The hope is to get a more significant run going, and this week’s matchup will be a true test to the progress of the last month. Philadelphia has a top 10 offense and top 10 defense in terms of net yardage, so a strong performance likely will be needed from the Bengals in all three phases.
Here are five things to know about the matchup:
1. Not the injury concern expected
The two injuries that had the Bengals concerned during last week’s win at Cleveland aren’t even expected to be an issue Sunday, as both Geno Stone (shin) and Orlando Brown Jr. (knee) were cleared after full participation in practice Friday. However, now Tee Higgins is questionable after popping up on the injury report Friday as limited by a quad issue.
Even if Higgins is able to play Sunday, perhaps it’s time to get some other players more involved.
Cincinnati has become reliant on its top two receivers since Higgins returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him the first two games, and while it seemed Andrei Iosivas might become a bigger part of the offense, he’s had just four catches combined over the last four games and none last week.
Chase leads the team with 620 yards and six touchdowns on 39 receptions, and Higgins adds 341 yards and three touchdowns on 29 catches in five games. Iosivas has three touchdowns as well but just 14 receptions and 189 yards.
“There’s plenty of plays in our playbook, and as you all know, there’s always opportunities for another guy to have 5-10 catches in a game,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “... We’ll just continue to scheme it up every week to where whoever is open is going to get the ball and Joe is going to do a good job finding them.”
2. Stopping the run
Jalen Hurts has some talented weapons to throw to, but success against Philadelphia will start with stopping Saquon Barkley, the league’s second-leading rusher on a per game basis as he’s averaging 109.7 rushing yards per game.
The Bengals have done well against top running backs in recent weeks, first holding Derrick Henry to 41 yards rushing in regulation before allowing a 51-yard carry in overtime. Then, they kept Giants rookie Tyrone Tracy to 2.9 yards per attempt a week after he rushed for 129 yards on 18 carries at Seattle. Last week, Nick Chubb was not an impact, though he was just returning from a 2023 knee injury.
Cincinnati is steadily improving its run defense, ranking 21st now with 136.1 rushing yards after a slow start.
“We have to have 11 hats to the ball,” Taylor-Britt said. “We spoke about Chubb last week. And, you know, we got great running backs we play week to week, and this is one of them, one of the best in the league out the backfield, for us catching and also, you know, just running the ball. Doesn’t want to go down, so like I said, 11 hats to the ball. We have to play with that aggressive edge all day.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
3. Limiting explosives
Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo used traveling corners for the first 10 games last year before Taylor-Britt went down with an ankle injury, but Anarumo has gone back to keeping the 2022 second-round draft pick almost exclusively on the right side since he returned.
This is one game where it might make sense to have Taylor-Britt and fellow outside cornerback D.J. Turner II staying with one receiver, as Philadelphia boasts one of the most dynamic receiver duos in the league. Taylor-Britt might be a better match physically with 6-foot-1, 226-pound A.J. Brown, while Turner, the second-fastest player in the 2023 draft class, could stick with the 6-foot, 170-pound DeVonta Smith.
Anarumo said he wasn’t sure if he would do that, but the Bengals will need a great gameplan to make sure they continue to limit explosives, which has been a big point of emphasis since last year and seems to have been successfully addressed to this point.
Brown missed three games early this season because of injury but returned two weeks ago and has been solid. He has seven explosive receptions of 16 yards or more, and Smith, who has been less involved since returning from a concussion two weeks ago, also has seven explosive catches.
Add to that the ability for Barkley to pop off a long run at any point (he had runs of 55, 41 and 38 yards last week against the Giants), and the Eagles could be the biggest test to date for Cincinnati, which last year allowed a league-worst 12.9 percent explosive plays rate. The Eagles are above a 12 percent explosives play rate this season.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. Get the offense back on track
Cincinnati’s offense has looked the same the last two games after recording 33 points or more in three straight, but the Bengals need to start playing well on both sides of the ball at the same time. The offense was rolling while the defense needed a lift, and now the past two games, the defense has been carrying the team.
Philadelphia presents its own challenges to that, particularly with a versatile defense that accounted for eight sacks last week.
Chase will still be leaned on heavily in a big game, but he struggled in the first two weeks when opponents could easily key in on him without Higgins on the field. He’s still on pace for more than 1,500 yards and playing some of his best ball. His 81.3 percent catch rate leads the NFL among receivers with at least 48 targets, and his 83.4 yards per game are fourth all-time and second among active players behind only former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson’s 97.4.
“It doesn’t mean everything right now,” Chase of the stats. “We’re still in a hole. If we had a positive record, I’d probably be more satisfied with it.”
5. Eagles injuries of note
Philadelphia, despite already having its bye in Week 5, had a long list of players on the injury report this week and ended up with three ruled out for Sunday. Right guard Mekhi Becton (concussion) and tight end Dallas Goedert (hamstring), as well as backup defensive tackle Byron Young (hamstring) are all out this week.
Linebacker Zack Baun had been on the injury report with a shoulder injury keeping him out of practice Wednesday but he was back in full by Thursday and good to go.
Barkley, cornerback Darius Slay, defensive end Brandon Graham and linebacker Josh Sweat were all rested early in the week and back in practice in some fashion Thursday and Friday.
SUNDAY’S GAME
Eagles at Bengals, 1 p.m., CBS, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7
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