Eagles didn’t go into ‘panic mode’ on defense in win against Bengals: ‘I’m proud of them guys’

During the first three quarters of Sunday’s game, Eagles gave up big plays to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrowwide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and the hard end Mike Gesicki. After the Bengals running back Chase Brown rushed for a four-yard touchdown to tie the score, 17-17, with four minutes left in the third quarter, momentum swinging in Cincinnati’s favor.

Eagles defensive coordinatorr Vic Fangio tried various tactics to slow down Cincinnati’s offense, but nothing worked. On three of Philadelphia’s last four defensive plays, Fangio’s players found answers, making two critical stops and forcing two turnoverss in the Eagles’ 37-17 victory over the Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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The oldest player of the Eagles, a 35-year-old defender Brandon Grahamand one of the team’s youngest players, a 21-year-old rookie Cooper De Jeanmade big stops on back-to-back plays that led to a fourth-quarter screamer and game-winning drive.

With one minute, 26 seconds left in the third quarter, Graham put the Bengals away Zach Moss in the absence of a lead on third-and-1 against Cincinnati’s 39. DeJean then diagnosed a perimeter pass to Chase on fourth-and-1 and picked it off for a two-down. Four players later, an Eagles player. Jake Elliott scored 49 yards for a 10-point lead (27-17).

Graham, who has had big hits in his 15-year career, was glad DeJean made the fourth stop and other young teammates stepped up.

“It’s cool to have this young guy here,” Graham said after the game. “He’s here and he’s gaining confidence every week. I am proud of him. I’m proud of them, guys, because this game is not easy.”

After returning the ball, the Bengals had more than 13 minutes to play. Burrow started the drive with two completions for 16 yards, but he made a huge mistake on Cincinnati’s next play. From the Bengals 46, he threw a deep ball to Chase that was intercepted by Eagles defensive end CJ Gardner-Johnson. Eagles cornerback Isaiah Rogers, who started in the third quarter after Darius Slay was injured, expertly knocked the ball into the hands of Gardner-Johnson.

The Eagles went up 34-17 after a 12-play touchdown streak that spanned more than seven minutes. On the defense’s next possession, Eagles linebacker Zach Baun knocked the ball out of Gesicki’s hands and Nakobe Dean recovered the ball with four minutes, 39 seconds remaining.

“We were pretty good winning the turnover battle here,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.

Before DeJean and Graham made two stops late in the third quarter, the Eagles struggled to get the Bengals off the field.

The Bengals converted five third downs on their first touchdown, picked up two third downs on their next drive and kicked a field goal, then missed a field goal on their third drive. Overall, Cincinnati converted 10 of 13 on third down and scored on three of its first five drives.

“Just a bad mentality,” Sirianni said. “Games start differently from time to time. No one panics when they fall and score. They had some good third down conversions. I think a lot of that (was) Joe Burrow is a great football player and Ja’Marr Chase was able to play a lot there and so was Gesicki.

“They have good players. We knew they were going to play. We talked about it last night. Something good will happen today and something bad will happen today and how do you react to it. It will always depend on your answer.”

DeJean also recovered from mistakes. He left Gesicki open in the flat on a 24-yard catch and run on 3rd-and-22 in the second quarter. Then he was beaten several times in the reports, but it did not shake his confidence.

The Eagles solved their problems and remained resilient in difficult moments. After Graham made the third down, it gave the rest of the defense confidence, including young players like DeJean.

“Biggie’s a fun guy,” DeJean said. “He always encourages everyone. He plays (expletive). We know he’s going to make plays like that. So that’s cool to see.”