t finish the job. The Eagles still did — because their defense and special teams keep produced the kinds of plays that decide tight, postseason-style games.

—

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Quarterbacks: B-

Jalen Hurts managed the game efficiently enough to win, throwing a short touchdown to Dallas Goedert and avoiding turnovers. Still, the passing game lacked rhythm and punch, particularly after halftime.

Running backs: B

Saquon Barkley provided steady, physical runs that helped control tempo and shorten the game, even if explosive plays were scarce. The group did its job in difficult conditions against a disciplined front.

Receivers/Tight Ends: B

Goedert was the offensive standout, scoring the Eagles’ lone touchdown and serving as Hurts’ most reliable target. Wide receivers were largely held in check, with few opportunities downfield.

Offensive line: C+

The line held up just enough in pass protection and opened intermittent running lanes, but consistency was an issue throughout the contest. Buffalo’s pressure disrupted timing and limited offensive flow.

Defensive line: A

The Philly front controlled long stretches of the game, generating pressure and helping hold Buffalo without a touchdown until late. The unit delivered in key moments.

Linebackers: A

The linebackers were sound in run support and disciplined in coverage, helping limit explosive plays and clean up underneath. Their steady play complemented the strong effort up front.

Cornerbacks/Safeties: A

The secondary rose to the moment, keeping Buffalo’s passing game in check. Cooper DeJean had nine tackles and made plays all over the field.

Special teams: B+

Jake Elliott was perfect on field goals, accounting for all of Philly’s second-half scoring. Coverage units were solid and avoided the kind of mistake that could have flipped a one-point game.

Coaching: B

Nick Sirianni leaned into a conservative, defense-first approach that ultimately paid off. The offensive plan lacked creativity and second-half adjustments, but the overall strategy matched the conditions and opponent. Vic Fangio’s ‘D’ was stellar.

Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc for the latest updates.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen sailed a 2-point conversion attempt wide of open receiver Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone with 5 seconds remaining, and the Philadelphia Eagles hung on for a 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Dallas Goedert caught a 1-yard touchdown pass, Jake Elliott hit field goals of 28 and 47 yards, and the Super Bowl champion Eagles barely avoided squandering a 13-0 fourth-quarter lead. Linebacker Jalyx Hunt had two of Philadelphia’s four sacks and a team-leading three quarterback hits.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter made a major contribution in his return after missing three games with a injuries to both shoulders. Carter got his hand up to block Michael Badgley’s extra-point attempt after Allen’s 2-yard touchdown run with 5:11 left.

Allen scored on a tush push on fourth-and-goal to pull the Bills within one point with 5 seconds remaining. The Bills thought they had a touchdown one play earlier, but Dawson Knox was ruled short of the goal line after a replay review.

Rather than playing for overtime, coach Sean McDermott opted to go for 2. Allen dropped back in the pocket and had a defender in his face when he let loose a pass that was about a foot wide of Shakir. The Bills then tried an onside kick that Goedert recovered.

The NFC East champion Eagles (11-5) are assured of at least the conference’s third seed entering the playoffs.

Buffalo (11-5), which clinched a playoff berth last week, dropped to the No. 7 seed in the AFC. New England clinched its first AFC East title since 2019 with the Bills’ loss.

Injuries

Eagles: LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring) did not play.

Bills: LB Terrel Bernard did not return after hurting his calf in the first half. … Defensive tackles DaQuan Jones (calf) and Jordan Phillips (ankle) and safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring) did not play. TE Dalton Kincaid missed his fourth of seven games with a nagging knee injury.

Up next

Eagles: Host Washington next weekend.

Bills: Host the New York Jets next weekend.

After a three-game slide, the Birds righted the ship by winning a pair against the Raiders and Commanders while locking up their second-straight NFC East title.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who missed three weeks after undergoing procedures on both shoulders, is expected to return to action today. Whether he’ll be on a snap count is something coach Nick Sirianni will have to weigh.

“He’s had a good week of practice, and I’m excited to be able to get him back out there,” Sirianni said Friday, “if that’s the route we go this week and if we’re ready. He’s a phenomenal football player and so it’s always good when Jalen Carter is on the field.”

He said that same approach extends to weekly schematic decisions — including the use of empty shotgun formations after seeming to find an identity under center — and to the unpredictable elements that often define games in western New York this time of year.

“You can do empty sets from a bunch of different personnel groupings,” Sirianni said. “Each week is a little bit different in terms of how much you use it, when you use it. There are different ways to take advantage of matchups.”

Still, the Birds have to feel good about how they match up on the outside against Buffalo’s defensive backs and about play action with Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby. And coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense has been playing at a championship level, even in Carter’s absence, but will have to contend with quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook.

Play-calling decisions may be influenced by weather, which Sirianni said is baked into the preparation long before kickoff. Wind, in particular, remains the most challenging variable.

“I think the wind is always the thing that’s the most challenging as a coach, as a player to be able to handle,” Sirianni said, recalling previous trips to Buffalo. “You take everything into account and sometimes that changes quarter by quarter of how you play things.”

The Eagles have played through spots of rain, cold and wind going back to late November, a stretch that has reinforced the staff’s emphasis on fundamentals and situational detail.

This matchup inevitably conjures memories of the 2023 meeting at Lincoln Financial Field, a back-and-forth game that ended on a walk-off touchdown after Jake Elliott forced overtime with a late field goal. Sirianni said those moments stand out, but the opponent remains the constant.

“Really good opponent, great coaches, great players,” Sirianni said. “Josh Allen is a phenomenal football player.”

Allen has an ankle/foot injury but was a full participant in Friday’s practice. How mobile he’ll be is a question mark. The Bills are still jockeying for AFC playoff seeding. The Eagles are pretty secure at No. 3 in the NFC but have an outside shot at the two seed. With the postseason looming, Sirianni insisted there’s no room for reflection — only execution.

“You’re always focused on how you get better,” he said. “Our focus is constantly on today.”

Injury report

Eagles: OUT – ILB Nakobe Dean (hamstring), RT Lane Johnson (foot). QUESTIONABLE – T Cameron Williams (shoulder). Friday practice report: DNP – ILB Nakobe Dean (hamstring), RT Lane Johnson (foot).

This will be Johnson’s sixth missed game in a row with a Lisfranc injury. Fred Johnson should once again start in his place, with standout rookie Jihaad Campbell seeing more time again in Dean’s absence.

Friday practice report: FULL – ILB Zack Baun (hand), WR AJ Brown (teeth), LB Jihaad Campbell (back/ankle), DT Jalen Carter (shoulders), LG Landon Dickerson (illness), T Fred Johnson (calf), TE Cameron Latu (stinger), WR DeVonta Smith (illness), T Cameron Williams (shoulder).

Bills: OUT – S Jordan Poyer (hamstring), DT DaQuan Jones (calf), DT Jordan Phillips (ankle), K Matt Prater (right quad). QUESTIONABLE – TE Dalton Kincaid (knee), TE Dawson Knox (knee).

Pregame position grades

Here’s how the teams match up heading into Sunday, based on health and how they’ve been playing recently. Performances will be evaluated postgame.

QB: Bills A+, Eagles B+

RB: Bills A, Eagles B+

TE: Eagles A-, Bills B-

WR: Eagles A, Bills C-

OL: Bills A, Eagles B

DL: Eagles A, Bills B

LB: Eagles B+, Bills B-

CB/S: Eagles A-, Bills B+

ST: Eagles B-, Bills C-

On the air

Eagles (10-5) at Bills (11-4), Today, 4:25, Highmark Stadium.

TV: FOX: Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi.

Radio/streaming: 94.1-FM WIP: Merrill Reese, Mike Quick and Devan Kaney. Tico: Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen and David Gerhardt. Sports USA: Josh Appel and Charles Arbuckle.

Betting odds

Spread: Bills by 1.5.

Over/under: 43.5.

Money line: Bills -118, Eagles -102.

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The rookie first-round pick took a back seat when Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean returned from injury and slid back into his starting role. Dean’s play cut into Campbell’s playing time. By Week 13, his defensive snap count dropped to zero. But off the field, the 21-year-old Campbell kept to a schedule and made “mature decisions,” he said.

He went to bed early, made sure to keep up a normal recovery routine, and watched a lot of film, knowing that at any moment his number could be called for an increased role.

That proverbial tap on the helmet came last Saturday vs. Washington, when Dean went down with a hamstring injury that will keep him out of Sunday’s game in Buffalo and give Campbell his first start in two months. Campbell had six combined tackles in 36 defensive snaps, and two of those tackles were run stops.

Campbell briefly moonlighted at outside linebacker when the Eagles were missing multiple players. He talked last month, after losing his starting inside job, about keeping the right mindset.

“The biggest thing is just staying prepared, not getting down, and just understanding the game plan and what has to happen,” he said in November. “So when it is my time to go in the game, I know exactly what I have to do, when I have to do it, with full confidence.”

The unwavering off-field focus, Campbell said, comes from his upbringing.

“It’s just in me,” the Erial, N.J., native said Wednesday. “It’s been instilled in me ever since I’ve been a young kid. I have a great foundation and support system back home.

“It’s just all about knowing my responsibility, knowing that I have to be accountable for my own actions and what I want to do for my career to come.”

Campbell’s first NFL season and all that comes with it seems to be coming at warp speed for the 31st pick in April’s draft.

“I look up now and it’s Week 15, Week 16 of my rookie year,” he said. “It’s moving fast; it’s moving pretty quickly. It’s all about just squeezing the lemon as much as I can in this first year.”

The team awaiting Campbell in his first start since Oct. 26 will test how much juice he’s produced.

Running back James Cook leads the NFL in rushing, and Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks at using his legs. Buffalo has a dynamic running game that allows Allen some opportunities to use his arm, too. Dean was especially impactful against the run and as a blitzer in recent weeks, and the Eagles likely will need the same out of Campbell on Sunday. He has one quarterback hit and zero sacks on the season.

“It’s all about what we do,” Campbell said when asked about the challenge of Allen and the Bills.

While Dean is out, the Eagles will get Jalen Carter back after he missed the previous three games with shoulder injuries. Carter should provide a boost, even in a limited role. But the Eagles have played some of their best defense of the 2025 season in the weeks after Dean returned.

It will be on Campbell to help make sure that level of play continues.

Buffalo’s James Cook reflected on his offseason contract dispute with pride, a sense of unfinished business and a nod to Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley.

Though the Bills’ fourth-year running back might already be outperforming the four-year, $46 million contract extension he signed in August following a week-long hold-in, the NFL’s rushing leader enters Week 17 feeling vindicated for banking on himself.

“You got to do what you got to do. You need to take care of your family, and that’s what I did,” Cook said Friday, referring to his contract dispute that included him skipping all of the team’s spring voluntary practices.

At the same time, Cook thinks he has more to prove.

“The job’s not even finished,” he said. “So just keep going.”

With a career-best 1,532 yards rushing, Cook has a 43-yard lead over the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor in what stands as a two-way race for the rushing title.

What’s fitting for Cook this weekend as the Bills (11-4) prepare to host the Eagles (10-5) on Sunday is him owing his on- and off-field achievements to Barkley. If not for the Philadelphia running back raising the payroll bar for all players at his position, Cook figured he might still be spinning his wheels while seeking a pay raise.

“He set the standard. He set the mark,” Cook said of Barkley turning his league-leading 2,005 yards rushing last year into a two-year contract $41.2 million extension that made him the NFL’s first running back to average more than $20 million a season.

“Last year, he set the rushing title,” Cook added. “And I’m just trying to replicate it.”

Two of the NFL’s premier running backs will square off in expected sloppy conditions, with the forecast calling for a wintery mix of snow and rain Sunday.

In Buffalo, Cook has scored 12 touchdowns and topped 100 yards nine times while taking the load off quarterback Josh Allen and contributing to the Bills reaching the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.

In Philadelphia, Barkley has found his footing and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles appear to have rediscovered their balanced offensive identity.

Barkley has topped 100 yards twice in the past three games after doing so just once in the first 12. The Eagles have won two in a row and are coming off a 29-18 win over Washington during which they became the first team to clinch consecutive NFC East titles since they did so over a four-year span from 2001-04.

Barkley said he “never lost faith” in the offense or coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was criticized for the Eagles’ sluggish start.

“It’s always not going to be pretty. The stat line isn’t always going to be 100 rushing yards,” he said. “When we get our running game going, we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”

Barkley noted he exchanged messages on Instagram with Cook this week.

“He’s the leading rusher right now and I sent him a message, like, ‘Go finish,” he said. “He’s a guy who’s had a heck of a year. … Super excited to go against him. Wish him the best, but not too well against our team.”

Barkley has an opportunity to thrive against a Bills defense that has allowed 150 or more yards rushing seven times this season, and will be missing three defensive tackles to injury.

The Bills, however, can counter with Cook, whose 12 TDs rushing are tied for fourth in the NFL.

Bills coach Sean McDermott praised Cook for emerging as a team leader and for how he didn’t get comfortable after signing a new contract.

“The week to week intensity is different than last year,” McDermott said. “He had some big games last year, but the look in his eye each week, the intensity that he shows up with, it’s really been influential on our whole football team.”

Kicking woes

Jake Elliott used to be so automatic on field goals he earned the nickname Jake the Make. He has been off so much this season that he’s now looking over his shoulder.

Elliott missed both field goal attempts — three, if you include a 57-yard miss nullified by a penalty — last weekend, and is 17 of 24 overall this season.

“I’ve got to figure some stuff out,” Elliott said.

Sirianni continued to back Elliott by saying: “I have a ton of confidence in him and that he’ll rebound from whatever setbacks that he has.”

Rooting interest

Sirianni might be from Jamestown, New York, some 75 miles south of Buffalo, but he grew up a fan of the Steelers rather than the Bills.

“It’s not any different for me,” he said of the homecoming, while noting he’ll have plenty of friends and family in attendance.

As for who they’ll be rooting for, Sirianni smiled and said: “They better root for us. … If I see that they’re wearing Bills stuff, we’ll have words and they won’t be invited the next time.”

Spring break?

Allen joked when asked what it would mean for Cook to win the NFL rushing title.

“It would mean a lot and then maybe no OTAs for anybody,” Allen said, noting Cook skipped all of Buffalo’s voluntary spring sessions.

“You know, just get everyone fresh legs. No, I’m kidding,” he added, before saying he believes his teammate is already underpaid. “Probably, yeah. But all he cares about is winning football games right now, and it’s pretty awesome.”

With the Eagles already locked into the postseason, the question of resting starters inevitably surfaced at NovaCare Complex on Wednesday. Sirianni said the staff discussed it thoroughly before deciding to keep its core players on the field for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.

“You go through a lot of different processes, and you do what you think is best for the football team,” he said. “We think playing our guys is the best thing for our football team. But you think through everything.”

That choice reflects a long-range view that prioritizes momentum and preparation over preservation. Sirianni emphasized the importance of stacking productive days — in practice, meetings and games — so that the team is trending upward as January approaches.

“This is a week that we have to get better, next week’s a week we have to get better,” he said. “So we’re trying to play our best football by the end of the season.”

Having all but secured the No. 3 seed in the NFC, the Birds still have an outside shot at the two seed. They have a far outside chance of falling to the fourth seed, if they were to lose out.

“Any time you step onto the football field, there’s an opportunity to get better,” Sirianni said. “I don’t care who you’re playing, what their record is. Everybody in the NFL is capable of beating anybody in the NFL, and that’s what makes the league so great.”

The Bills are still jockeying for seeding in the AFC, so this game will be a strong late-season test for both teams.

Offensively, Sirianni believes the Eagles are beginning to realize the balance they envisioned earlier in the year. After stretches of inconsistency, the ability to move the ball both on the ground and through the air has opened more of the playbook.

“There are certain runs that set up play actions, and there are passes that get them to do different things on defense that help with runs,” he said. “Any time you’re balanced and you’re able to attack multiple ways, that’s huge. We’ve always felt like we could do that. We’re starting to hit our stride and look to build upon that.”

That balance also shows up defensively, particularly against a Bills offense that features quarterback run elements with Josh Allen and a plus-one run game featuring an extra blocker. Sirianni said that repeated exposure to those concepts, even in practice settings, pays dividends.

“The more times you have to defend those types of runs, the more experience you get,” he said. “Our defense has gotten experience through competitive periods, through training camp, through OTAs, with things like that. So yeah, I think there’s always a benefit to that.”

Individually, Sirianni praised rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell for maintaining a professional approach despite a reduced role over the last couple of months. He’s likely to see his role expand again, with Nakobe Dean nursing a hamstring injury.

“Every day coming to work, working his butt off, preparing as if he was playing the whole game, half the game, couple plays in the game,” Sirianni said of Campbell. “Just consistency with that, his work ethic and how he goes about his day.”

Campbell’s personality, Sirianni added, has made him a valued presence in the building.

“I think he’s a guy that guys genuinely like to be around and coaches genuinely like to be around,” he said. “I just love the way he goes about his everyday work and I see him continuing to get better.”

In the secondary, Sirianni expressed excitement over the recognition earned by cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who were selected to the Pro Bowl in their second seasons.

“That’s a high-quality position that is valued for many teams,” he said. “They’ve made a lot of plays through their first two years. We look for them to continue to do that. They’re both guys that come to work every day looking to get better.”

Sharing such news with players, Sirianni said, is one of the best parts of the job.

“Any time you get an opportunity to be able to share good news with them, that that’s always a good thing,” he said.

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Wednesday practice report: DNP – WR A.J. Brown (teeth), Dean (hamstring), LG Landon Dickerson (illness), RT Lane Johnson (foot). FULL – LB Zack Baun (hand), Campbell (back/ankle), DT Jalen Carter (shoulders), T Fred Johnson (calf), TE Cameron Latu (stinger), WR DeVonta Smith (illness), T Cameron Williams (shoulder).

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