The Buffalo Bills‘ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles made it clear they would claim nothing better than a 5th seed in the playoffs. However, despite the Josh Allen-led team’s defeat, two birds paid for what everyone saw coming as the NFL revealed the Week 17 penalties.

According to the official NFL GameDay Accountability website, the first fine, worth $8,342, fell on the Eagles’ safety No. 21, Sydney Brown. In the second quarter, with 0:08 remaining until halftime, Bills’ RB Ray Davis returned a 72-yard kick by the Eagles’ kicker Jake Elliott for 32 yards. However, after that, players ended up in a scuffle. The referee threw the flag and called offsetting personal fouls with 15-yard penalties on the Eagles’ No. 21, Brown, and the Bills’ tackle No. 70, Alec Anderson.

Interestingly, though, Anderson did not make it to the league’s penalty board for the incident since the defense is mostly held culpable in such cases. This was Brown’s sixth penalty this season. Over three seasons, he’s had twelve total penalties for 115 yards. But he wasn’t the only defensive lineman caught by the NFL’s lens.

In the third quarter, with 0:13 remaining, the Bills’ RB Khalil Shakir returned a 50-yard punt by the Eagles’ Braden Mann for 12 yards. Then, Philadelphia’s Grant Calcaterra ran towards the sideline to tackle him. While Shakir had already entered the sidelines, the tight end followed through. The next thing you saw on the broadcast was the latter taking jabs at the Bills’ sideline and their defensive tackle, Phidarian Mathis. 

The referees didn’t see the incident and did not flag Calcaterra during the game, but the league saw it all. Calcaterra was fined $6,353 for taunting, a violation classified under unsportsmanlike conduct. Such a penalty was one of the first for the tight end, who has only had six penalties so far in three active years. Neither of the two players has appealed the fine so far.

On the other hand, the Bills, as a whole, were spared any punishment this week. However, turns out that one bird flew under the league’s radar that Sunday.

Jalen Carter avoids the NFL’s penalty vs. the Bills

In Saturday’s Week 17 penalties, one interesting thing to note was Jalen Carter’s name, or the lack thereof. The Eagles’ No. 98, who was returning after missing three games, gouged Buffalo offensive tackle Spencer Brown in the eye and then jabbed him in the throat with 6:24 left in the regulation. The No. 79 was down for a few seconds and was taken out of the game to be checked later, as he had a foggy vision.

Ryan Van Demark entered the game for him before Brown returned for Buffalo’s final offensive series. While Carter pleaded his case and did not get fined during the game, the league clearly agreed with him on the poking being accidental; Brown doesn’t believe so.

Top Stories

Bill Cowher’s Strong Message to Steelers on Firing Mike Tomlin After HC’s Blunt Playoff Message

Andy Reid Fires Coach In Attempt to Rebuild Staff After Receiving HC Requests For Chiefs’ Coordinators

Sources: John Harbaugh Wasn’t Fired, Left Ravens After Refusing Major Staff Changes

Exclusive: Ed McCaffrey Clears Air on Sean Payton’s Roster After Disagreeing With Broncos’ Draft Decision

Chiefs Issue Official Statement as WR Rashee Rice Faces Accusations of Domestic Abuse

“No, I don’t think so,” Brown said after the game. “But it was coming, I guess.”

The Bills’ defense recorded key stops in the second half. However, despite holding Philadelphia to 13 points, the Bills dropped the close contest, and now, Allen takes the blame on himself.

Josh Allen blames himself for the Eagles loss

For one final attempt, instead of going into overtime, head coach Sean McDermott opted for a 2-point conversion. However, after being pressured by linebacker Jalyx Hunt, Allen’s pass sailed about a foot wide and out of Shakir’s reach, resulting in the Eagles’ victory. This failed conversion came right after Allen rallied Buffalo late with a rushing touchdown. He removed his helmet and yelled out in frustration. But the QB didn’t back down from taking the blame himself.

“Yeah, I just missed,” Allen said after the game. “Rolling left, I’ve got to get him a better ball. It just comes down to us executing, making one more play than they did. Obviously, you saw that we didn’t make that last play. We can learn a lot from this experience. I’d rather have won and learned from that too, but again, I got to make a play.”

The Buffalo Bills had secured their playoff berth, but their final seed can change based on Week 18 results. The team is expected to finish anywhere between a No. 5 and a No. 7 seed in the AFC Wild Card bracket. Currently sitting at No. 7, after losing tiebreakers to the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers, they still maintain an 11-5 record. They now need to win their final game against the New York Jets to improve their seed and have one or both of the Texans and Chargers lose or tie.

In the end, Allen did what he always does…

“It just comes down to us executing, making one more play than they did. And obviously, we saw that we didn’t make that last play,” Allen said, before correcting himself. “I didn’t make that last play.”