NFL: Philadelphia Eagles Fall to the Cincinnati Bengals in Sloppy Loss

It wasn't a pretty game and I'm not going to sugar coat it for any of you—last nights loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was ugly.

For the second straight week, the Philadelphia Eagles first unit offense failed to put points on the board, losing 22-9 in the process.

Starting QB Kevin Kolb commented on the game saying—

"We were a little stagnant on the first three drives there. We needed to pick the energy level up. We did it and we were better in the second quarter. We got our running game going a little bit and got a couple drives. Again, we just have to execute in the red zone. I missed a throw there in the end zone and we also had that penalty that cost us, I think we did some good things; it was a positive day, but we have to start fine-tuning those details."

I'm going to read between the lines a bit and assume that by "positive day", Kolb actually means it's only preseason and this is the time to iron out those wrinkles.

The Eagles offensive line struggled heavily last night, specifically the left guard and center position, but Stacy Andrews also struggled at times over at right guard. I will say the two bookends, offensive tackles Jason Peters and Winston Justice did a nice job overall.

Still, I would like to see more continuity from these guys. It is up to them to keep Kevin Kolb standing on his feet and if they continue to play like they did last night, we could be in for a very long season. These failures are not only unacceptable once the season starts, but Kolb might not survive through the preseason if this kind of activity continues.

However, lack of production from the offensive line wasn't just a headache for the new starting QB.

Running back LeSean McCoy couldn't gain an inch for most of the first half, he had a few nice runs here and there but were too far in between, and on one play he got absolutely blasted on the right side of the line for a short loss.

In regards to the Eagles backup QB Michael Vick, all I can say is ugh—where do I begin?

For someone who was once the starting QB for the Atlanta Falcons, and has hopes of again assume that role, Vick has looked outright horrible so far in preseason playing like a seventh round rookie out of the University of East Jabip (an imaginary land).

Once again, Michael turned the ball over more than once in his time on the field.

This time, it was multiple interceptions in the third quarter, while last week he coughed the ball up twice on a forced fumble and interception.  I don't know of any team that wants that type of play from their starting QB just because the guy can run!

Still, it wasn't all bad for the Birds last night, even though the outcome wasn't very desirable.

Rookie DE Brandon Graham recorded his first NFL sack saying "It felt good to break the ice", as already noted Dimitri Patterson stepped in nicely, and QB Kevin Kolb looked good even though the Eagles offense went scoreless once again.

The Eagles played a top notch defense last night in Cincinnati, and these mistakes can be fixed, but it does appear to be a long road ahead of these young guns before the start of the season where they take on the Green Bay Packers.

Additional Note—Cure Your Stomach Ulcer

Starting WR Jeremy Maclin suffered a left shoulder contusion after being hit in the same spot on multiple times after catching a Kevin Kolb pass. If you were watching, the injury initially appeared to be severe as Maclin was calling over the training staff before he even hit the ground.

He left the game and did not return which allowed the worrying to begin.

Fear not, Philly. Jeremy is going to be fine as x-rays came back negative and is able to return to his duties right away.

"It could have been a lot worse and I'm glad everything was negative, It wasn't really the hit that hurt," Maclin stated, "it was the fact that it hit me right under the shoulder and got underneath the shoulder pads."

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