Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Full Report Card Grades for Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 32-14, but the game was never close because the Eagles trailed 29-0 at one point. Despite making the scoreline more respectable late in the game, almost nothing went right for the Eagles.
Carson Wentz was forced to throw 60 passes. He completed 36 of them for 308 yards with one touchdown but three interceptions. After falling behind early, and with no real running game, the Eagles were forced to ask the rookie signal-caller to be a hero. Wentz did not have his best day.
The Eagles defense did not fare much better. The Bengals racked up 412 yards of offense despite trying to just eat up clock for the majority of the second half. The Eagles pass rush was unable to get consistent pressure yet again, and their corners were exposed.
The Eagles are now 5-7; their playoff hopes are all but gone.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Asking a rookie quarterback to throw the ball 60 times is a bad idea. Asking him to throw 60 times without any threat of a running game, his best receiver and an underwhelming selection of potential targets quickly becomes a grotesque exercise in futility.
Wentz was not good on the day. He threw three interceptions, and two of them were directly his fault. Wentz dealt with mechanical issues as his ball was frequently off target, almost always high.
A positive note is Wentz seems to have become more comfortable when he does have to scramble and pick up yards with his feet.
Grade: D+
Running Back
2 of 10
Wendell Smallwood was once again given a chance to expand his role in the offense. For the second consecutive week, a poor start, combined with the offensive line not blocking well, forced the coaches to abandon the running game. The line may have been poor, but Smallwood seemed to struggle to read the defense and find the right hole in his early action. He finished with 2.4 yards per carry on eight attempts.
Darren Sproles had seven carries for 14 yards and a touchdown. He was able to add 35 yards receiving on six catches.
Thirty-three yards rushing on 15 attempts just isn't going to get the job done.
Grade: D
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
Paul Turner made his presence felt in the second half. He recorded his first six NFL catches for a team-high 80 yards, including a nice 41-yard gain.
Zach Ertz is quickly becoming the king of garbage-time stats. He only had six yards receiving until the Eagles' late push for respectability. Like many of his teammates who signed extensions in the offseason, Ertz is failing to play up to newfound expectations.
Trey Burton had a nice game. He continues to push for a bigger role in the offense.
Dorial Green-Beckham continues to be a wildly frustrating player to watch. The talent and physical ability are obvious, but he disappears for long stretches.
Nelson Agholor caught four of the five passes that went his way. That's improvement, even if they only went for 23 yards.
Grade: C-
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
Given the injuries to the offensive line, only allowing one sack and a dozen quarterback hits on 60 pass attempts isn't the worst performance in the world. No one is going to mistake this unit for those of the Dallas Cowboys or Oakland Raiders, especially this current iteration.
The Eagles offensive line simply could not do anything to establish the run game. The backs didn't help, but the big guys up front couldn't generate any push.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Despite the lack of a sack and a bad roughing-the-passer penalty, Brandon Graham had a solid outing. He was one of the only Eagles who could generate pressure on the quarterback and managed two tackles for loss.
Fletcher Cox continues to struggle with the extra attention he is receiving this season. He's playing well overall but needs to find a way to make impact plays, despite being double- and triple-teamed consistently.
Bennie Logan had a nice hustle play to track down Rex Burkhead, force a fumble and recover it himself.
Vinny Curry and Connor Barwin continue to be miserable.
Destiny Vaeao had some nice flash plays where he got pressure.
Grade: D+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Eagles linebackers were excellent against the Bengals run. They helped limit the opposition to 2.4 yards per carry on 33 attempts. That's impressive.
Jordan Hicks had a beautiful tackle in the early stages of the game to stop a rocket screen. Nigel Bradham forced a fumble on a Bengals trick play, and Mychal Kendricks was there for the recovery.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
Bad outing for the entire Eagles secondary. No one in this group had even a mediocre game.
All three of the Eagles corners were burned multiple times on the day. Man coverage, zone coverage, tight or off, none of it seemed to make any difference.
The Eagles safety trio was also notably quiet. Jaylen Watkins had a penalty and dropped an easy interception. Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod seemed to only be out there to finish off Bengals players already 10 yards down the field.
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 10
Caleb Sturgis missed his 51-yard field-goal attempt in the first half. It was a long try, but it's the kind of kick Sturgis needs to make if he wants to earn the job long term.
Kenjon Barner almost had a touchdown on a kickoff return and managed 61 yards that helped set the Eagles up with a short field for their first touchdown of the day.
Grade: C
Coaching
9 of 10
This was a tough one to watch for fans, and Doug Pederson could not have been a happy man on the sidelines either. This was the first time the first-year head coach has had to deal with a road game on short rest. He simply didn't have the Eagles ready to play, and the team came out notably lethargic.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz seems to have run out of buttons to push. His scheme is based off of mixing coverages and getting pressure with the front four. The pass rush isn't getting to the quarterback even when he sends blitzes, and the Eagles corners seem incapable of providing solid coverage in any variation of play call.
Grade: D
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position | Grade |
| QB | D+ |
| RB | D |
| WR, TE | C- |
| OL | C- |
| DL | D+ |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | D |
| ST | C |
| Coaching | D |
Cumulative Grade: D+
The Philadelphia Eagles' playoff hopes are probably dead. The injuries and lack of talent have caught up to them. The inexperience in key spots makes it difficult to overcome their other deficiencies. The Eagles aren't as good as we thought after they started off 3-0, but they also aren't as terrible as their performances over the last three weeks suggest either.
The remainder of the season will be about playing spoiler to divisional rivals, getting young players experience for next season and not getting Carson Wentz killed.
The Eagles are back in action at home against the Washington Redskins next Sunday.
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