Roob’s observations: Eagles defeat Bengals in Cincinnati originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Three straight wins, two straight blowouts, a 5-2 record and the Eagles look like a real football team again.
The offense looked tremendous. The defense looked fantastic. And this can be a fun season after all.
The Eagles came to Cincinnati on Sunday and earned a convincing 37-17 victory over a dangerous Bengals team. It was impressive all around.
Here are our 10 snapshot observations as the Eagles ride a three-game winning streak for the first time in almost a year.
1. This is a win the Eagles have needed for a long time. On the road against an elite quarterback and a quality team with all phases operating at a high level. We didn’t learn much from the Browns and Giants except that the Eagles could beat terrible teams with terrible quarterbacks. It was Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson and a terrifying matchup that the Eagles completely dominated. And despite blowing the home opener against the Falcons and despite being embarrassed by the Bucs, the Eagles sit at 5-2 with a three-game winning streak, and the talk about Nick Sirianni could soon be about a contract extension rather than when he will be fired. You’ve got to love how the Eagles bounced back from some early adversity and took their place among the best in the NFL. And say what you want about Sirianni, he is exceptional at preparing his team, giving them confidence, and getting them to ignore any adversity that hits them. Get them to believe in themselves. And a season that a few weeks ago seemed disorganized is now very promising. The Eagles are legit. How about that?
2. Very encouraging things about the Eagles defense. After the Bengals opened the game with a 17-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, they truly seemed unstoppable. Joe Burrow went 11 for 12 on the 60-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase. But a hallmark of Vic Fangio’s defense is that they figured things out along the way, and the coverage got tighter, the pressure improved and they held Cincinnati to 10 points and just 210 yards. The Bengals were 6 of 6 on third down on the first drive and then 4 of 7 the rest of the way. Settings. The Eagles even got two defenses in the fourth quarter for the first time in two years, since a win over the Steelers when Chauncey Gardner-Johnson intercepted Kenny Pickett and Javon Hargrave forced a Pickett fumble. Over the past three weeks, this defense has held the Browns, Giants and Bengals to 29 points – the first time since early 2016 that they have allowed fewer than 30 points in a three-week span. Burrow targeted Chase 11 times and had 54 yards. That’s huge. Great coverage, great pressure, great tackle. In the second half, Burrow didn’t even complete a pass longer than 13 yards. This Bengals offense is dangerous, but their last eight drives scored just 10 points. That’s elite defense. This is one of the youngest defenses in the league and they are only going to get better.
3. This was the best Jalen Hurts has looked in a long, long time. Probably since Dallas’ first game last year. He completed 16 of 20 passes for 236 yards with a 45-yard touchdown to DeVonta Smith and his fourth straight game without an interception. He distributed the ball, made great decisions, got rid of the ball quickly, seemed super engaged and seemed like his mind was working quickly. That’s three games in a row without a turnover and four in a row without an interception. When a quarterback can drive the ball down the field and be aggressive while avoiding turnovers, you will win almost every time. Three games into the break, Hurts is at 71 percent with four touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 3-0 record. He is no longer forcing the ball. He’s not rushing things. He looks as comfortable as he has been since 2022 and Kellen Moore and Doug Nussmeier have a lot to do with that, but Hurts deserves a lot of credit for correcting the flaws in his game and getting back to doing the things he does well.
4. We need to talk about Cooper DeJean. That 4th-and-1 play he made on Ja’Marr Chase was just huge. This is a 21-year-old kid playing the third game of his career on open field defense against a guy who has made the Pro Bowl every year he’s been in the league averaging over 1,200 yards per season. DeJean diagnosed it perfectly, got to Chase before he could turn upfield, and tackled him by grabbing his leg so he couldn’t escape. DeJean has made a huge difference since Fangio put him in place of Avonte Maddox. He is physical, tough, fast and a sure tackler. He’s close to the ball and in fact should have had his first interception in the second quarter. This is a rookie who had played eight defensive snaps in his career entering the Browns game, and he’s giving the Eagles next-level play very early in his career. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a personnel change that had such an immediate impact. DeJean is an absolute stud.
5. I can’t commend Isaiah Rodgers enough for that deflected pass in the fourth quarter that led to Chauncey Gardner-Johnson’s interception. The Eagles led 27-17 with 12 ½ minutes remaining and the Bengals had a 1st and 10 near midfield when Burrow threw deep to Chase on the right sideline. Normally, Darius Slay would be guarding Chase in that spot, but he had just left the game with a groin injury and Rodgers was in his place. After being forced to sit out last year due to his gambling suspension, he had played just 41 snaps on defense all year. But he was ready for the moment and you have to love the way he didn’t back down against one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Rodgers had great coverage and hit the ball in the air, where Gardner-Johnson was waiting, and got the Eagles’ first interception since Week 3. It’s a great play, whoever makes it, but the fact that it was a guy who had just entered the game moments before and having played 41 snaps since 2022 makes it even more special.
More to come…
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