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The Cincinnati Bengals had no answer to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Losing in a blowout, 37-17, the Bengals ended a two-game winning streak to pick up their fifth loss of the season.
They did show signs of competition early on. The Bengals drew first blood in the opening quarter as Joe Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase in the endzone to cap off a 70-yard drive. From there, both teams kept exchanging blows. Jake Elliot field goal, Evan McPherson field goal. Two straight Jalen Hurts touchdowns, a Chase Brown touchdown to answer. With over four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bengals and the Eagles found themselves in a 17-all deadlock. That's when all the momentum went to Philly's side.
Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith on a 45-yard pass to put the Eagles up. And in the ensuing Cincinnati drive, the Bengals failed to convert on a fourth and 1 at their own 39-yard line. In the fourth quarter, everything went the visiting team's way. Two more Elliot field goals, another Hurts touchdown, and an interception by CJ Gardner-Johnson highlighted the final 15 minutes of action.
It was a horrible turn of events for Paycor Stadium spectators, who were audibly much quieter once everything was said and done. With all that being said, who's to blame on the Bengals' end? Without further ado, here are the major culprits in the Week 8 loss.
The Bengals' D-line needs more mojo
One noticeable aspect of the Eagles' offense was the leeway Jalen Hurts had in the pocket. The quarterback had all the time in the world to set up his throws, and that was due to the underwhelming pass rush from the Cincinnati D-line. Just check out the video of his 45-yard Hail Mary to Smith, per Bleacher Report. With more than enough room and time at his disposal, Hurts was able to connect with his receiver and produce the game's most dazzling highlight.
As a team, the Bengals failed to record a sack on Sunday. They're one of the worst teams (29th) in terms of total sacks, having brought QBs down just 12 times through eight games. Seven of those 12 sacks are from Trey Hendrickson, who is currently the lone bright spot among his peers in the trenches.
As for total yardage, Hurts was able to throw for 236 yards, with three of his pass-catchers garnering no less than 58 yards apiece. Of course, the Bengals' secondary is also responsible here, but having a struggling pass rush didn't help at all.
Stopping the run was also an issue. Hurts found the endzone three times on the ground while Saquon Barkley rushed for 108 yards. The Eagles' O-line successfully produced gaps that allowed their main rushers to deliver, resulting in Philly tallying a total of 161 rushing yards.
Evan McPherson has to do better from far out
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During the second quarter, Cincinnati was up 10-3 and they had a chance to extend the lead with a field goal. However, Evan McPherson's 54-yard attempt went wide left, reminding fans of the kicker's recent struggles.
McPherson is now 11-of-15 (73.3%) in field goals this season. Interestingly, he's doing well from within 40 feet, having made all his six attempts in that range. However, three of his misses have been from beyond 50 feet, in addition to a blown 48-yard attempt as well. To put it another way, McPherson is struggling from far out. He's on pace for his worst season yet, and a turnaround is badly needed especially with how the Bengals' playoff window is barely open.
Turnovers put into motion the second-half collapse
Cincinnati's second-half collapse was marred by turnovers — three of them actually. The first was the questionable fourth-down play that saw Ja'Marr Chase get stopped by Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean. It resulted in a turnover on downs and Philly was able to convert a field goal in the ensuing drive. Some may argue that McPherson's struggles might've played a part in Zac Taylor's decision, but kicking the ball was still the much better option in that scenario.
The second was Joe Burrow's interception. In the fourth quarter, the Bengals star attempted a deep right pass to Chase, but cornerback Isaiah Rogers was able to deflect the ball, which fell right into the hands of CJ Gardner-Johnson. To add salt to the wound, the Eagles' possession afterward resulted in Hurts' final TD of the game.
The third turnover happened late in the outing. By this time, the Bengals were fruitlessly grasping at straws as they faced a 17-point deficit. Burrow connected with Mike Gesicki, but the tight end was overwhelmed by two defenders and the ball was popped free and recovered by the Eagles.
Looking ahead, two of the Bengals' next four games include clashes against AFC North rivals, namely, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. Those will undoubtedly be slugfests, so Cincinnati has to make sure that a repeat of Sunday's showing won't occur again moving forward.
