Former Eagles react to the team’s win over Joe Burrow and the Bengals: ‘It doesn’t have to be sexy’
Jalen Hurts played his best game of the year, but it was the Birds’ commitment to the run that drew the loudest praise.
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The Eagles beat the Bengals, 37-17, on Sunday for their third consecutive win, thanks in large part to Jalen Hurts’ best performance of the year.
Despite the Bengals’ 3-5 record, the game was a measuring stick for the Eagles, who wanted to put the poor performances against Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta out of mind — and stack a third straight win coming out of the bye. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has been one of the leagues’ best so far this year, and after he started the game going 10-for-11 with a touchdown on an 11-minute drive, it looked like Sunday was going to be another long day for the Eagles.
Until it wasn’t. The Birds kicked a field goal on the next drive, and relied on the run game and a few great passes from Hurts to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to cruise to a 20-point win.
Former Eagles defensive end Chris Long has been waiting for the Birds to commit to the run game. On touchdown drives this season, the Eagles have averaged a 56% to 44% run/pass split, compared to a 41%-59% split on drives that ended in punts. In their past two wins, however, the Birds increased their ground efforts, posting a 63%-37% run/pass split, and have scored 32.5 points per game as a result.
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“It doesn’t have to be sexy,” Long said on his podcast on Monday. “It wasn’t sexy yesterday, it was just the commitment. The sexiest thing in the world to me is the commitment to running the ball.”
Long was also impressed with Fred Johnson’s performance stepping in for Jordan Mailata, only giving up one pressure against Trey Hendrickson, and with Hurts, who was “MVP-caliber” on Sunday.
Former Eagles linebacker and current WIP host Seth Joyner was initially concerned about Hurts after a tough read to Kenneth Gainwell in the first half, but he completely changed his tune after Hurts’ second-half performance.
Fellow former linebacker and WIP host Ike Reese was especially loud defending Hurts, who faced criticism after throwing two interceptions in the first half of the season opener vs. the Packers. Hurts has zero turnovers in the last three games, all Eagles wins.
Brian Westbrook shouted out the linebackers for a strong game containing Burrow and the Bengals’ offense.
Overall, it was a strong game for the Eagles all around, with a solid effort from the defense after the opening drive. The Birds appear to be finally rounding into form.