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Bengals at Eagles: Three keys and a prediction for Sunday's matchup

Three keys and a prediction for Sunday's matchup
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CINCINNATI — The Bengals and the Eagles are both looking for their first win of the 2020 season on Sunday. 

Philadelphia enters with an 0-2 record. They've been outscored 57-19 in their last six quarters of play, which includes a 37-19 loss to the Rams in Week 2. 

Both teams are dealing with injuries, as the Bengals could be without defensive tackles Geno Atkins and Mike Daniels. Both veterans missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday. 

The Eagles are dealing with injury issues of their own. Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (abdomen) has missed practice this week. The five-time Pro Bowler is the heart of the Eagles' defense. He hasn't been ruled out, but it looks like both teams could be short-handed in the trenches.

Rookie speedster Jalen Reagor won't play due to a thumb injury. That means the Eagles will rely on tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. 

Philadelphia is a 4.5-point favorite in this matchup, but these are two pretty evenly matched teams. 

Here are three things the Bengals need to do on Sunday to get their first win.

Big Plays

This offense is too talented to only have one play of 20 or more yards this season. They have to find a way to produce some explosive plays downfield. 

That could mean a deep ball to A.J. Green, John Ross or Tee Higgins. It could also mean getting Joe Mixon in space against a weak Eagles' linebacking unit. 

The Bengals are averaging just 5.2 yards-per-attempt in the passing game, which is last in the NFL. A couple deep connections with Green or Ross could change that average quickly. 

“That’s something that’s an emphasis for me this week, is just getting that right,” Joe Burrow said on Wednesday. “We’ve also just played two styles of defenses that don’t give up big plays and keep everything in front of you and make you check it down and make you work down the field. But we’ve also missed some opportunities to put the ball down the field. We are gonna get more opportunities. We just have to connect on them.”

The Eagles have allowed seven plays of 20+ yards. The Bengals have to exploit that weakness.

Burrow and Green haven't gotten on the same page yet, but after a full week of practice and two games under their belt, the duo should be ready to go on Sunday. 

"I like to work, I like to feel comfortable," Green said on Thursday. "Not even having an offseason, I missed a lot of training camp. Then we didn’t have any preseason, so that’s a lot of time to miss and then go into the first game and feel comfortable. But I make no excuses, I just go out there and work. I know it’s going to be tough, but I accept the challenge. That’s part of being great."

Stopping the Run

The Bengals were gashed by the Browns on the ground in Week 2. They've allowed the third-most rushing yards (370) in the NFL through two weeks. 

If they're going to get their first win on Sunday, they have to be better against the run. 

"You have to want to win," DJ Reader said after the Bengals loss to the Browns. "If you are not this pissed off after the game we just lost and gave up 200 yards rushing, it is not right. You have to want to win. This hurts. It is tough to win in this league week to week. It is really tough so you have to want to do it. You have to put your mindset to it every day, day in and day out."

Miles Sanders averaged 4.8 yards-per-carry against the Rams, finishing with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown. Even if the Bengals hold him to 4.8, it's much better than the 6.1 yards-per-carry average the Browns posted last week. 

The Bengals had plenty of missed tackles, but they got punched in the mouth by Cleveland and didn't respond. 

Safety Shawn Williams is expected to return, so there's a chance he could help in that area.

It's only been two games, but the Bengals understand how important it is to fix their mistakes and get on the same page.

"I feel like there were conversations as a team that were pretty eye-opening for a lot of guys," safety Jessie Bates said. "I think that some people will respond well from it. I feel like the talk that we had after that game wasn’t pretty. If we don’t figure it out, some people won’t be here. So we’re excited for this challenge."

Turnovers

The Eagles have turned the ball over six times in two games. They've only had one takeaway on defense. 

The offense is focused on generating big plays, but the Bengals defense needs to wake up. They've forced one turnover in two games.

They're going up against a quarterback in Carson Wentz, who will give the ball away. He's thrown four interceptions and lost a fumble in two games. 
Carlos Dunlap, Carl Lawson and Sam Hubbard have to put pressure on Wentz after not getting near Baker Mayfield last week.  

"We struggled to stop the run," Lawson said this week. "You don’t get that many attempts to just have drop-back passes to get after the quarterback. We have to fix that problem first. Obviously, we have the talent and the pass rushers to get the quarterback."

Stopping the run is important, but the Browns passed on five of their first eight plays last week, which included Mayfield scrambling past Lawson for a first down on 3rd-and-7. 

Dunlap hasn't gotten near an opposing quarterback in the first two games. Sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions are game changers. The Bengals defense needs to generate a few turnovers on Sunday if they're going to beat the Eagles. 

Matchup to Watch

How are the Bengals going to contain Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert? They're arguably the best tight end duo in the league. With Reagor out, Wentz is going to lean on Ertz and Goedert even more than he normally does. It's up to the Bengals safeties and linebackers to hold their own against a great tandem. 

All-Time Record

The Bengals are 9-3-1 against the Eagles. Their .731 winning percentage is the second-highest against any NFL opponent (9-3 against Lions).

Cincinnati is 5-3 at Philadelphia. They've won three of the past four meetings and have not lost to the Eagles since 2000. The two teams tied 13-13 on Nov. 16, 2008 at Paul Brown Stadium. 

The Bengals beat the Eagles 32-14 on Dec. 4, 2016 in Cincinnati. 

Not so Fun Stat

Taylor is 0-10 in one score games after the Bengals' Week 2 loss to the Browns. The team went 0-8 in one score contests last year.

Prediction: The Bengals desperately need a win, but it isn't going to come this week. Wentz is too good to struggle for another four quarters against a defense that was gashed by the Browns in Week 2. Expect the Eagles' offense to get him into a rhythm early in this game. 

Unfortunately, not having Atkins or Daniels is going to cost the Bengals when it matters most. Wentz is going to drive down the field with the game tied in the fourth quarter. Former Bengals kicker Jake Elliott is going to make the game-winning field goal in the closing seconds.

Final Score: Eagles 26, Bengals 23

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