Sturgis kicks 3 field goals, Eagles beat Bills 23-20
PHILADELPHIA (AP) LeSean McCoy hugged the owner, kissed the logo and everything went downhill from there.
Caleb Sturgis kicked a 30-yard field goal with 3:26 left, Ed Reynolds intercepted Tyrod Taylor's pass in the final minutes and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Buffalo Bills 23-20 on Sunday.
McCoy had 74 yards rushing and 35 receiving in his return to Philadelphia. The two-time All-Pro was the first player off the field after the game, sprinting toward the locker room immediately when the clock expired and slammed his helmet into the wall.
''I got nothing to say,'' he told a crowd of reporters around his locker.
The Eagles (6-7) and Redskins (6-7) are tied atop the NFC East. The New York Giants (5-7) could make it a three-way tie with a win at Miami on Monday night.
The Bills (6-7) fell two games behind in the AFC wild-card race.
Taylor's streak of 222 passes without a pick ended when his deep pass went right to Reynolds with 1:16 remaining.
Bradford threw for 247 yards, including a 53-yard TD to Nelson Agholor. The Eagles are 6-2 in the past eight games Bradford has started and finished.
''I feel more comfortable, more confident in what we're doing,'' he said.
McCoy, the Eagles' all-time leading rusher, was dealt to Buffalo for linebacker Kiko Alonso last March. He was bitter about the trade and criticized coach Chip Kelly several times afterward.
He never approached Kelly after saying last week he didn't want to shake his hand or talk to him.
Fans gave McCoy a mixed reaction before the game with some cheers and a few boos. Many wore No. 25 jerseys in Bills and Eagles colors.
The Bills rallied from a 20-10 deficit in the third quarter and tied it on Mike Gillislee's 19-yard TD run.
But Bradford tossed a 41-yard pass to Zach Ertz on third-and-3 to set up Philadelphia's go-ahead field goal in the fourth.
''Sam played outstanding,'' Kelly said.
The Bills had two chances in the final minutes, but couldn't do much. They were hurt by 15 penalties.
''I thought we were the better team, but obviously we got beat,'' Bills coach Rex Ryan said. ''We have ourselves to blame.''
Here's some things we learned from Philadelphia's win over Buffalo:
BEASTS OF THE EAST: After losing three straight games to losing teams, including lopsided losses to Tampa Bay and Detroit, the talk in Philly was whether Kelly would be fired. But Bradford returned after missing 2 1/2 games, the Eagles upset New England on the road and are in position to win a mediocre division following this victory. They control their hopes. If they win out, they finish first.
RUNNING BACK ROTATION: DeMarco Murray makes the most money, but that won't get him the most carries. Ryan Mathews started for the Eagles and finished with 38 yards on 13 carries. Murray had 11 carries for 34 yards. Darren Sproles was the best of the bunch with 41 yards on seven carries.
EXTRA SPECIAL TEAMS: One week after two touchdowns on special teams helped the Eagles upset New England, another big play on a punt got Philadelphia going. Bryan Braman recovered Marcus Thigpen's fumble at the Buffalo 37. Following consecutive holding penalties, the Eagles faced second-and-26 when Bradford hit Agholor over the middle for the rookie first-round pick's first TD catch and a 14-7 lead.
PRAISING FLETCH: Eagles DE Fletcher Cox had one sack and eight tackles, including stopping McCoy for a 10-yard loss. Bills coach Rex Ryan compared him to former Eagles Pro Bowl lineman Jerome Brown, who played for Buddy Ryan. ''That 91 is a good player,'' Ryan said. ''I was laughing when I saw him being compared to Jerome Brown, but I'm not laughing now.''
BIG-PLAY SAM: Watkins caught a 47-yard TD down the right side in the first quarter. He is the first Bills receiver with 40-yard catches in three straight games since Terrell Owens in 2009. Watkins finished with five catches for 81 yards. Robert Woods had 106 yards on five receptions.
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