If the Eagles wanted to keep everything hidden this preseason, they certainly did a good job of it. They could not really be that bad after three preseason games.
It’s possibly the only conclusion that could be made, after the Eagles went winless in three preseason games, losing to the Cincinnati Bengals Friday night, 30-13, at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles were outscored this preseason, 78-41. They were outgained, 1,248 to 670. They gave up 77 first downs, while achieving a scant 38. It makes
you wonder just how deep this team is.
First-round draft pick Makai Lemon saw his first action, getting a nice round of applause after he made his first catch. His night, however, was an utter disappointment: three catches on five targets for three yards, and a catchable ball that deflected off his hands that led to an interception.
At least Andy Dalton redeemed himself from what had been so far a bad summer. The 38-year-old completed 12 of 19 passes for 104 yards, and one touchdown. Tanner McKee we will get to (see ugly).
There was a continued slew of ugly, some bad and some comforting good in the Eagles’ 30-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Good
Carson Steele looks like he will make the Eagles, after another strong performance in which he had eight catches for 52 yards and a TD against the Bengals. He has a knack for doing something each time he is on the field. His Friday night follows the six passes he caught on seven targets—one for 28 yards—for 84 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 33 yards on 12 carries against New England in the second preseason game. The bad is that Steele was the Eagles’ leading receiver through three preseason games, while Lemon did little in his preseason debut and the starting receivers did not play at all. [UPDATE: Steele was reportedly waived.]
Kicker Jake Elliott nailing field goals of 45 and 56 yards. It was good to see, considering the Eagles have shown considerable faith, as they should, in the Super Bowl-winning kicker who has a history of more clutch kicks than bad—though last season was uneven at best. It was encouraging to see Elliott kicking like Jake Elliott.
Cornerback Mac McWilliams did a decent job tackling and little else, making a team-high seven tackles—six solo—but he was the best of a bad situation on a defense that gave up 420 yards of total offense, 25 first downs, an average of 6.6 yards a play, and allowed seven of 13 third-down conversions. McWilliams had problems in coverage, and that could mean a demotion to the practice squad.
A strange one here, but the good for these guys who did not play. The human bowling ball with knives, Willie Lampkin, and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who had two super preseason games and little to prove that he deserves to be an NFL starter. Defensive tackle Ty Robinson, who received limited playing time Friday night, impressed this entire preseason with three sacks in three games.
Quarterback Andy Dalton may have reversed his course from the No. 3 to the prime backup. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 104 yards, and one touchdown. More so, he looked in control, was steady and he looked better than McKee.
The Bad
Lemon was sketchy. He is undersized to begin with, and his hamstring has been causing him problems this entire offseason. His debut did not go well. His three catches on five targets for three yards were disappointing.
The defense. As stated above, the Eagles have given up 1,248 yards, allowing an average of 416 yards and 26 points a game. They allowed their three opponents to convert 21 of 41 third downs, which translates into 51.2-percent.
The receiving corps. Lemon is still getting himself in playing shape, hampered by the hamstring injury, while starters DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks did not play at all this preseason. So, the Eagles are left with Hollywood Brown, Darius Cooper, who had an inconsistent preseason with five catches for 65 yards, and Elijah Moore, who caught two passes for 10 yards this preseason. The receiving corps, and iffy area of the field to begin with after the A.J. Brown trade, looks like a weakness entering the season. Much will depend on Smith emerging as a quality No. 1 NFL go-to receiver, which he is very capable of doing. The Eagles will be hoping for the 6-foot, 170-pound Smith to hold up the entire season. Will he, considering the additional pounding he will take in Brown’s absence?
The Ugly
The Eagles’ coaching staff. Okay, okay, it is preseason, but Nick Sirianni and his coaching staff are expected to coach up everyone, starters, backups, and future practice squanders. The futility of the offense and how porous the defense showed that they did not do a very good job of it. The 0-3 record and the inability of the offense and defense was proof. Performance counts, regardless of who is on the field. Part of that is the inability of the players in the game, part of that is positioning those players to make plays. Sirianni would probably give himself a poor grade after the preseason.
Quarterback Tanner McKee did not help his case. He had looked better than Dalton in the first two preseason games, and with more time, starting the game, seemed to expose himself. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 55 yards, and an interception. With 1:11 left in the first half, McKee had Britain Covey open down the sideline for what should have been a touchdown—and missed him. Friday night’s performance comes after a solid showing against New England, when he completed 16 of 22 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. At the time, McKee seemed to be the leader in the backup race, considering how poorly Dalton looked in his first two preseason games. The backup job seems not so certain now.
Cornerback Ambry Thomas did not have a good two weeks. With and Eagles stop in the fourth quarter, they could have taken a lead. Instead, an Eagles’ fumble recovery was overturned by a Thomas’ holding call. The very next play, the Bengals converted a third-and-four to the man Thomas was covering. This follows the New England preseason game in which Thomas was beaten bad on a Tommy DeVito 69-yard, second-quarter touchdown pass.
