This is far from a reach here. The Cincinnati Bengals go the way their quarterback Joe Burrow goes. Even though Cincinnati enters its game against the Eagles at 3-4, the Bengals are plus-12 in point differential. That’s because Burrow has kept the Bengals in games, ranked No. 6 overall in the NFL throwing for 1,759 yards, averaging 251.3 yards a game and 14 touchdowns against just two interceptions.
In comparison, Jalen Hurts is ranked No. 21 in the NFL in passing, throwing for 1,308 yards, averaging 218 yards a game, with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
The interesting twist here, however, is that it will be up to Hurts and the Eagles’ offense to corral Burrow. Keep him off the field and the Eagles win. It’s that simple. The Eagles are No. 2 in the NFL in rushing, behind only the Baltimore Ravens, with 1,000 yards over six games, averaging 166.7 yards a game.
That number may be somewhat skewed considered the last two teams the Eagles faced, the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, have a combined record of 3-11. The Eagles and Saquon Barkley bludgeoned the Giants for a total of 269 yards rushing, averaging 6 yards a carry, and 116 yards rushing against Cleveland.
Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio knows what he will be up against 1 p.m. on Sunday at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium.
“Well, you start with Joe Burrow, [Ja’Marr] Chase, and [Tee] Higgins, those are big-time players at their positions,” he said. “Top of the line. And they have been running the ball better this year. So they are really good. They scored a bunch of points against Baltimore. Lost by one point, I think it was 27-26 against Kansas City. They are really good.”
The Eagles had six sacks over their first four games. Against the makeshift offensive lines of the Browns and the Giants, they have 13. The Bengals are ranked No. 19 in the NFL in sacks surrendered, giving up an average of 2.6 sacks a game. Burrow has been sacked 18 times this season.
What has changed about the Eagles’ pass rush?
“Yeah, I think in this past game, it was a good mix of coverage complementing the rush. [Daniel Jones] had to hold the ball a little longer than he would have liked to, and it gave our guys a better chance and more time to get there. And I do think that was, in this past game, a big part of it,” Fangio said. “They are only four-man rushes, and normal-type coverages behind them. So, there’s never a guarantee of anything. But if you can hit them right, they do have a good effect.”
The Eagles went a lot of zone against Jones. Can they do that against Burrow? Fangio has faced him before, in 2021, when he was with Denver.
“We lost,” he said, “I believe it was 15-10. It was a close game, but obviously we didn’t get it done. I believe that was the year they went to the Super Bowl. They were really good then. They are really good still. It will be a challenge. They are really good on offense with their skill guys.”
Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins (who’s suddenly questionable to play) present more than the offenses run by Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones.
Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter based in the Philadelphia area who has written feature stories for SI.com, ESPN.com, NFL.com, MLB.com, Deadspin and The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News. In 2006, he was nominated for an Emmy Award for a special project piece for ESPN.com called “Love at First Beep.” He is most noted for his award-winning ESPN.com feature on high school wrestler A.J. Detwiler in February 2006, which appeared on SportsCenter. In 2015, he was elected president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
