Eagles ranked after huge win over Bengals – NBC10 Philadelphia

CINCINNATI. The Eagles return to Cincinnati at 5-2 after winning their second straight.

This time he came against a better opponent.

That’s why we can consider the Eagles’ 37-17 victory over the Bengals the best and most complete win of the season. They were good at every stage on Sunday afternoon at the Paycor Stadium and it shows in the scores:

quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 16/20, 236 yards, 1 TD; 10 carries, 37 yards, 3 TDs

On the Eagles’ second drive of the game, Hurts had a very bad throw to Kenny Gainwell that was nearly picked off. And that was his only bad play of the game. Hurts was effective on Sunday and did everything the Eagles needed. He hit his targets all over the field, got AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Grant Calcaterra in the passing game. And he even had some massive runs and scrambles in it. It was his best game of the season and he beat Joe Burrow.

Grade: A

Running back

Saquon Barkley: 22 carries, 108 yards

After signing with the Eagles in the offseason, Saquon Barkley played in seven games for the Birds. He has now rushed for over 100 yards in four of them. Barkley had just 35 yards at halftime, but made some tough passes in the second half to help the Eagles kill time and get another big win. He made some impressive plays down the field and even one on the sideline when he interfered with the operator. Not much work for Kenny Gainwell in this game (5 of 19) and unfortunately Will Shipley was robbed of his first career touchdown by a holding. We saw more of Ben Van Sumeren at fullback; it’s not going anywhere.

Grade: A

Receiver

DeVonta Smith: 6 catches on 7 targets for 85 yards, 1 TD

It was no surprise to anyone that Smith followed up his 1st catch for -2 yards performance with a big play in Cincinnati. It seems like when Smith has a low performance game, the Eagles make an effort to bring him in. Not only did Smith catch a 45-yard touchdown, he also made some big catches to move the chains. Not to be outdone, AJ Brown was 5 for 84 in that game. No other recipient was targeted, but that didn’t matter. Rookie Aeneas Smith did make his NFL debut and got some offensive snaps.

Grade: A

A tense ending

Grant Calcaterra: 3 catches on 3 targets for 58 yards

The Eagles were again without Dallas Goedert (hamstring) for this game, but Calcaterra proved to be a legitimate threat in the passing game. Hurts seems to really like throwing the ball to Calcaterra, and Calcaterra is earning those goals. He even had a good block on a 7-yard run by Hurts in the third quarter. (And Goedert was the guy who pulled the double knot out of Hurts’ boot in the second half — he’s contributing even when he’s not playing.)

Grade: B+

The offensive line

Playing against his former team on Sunday, backup left tackle Fred Johnson did a great job against Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson. The Eagles were without Jordan Mailata and Mehi Becton for that game, but the offensive line held up in pass protection and did enough to help the ground game rack up 161 yards on the ground.

Grade: A

Line of defense

Nolan Smith: 2 tackles, 1/2 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 PBU

The Eagles’ defensive line had just one sack on Burrow, and it was split between Smith and Milton Williams. So they didn’t keep up their sack rate of the last two weeks, but they still got the job done. And the Bengals just couldn’t play against them. Cincinnati had 20 carries for 58 yards (2.9) on the ground.

Grade: B+

Linebacker

Zach Baun: 12 tackles, 1 FF

There was one botched play in the coverage where it looked like Nakobe Dean bit a play fake, but other than that it was another strong game from Dean and Baun. Baun forced a fumble in the second half and Dean was there to pounce on it. Dean had 9 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 TFL and a fumble recovery.

Grade: A

Secondary

Cooper DeJean: 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU

The Bengals were without Tee Higgins in this game and it didn’t help their cause, but they still had Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Chase had 9 catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. He’s going to get his, but the Eagles have limited the damage. And they finally got an interception after Isaiah Rodgers’ impressive play against Chase, where Rodgers flipped the ball to C.J. Gardner-Johnson. It was CJGJ’s first pick of the season and the first not to come from Reid Blankenship this season. Cooper DeJean, who continues to play well, also had a great catch on fourth down. DeJean had an interception and Kinyon Mitchell again came very close to his first. At some point, these guys will get a choice.

Grade: A

Special groups

Jake Elliott: 3/3 on FGs, 4/4 on PATs, 13 points

The Eagles avoided major disasters thanks to special teams. Elliott made all three field goals: 39, 49 and 47 against the team that drafted him back in 2017. Braden Mann’s only punt was a 52-yarder that found its way into the end zone; you’d like to see him anchor the Bengals deep there.

Grade: A-

Coaching

Record: 5-2

The Eagles gave up a 10-minute touchdown on their first possession, but then Vic Fangio’s defense settled down. And Kellen Moore had a good day on offense. As reporters were allowed into the locker room, Nick Sirianni ran around belting out Michael Jackson’s “PYT” at the top of his lungs. The Eagles are now 3-0 since the announcement.

Grade: A