The Eagles first team defense turned in yet another strong preseason effort, but the first team offense did not as the Eagles fell to the Bengals 22-9. The first half, which is when the starters played and therefore really all that matters, ended 7-6 in favor of the Bengals. The Eagles defense picked off Bengals QB Carson Palmer twice
The offense did not move the ball nearly as well as they did a week ago against Jacksonville. Of course, they faced a much better defense tonight against the Bengals, who finished last year ranked #4 in the NFL in that category. The biggest struggles came up front as the Eagles offensive line offered little resistance to the Bengals front four, who continually got effective pressure up the middle. C Mike McGlynn & LG Max Jean-Gilles, both filling in for injured starters, really struggled.
If there was one silver lining, it’s that Kevin Kolb seemed to handle the pressure fairly well. Despite being flushed out of the pocket and throwing on the run for most of the half he still ended up 11 for 17 for 126 yards. He also had a TD pass to Jason Avant which was called back after an illegal formation penalty.
The Eagles backup QBs were probably the difference in the second half as both Michael Vick and Mike Kafka were picked off twice. The Bengals outscored the Eagles 15-3 in the second half.
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