ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Defensive end Juqua Parker fought valiantly through a high ankle sprain to suit up and play Sunday against the Bills.
But he'll be remembered for a neutral zone infraction on a 4th-and-1 with 1:23 left in the game which allowed the Bills to run out the clock and secure the 31-24 win.
After Brad Smith was stopped just short of a first down on 3rd-and-3, it initially appeared as if the Bills were going to send out the punt team. The referees took a measurement and the Bills were just a few chain links short of the fresh set of downs. The Eagles used their last time out to preserve the clock and the Bills sent the offense on the field.
Whether the design was to get the Eagles to jump offsides is unknown, but Parker thought that they were going to call a play.
"Pretty much, I just jumped offsides," Parker said after the game. "It was a cadence thing. ... He got me."
One of the longest-tenured members of the Eagles defense, it was a bit of a surprise to see that Parker was the one who committed the penalty. Parker doesn't recall doing it previously in his career.
Either way, this certainly was the biggest. The Eagles had outscored the Bills 10-0 in the fourth quarter. Now, the Eagles head back home on the heels of a four-game losing streak at 1-4. As a veteran, Parker has endured just about every type of NFL season. He believes that the Eagles can still turn the season around.
"I feel like we can turn this thing around," Parker said.
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