Eagles-Bengals stock watch: Jalen Hurts, Eagles’ defense spark convincing win

The Eagles turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season, cruising to a 37-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals with a dominant second half on both sides of the ball. Jalen Hurts was efficient, the defense had timely turnovers, and Saquon Barkley remained dominant. Here’s our up-down drill:

Up: Dual-threat Jalen Hurts

Going into the game, Cincy’s struggles against mobile signal callers placed an emphasis on just how dynamic Jalen Hurts could be as a runner. He answered the bell with timely red-zone rushes, finishing with three rushing touchdowns to go along with 16 completions on 20 attempts, 236 passing yards and one touchdown pass.

Down: First-quarter scoring

It’s mostly a matter of semantics, but the Eagles are still the only team in the NFL yet to score a point in the first quarter. It’s fair to point out the offense did get three points on its opening series, but the drive concluded in the second quarter because of a lengthy Cincinnati drive to open the game.

Up: Isaiah Rodgers

After going three games without forcing a turnover, Isaiah Rodgers tipped a pass intended for Ja’Marr Chase for C.J. Gardner-Johnson to pick off. Rodgers gets extra credit here, both for running with Chase and for stepping up in relief duty for Darius Slay after the veteran corner left with a groin injury.

Down: The Eagles’ third-down defense

Although the Eagles were able to get the Bengals into several third-and-long situations, they weren’t able to capitalize once there. Instead, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow gashed the secondary with regularity to sustain drives and generate explosive plays downfield, finishing with 234 yards on 37 attempts. 

Up: DeVonta Smith

After a quiet performance against the New York Giants last Sunday, DeVonta Smith once again had to bide his time for a meaningful opportunity against the Bengals a week later. Given the chance, Smith delivered with an acrobatic 45-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter to give the Eagles a one-score lead.

Up: Cooper DeJean

In his third NFL start, Cooper DeJean once again proved to be a massive upgrade at slot cornerback for the Eagles. The second-round rookie made a handful of key open-field tackles, including a fourth-down stuff against Ja’Marr Chase on a screen play early in the fourth quarter to set up an Eagles’ scoring drive.