My Takeaways from Eagles 23-23 Tie with Bengals
PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles needed a win in the worst way.
Instead, they got a tie, 23-23 against the Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
Cincinnati may consider that a step in the right direction, being in rebuilding mode and all.
The Eagles?
They exit September still winless, and nobody could have expected that.
Quarterback Carson Wentz was up and down again.
He threw his career 100th touchdown pass with 16 seconds left in the first half, a 29-yard strike to Greg Ward. He also threw two more interceptions and now has thrown two in every game this season for a grand total of six, which is one away from tying how many he through in 16 games last year.
Wentz, though, was rather brilliant with his feet, running for a career-high 64 yards on nine carries, including a seven-yard touchdown scamper that helped knot the game at 23-23 with 28 seconds left in regulation.
“I saw a lot of leadership,” said Eagles running back Miles Sanders. “I saw big-boy football from (No.) 11. You never want to turn the ball over again. I had a mistake last week, too, but it’s all about how you go about the rest of the game and I thought he fought his (butt) off the rest of the game and gave us a chance to get a W.”
The W will have to wait and who knows when that will come with visits to San Francisco and Pittsburgh the next two weeks followed by a trip to the Linc for the Baltimore Ravens.
Most thought the Eagles would be 3-0 right now or, at worst, 2-1.
They are 0-2-1.
Here are some quick observations from the tie:
NO RUSH
With 62 yards rushing in the first quarter, the Eagles started the second quarter with six pass plays on two drives. The result: 1-for-5 for 0 yards and one sack taken.
The Bengals entered the game with the second-worst run defense in the NFL, giving up 185 yards per game to start the year.
The Eagles ran for 175 yards, but 64 of those were from the quarterback. Miles Sanders didn’t go over 100 yards but ended with 95, which was what he last week with two more carries.
“It’s not frustrating for me at all,” said Sanders. “Coaches have a game plan and we put all our trust in the coaches. Whatever play is called I’m going to do more.”
NO TURNOVERS
It was another game where the defense could not take the ball away from an opponent. This time, rookie QB Joe Burrow played error-free ball, without an interception. The Bengals backs didn’t put the ball on the ground, either.
Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz continued his generosity season with two more interceptions, and now has six on the season. Wentz threw just seven all last year and there are still 13 games left in this season going nowhere.
The Eagles are now minus-7 in the takeaway/giveaway department, a stat that is a very good indicator of being a good or bad team. Obviously, being minus by that margin is not good.
“We gotta do better with that,” said defensive end Brandon Graham, who had two of the Eagles’ eight sacks. “We were talking about it out there, about trying to make turnover plays.
“They did a good protecting the ball. Opportunities came for us to get the ball, we just didn’t get it. But I will say we stayed together through all the adversity we went through and we’re going to come in Wednesday ready to work.”
INJURIES
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was a surprise entry into the lineup after being listed as questionable and a game-time decision with an abdomen injury. Cox didn’t look slowed at all, at one point running like a freight train pursuing Joe Burrow to the sideline to force an incompletion.
The Eagles, however, lost tight end Dallas Goedert (ankle) in the first quarter and DeSean Jackson (hamstring) in the second quarter. Cornerback Avonte Maddox never made it back, either after hurting his ankle in the third quarter.
SACK ATTACK
In addition to Graham getting two sacks, Derek Barnett also had two.
Safety Jalen Mills had 1.5 sacks, Cox and Josh Sweat had one each, and Javon Hargrave had a half-sack.
HURTS SIGHTING
Rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts ran two wildcat plays, one that worked, one that did not.
The first one he rushed for eight yards on a second-and-eight that helped the Eagles end a drive with a 54-yard field goal from Jake Elliott that gave the Eagles a 16-10 lead with 8:39 left in the third quarter.
The second time Hurts lined up at quarterback, he faked a handoff to Miles Sanders but lost the ball. He recovered it but a first-and-10 went to second-and-13 and eventually led to an Eagles punt.
UNDISCPLINED
The Eagles got destroyed with penalties, committing 11 of them for 93 yards. Cincinnati had nine for 73, but the Eagles had some really damaging ones.
The biggest of course was Matt Pryor, whose false start penalty with Jake Elliott lining up a 59-yard field goal that could have been the potential game-winner. The five yards changed the Eagles’ approach and they decided to punt with 19 seconds left in overtime, virtually guaranteeing a tie.
There were two more in overtime that were killers also and they happened on the same drive.
First, Lane Johnson was called for a false start after the Eagles had moved to the Bengals’ 43-yard line with 4:05 to go.
Two plays later, Nate Herbig was called for holding to negate a 10-yard gain.
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