The Eagles and Bengals have been playing 2-0 in their past two games, both against the Giants and Browns. Philadelphia beat the Browns 20-16; the Bengals won 21-14. Against New York, Cincinnati won 17-7, and Philly blew out their divisional rival 28-3. The Eagles are 4-2 on the year, and the Bengals are 3-4; although all four losses were decided by one possession, the Bengals are better than their record and could realistically be 5-2 or better if they were better at closing out games. The Bengals offense hasn't been the issue, ranking in the top 10 in ppg, but their defense ranks within the bottom 12 in points allowed per game, yards allowed per game, third down conversion rate allowed, and red zone conversion rate allowed.
This will be the first time Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow face off as starters. Both were drafted in 2022, Burrow being drafted first overall and Hurts being taken in the second round at 53rd overall. The Eagles played the Bengals in Their rookie year, but Hurts was still backing up Carson Wentz while Joe Burrow was starting day one in Cincinnati. In that game, Burrow threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, and Hurts had two carries for five yards. Joe Burrow won the Heisman trophy in 2019, and Jalen Hurts was second in the voting. The two faced off in college; unfortunately for Hurts and Oklahoma, LSU was a juggernaut that season and steamrolled them, winning 63-28. Hurts had just 217 yards and one interception but led Oklahoma in rushing with 43 yards and two touchdowns. Burrow had an impeccable game, throwing for 493 yards and SEVEN touchdowns. Both have Super Bowl appearances but ended up losing the big game.
Game Info
Date: October 27th, 2024
Start Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Stadium: Paycord Stadium
TV Info: CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis on the call)
Eagles Uniform Info: Green helmet, green jersey, white pants
Bengals Statistical Rankings 2024
Points Per Game: 25.4 (10th)
Points Allowed Per Game: 23.7 (20th)
Offensive Yards Per Game: 331.7 (14th)
Passing/Rushing Yards Per Game: 237.4 (8th) | 94.3 (T-28th)
Defensive Yards Allowed Per Game: 353.1 (22nd)
Passing/Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game: 217.0 (21st) | 136.1 (T-21st)
Third Down Offensive/Defensive Conversion Rate: 41.2% (9th) | 44.2% (24th)
Red Zone Offensive/Defensive Conversion Rate: 66.7% (8th) | 68.2% (27th)
Penalties: 33 (3rd)
Penalty Yardage: 272 (5th)
Players Already Ruled Out
Bengals: OT Trent Brown, OT D'Ante Hill, G Jaxson Kirkland, RB Chris Evans, DB Dax Hill
Eagles: OT Jordan Mailata, TE Dallas Goedert, G Mekhi Becton, CB James Bradberry, WR Britain Covey, WR Ainias Smith
Cincinnati Bengals
Defense
The Bengals' defense is the main reason they're below .500; they give up 30.2 ppg in the team's losses, compared to their 15 ppg allowed in the team's wins. They don't even excel in one area on defense more than another, ranking 21st in passing and rushing yards allowed per game and ranking within the bottom eight in third down and red zone conversion rate allowed. Cincinnati's defense has given up 19 touchdowns on the year, 11 of them on the ground and eight through the air. One area this defense is doing a good job is getting the ball back for the offense, having the tenth most interceptions in the league with six, coming from six different players, and they have two fumble recoveries, both coming from Germaine Pratt. The Eagles have eight turnovers on the year, four interceptions, and four lost fumbles; three of those turnovers came in Week 1, and the Birds have been cleaning it up lately. In a game that could very well be a shootout, a takeaway could change the whole game.
The Eagles are strongest when they run the ball; we saw that last week as they had their largest win of the season, putting up 269 team rushing yards. Cincy gives up 4.4 ypc, and Saquon Barkley averages 6.1 ypc. The Bengals have only allowed two players to rush for 100+ yards this season, Rhamondre Stevenson and Chuba Hubbard. Usually, when Cincinnati allows teams to score a lot, most of the damage is done through the air. Jalen Hurts hasn't been great at the start of the season, but the Eagles pass game will always be a threat, especially with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith on the field. Hurts has thrown for over 250 yards three times this season; the most he's thrown for in 2024 is 311 yards. The Bengals will likely have to pick their poison, and there's a good chance they can't stop the run or the pass.
Offense
Luckily for the defense, Joe Burrow is still in town. Despite their record, Burrow is leading a top-10 offense. Ja'Marr Chase is second in receiving yards with 620 but should be back in first after Sunday as the only player above him is former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson with 646 yards, who just played on Thursday Night. Chase also has SIX touchdowns, which is tied with Mike Evans for the most in the league. Tee Higgins has 34 yards and three touchdowns; he has over 60 receiving yards in all but one game played this season. The Bengals' run game has been lackluster this season, averaging the fourth least rush yards per game. Philly's defense ranks within the top 10 in pass yards allowed and 14th in rush yards allowed per game.
The Bengals O-line gives up the 12th most sacks in the league, just one rank above Philadelphia. Philly's pass rush had a slow start but has 13 sacks in their last two games. The Bengals will be without their two starting tackles, which doesn't help. With a weak run game, the offensive line will have to protect Burrow if they want the offense to be able to keep up with Philly. The matchup to watch will be whatever receiver is being guarded by Quinyon Mitchell. Philadelphia's rookie CB has been in lockdown to start the year, but he'll have a major test guarding one of the best WR duos this week. Cincinnati has yet to face a team with as good a CB this season as Mitchell, so it will also be a test for Ja'Marr and Tee.
Philadelphia Eagles
Defense
The Eagles' defense is on fire and riding a wave after two straight games with no offensive touchdowns allowed. That being said, it was against the Giants and Browns, but that's an impressive stat regardless of who you play in the NFL. The Bengals are down two offensive linemen this week, and the Birds have had 13 sacks in their last two games; this D-line is licking their chops. Rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell will have his toughest test yet facing Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but he hasn't backed down against any of the top receivers he's faced. Against Mike Evans, Drake London, and Chris Olave, he allowed five receptions on eight targets for 47 yards and had two pass breakups. He hasn't given up a TD all year.
The Eagles shouldn't have to worry about stopping the run this week because Cincy's run game is almost non-existent, and if the Eagles can get ahead early, it would practically force Burrow to have to put the team on his back to try and stay in the game. Burrow has 30+ pass attempts in all but three games, and in those three games, he had 29, 28, and 25 attempts. In three of the Birds' four wins, the opposing QB threw under 30 passes; in their two losses, Kirk threw 29 passes, and Baker Mayfield had 47 attempts! The Eagles D hasn't allowed any player to rush for 100+ yards this season, and that trend should continue.
Offense
The only way the Bengals' defense would be able to slow down the Eagles' offense is by forcing turnovers, which in the first few weeks of the season could be a real possibility. Still, they've been cleaning it up lately. Hurts hasn't thrown an interception since Week 3 and hasn't turned the ball over in his last two games. Four of his seven total turnovers this season came in the first two weeks. All this to say, you should expect your $240M QB to go most games with no turnovers, but with how many Hurts has had in 2023 and this season, seeing him have clean games is a good sign he could be returning to his true form.
Saquon Barkley could be poised for another bug game against a defense that allows 136 rush yards per game. Barkley accounts for 110 of the Eagles 167 rush ypg. He has the third most rushing yards in the league and is tied for the seventh most rushing TDs with 5; Hurts is tied for 11th most with four. Hurts hasn't done much with his legs this year, averaging 36 ypg on 3.5 ypc. Two of his four rushing TDs came last week against the Giants. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith should have smooth sailing with the Bengals down two CBs.
Betting Info
Points Spread: PHI -1 (-110) | CIN +1 (-110)
Moneyline: PHI (-120) | CIN (+100)
Over/Under: O 42 (-110) | U 42 (-110)
Lines Via Draft Kings
Prediction
The Eagles are yet to score a point in the first quarter this season, so it seems smart to account for that when making predictions. Philly hasn't scored over 30 points since Week 1, and the Eagles' defense should hold the Bengals' offense in check, so I don't think it'll be super high scoring, especially with both team's O-lines being banged up. The Bengals will likely take an early lead, but once the Eagles offense gets rolling in the second quarter, they should be able to take control of the game and win a close one on the road to improve to 5-2.
Final Score: Eagles 23, Bengals 20
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