The Eagles won their fifth game Sunday in Cincinnati, but this one was different than the preceding four.
The team looked good as underdogs playing against a good team.
In contrast to winning somewhat ugly against a team like the Browns, or pummeling a very lackluster Giants team — or blowing leads in epic fashion against teams like the Falcons — the Eagles were good in all three phases in their 37-17 win in Week 8.
Before we shift focus to one more cupcake game ahead, a game the Eagles should turn into a fourth straight win against the Jaguars next week, let's take stock of one player (or group of players) who really looked good on Sunday, and one that is a bit troubling:
Stock up — Jalen Hurts 📈
Jalen Hurts has sort of been under the radar in recent weeks with so many other storylines swirling in Philly (like Saquon Barkley and Nick Sirianni). But the Eagles' QB — who was once thought of as a top 5 signal-caller in the game with MVP potential and has since been relegated by poor play to the middle of the pack — has played really well the last few games.
And his stock in Week 8 went even higher as he was extremely efficient, completing 16-of-20 passes to improve on his career-best 67.8% accuracy. The Eagles have turned into a run-first offense and have only called on Hurts' arm in key spots (he threw for just 70 yards in last week's win in New York) and he seems to deliver under pressure with ease — he netted 236 yards in the air. Including this spectacular long ball to DeVonta Smith:
Hurts' legs have always been his calling card and Hurts ran 10 times for 37 yards Sunday, extending plays and picking up first downs the way he did during the 2022 Super Bowl run:
Hurts scored thrice on the ground via two sneaks and a scramble.
Perhaps the most promising development against Cincinnati was Hurts' control over the ball. In 2023, 15 interceptions and five lost Hurts fumbles stifled the Eagles offense. He had a very rough start to 2024 on the ball-control front too, throwing four interceptions in the Birds' first three games and fumbling five times in the first four, but he pitched a clean game in each of the Eagles three wins in a row, including against the Bengals.
The tush push also continued to be effective, and while the offensive line and shoves from tight end Grant Calcaterra are worthy of praise, Hurts has found a way to make it his own. On one key conversion, he hesitated, and then lunged to the left side of the line where he saw daylight. At the end of the first half, Hurts had the presence of mind to raise the football high to cross it over the goal line to tie the game at 10-10.
He is tough and brutalizing his body every week with countless QB sneaks. And that's always a way to earn love in Philadelphia.
MORE: Eagles get it right against Bengals to keep win streak going
Stock down — The Eagles third down defense 📉
It was pretty apparent when the game started — and the Bengals meticulously ran a 14-play drive that leaked over 10 minutes of first-quarter clock — that the Eagles defense might struggle to get off the field against the ultra-accurate Joe Burrow and his offensive weapons.
In stark contrast to the defense that did not allow a touchdown to both the Browns and Giants over the last two games, Cincinnati scored relatively easily in the early going. Clearly they're a much better offense than Philly has faced recently. But the defense's third down play is worthy of a little concern.
The Eagles actually entered Sunday's contest with the sixth-best defense on third downs in the NFL, allowing conversions just 31.9% of the time
The Vic Fangio defense did its bend, don't break thing but did permit the Bengals to convert 10 of 13 third down opportunities. That isn't something you often see in a winning effort.
A very big stop did come from the Eagles defensive line — following the offense's third straight touchdown drive, a third and short was busted by Brandon Graham and company. A play later, a screen pass on fourth and one to Ja'Marr Chase was sniffed out and torn down thanks to a stellar play from rookie Cooper DeJean.
Defense in football is sort of like baseball. All you need is a timely hit, and that one from the Eagles helped to set up an easy field goal try for Jake Elliott to finally open up a more comfortable two-possession lead early in the fourth quarter.
It also helps when you create turnovers, which the Eagles did twice in the decisive third quarter.
MORE: The pivotal plays from the Eagles-Bengals
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