So, what does an NFL team do when it's on the road and reeling after the home team just marched down the field on a 17-play drive? Honestly, there aren't many answers to that question Philadelphia Eagles fans will accept seeing as how they were viewing similar circumstances and cheering for the road team.
The Cincinnati Bengals were sharp to begin Week 8's clash. They took ten minutes off the clock and punched one in the end zone to begin their day with a 7-0 advantage, How did Philly respond? They put their heads down and went to work, outscoring Cincy 37-10 the rest of the way.
Football was fun on Sunday!
Jalen Hurts completed 16 of 20 pass attempts for 236 yards. He wasn't sacked, not once. He ran for 37 yards on ten carries. He accounted for four TDs and guess what? That isn't even the best story that came out of this one.
Here are four more!
Slow starts by the Eagles offense continue to tell the tale (sort of).
Wouldn't you know it? The Eagles STILL haven't scored any first-quarter points this season.
We'll give them a pass this time though. The opponent's long opening drive may have contributed to the offense's inability to break the jinx.
Then again...
How about that first-half finish?
It felt like it would be a long day while watching Joe Burrow pick the Eagles' defense apart early. Cincy's opening drive of the game took just over ten minutes.
The Birds scored on their opening drive too, but starting their possession with just under five minutes remaining on the clock contributed to the payoff occurring after the first-quarter whistle.
Still, after seeing amazing efficiency by the Bengals and a pair of seven-point deficits, it was nice to see a 10-10 tie at halftime and a TD drive to begin the second half.
The Brotherly Shove is back baby!
In 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles ran the 'tush push' with success 88.1% of the time. Entering Week 8 of the current regular season, they had converted successfully on 82.4% of their attempts. They again ran it to perfection during the first half, in one instance scoring a TD during a third-and-one scenario.
The Brotherly Shove is back baby!
When the hell is Quinyon Mitchell going to snag his first career interception?
At this point it isn't funny anymore. Wouldn't you know it? Philly's 2024 first-round draft choice almost hauled in ANOTHER interception. This time, the pass led him out of bounds and he was unable to establish himself in the field of play.
After coming close to picking one off in his first career preseason game, Quinyon Mitchell has gotten his hands on the football at least once in every regular-season game. He could very well have seven interceptions in his first seven games. He's been that close!
This has to be some sort of NFL record for 'almost interceptions'. Fear not, the forced turnovers will come, but again, at this point, this isn't even funny anymore.
A second half to remember and a jinx broken
Philly ended this one having closed the time of possession margin. Cincy held the ball for 31:48. Philly held on to the rock for 28:12.
It was hard to imagine that would be the scenario after Philly ended the first quarter down by a 7-0 score. But, we all saw it. We'll talk about this game for years, but not until the season ends.
The Birds can celebrate this one for a few more hours. Then, it's on to the next game, a home stand versus the Jacksonville Jaguars in a week.
Philly is 3-0 since the bye week. Their most recent win will certainly be remembered for a broken jinx and phenomenal close to this game's story.
The Birds evened the score with ten second-quarter points after the previously mentioned scoreless first quarter. Then, spearheaded by forced turnovers and great performances on both sides of the ball, they outscored Cincinnati by a 27-7 margin during the third and fourth quarters.
Take a bow Nick Sirianni. You have certainly earned the right to do so.
