The Eagles and Bengals played an actual football game that didn't result in a tie – and also didn't count. They kicked off their preseason on Thursday night at the Linc, where plenty of good seats were available.
Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins were among the starters for the Bengals. Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley ... not so much. They watched from the sideline.
Still, plenty of interesting stuff happened in the game. Here are some observations from the 34-27 Eagles win:
Kevin Patullo mixed it up in his OC debut
This game was Kevin Patullo's debut as offensive coordinator – well, unofficial debut since the game doesn't count. But he was the play caller for the first time.
I wrote recently that the Eagles have shown a heavy lean on 12 personnel (two-tight end, two-wide receiver formations) in camp, which was a staple of last year's offense, and we've also seen a fair amount of motion at the NovaCare Complex. Both were on display against the Bengals, more so the two-tight end formations.
By my unofficial count, 17 of the 30 first-half Eagles snaps came from 11 personnel, about 57 percent, so it was a fairly even display of 2 TE vs. 3 WR groupings.
Also, Patullo deployed Johnny Wilson from the slot, allowing the6-foot-6 wideout to use his size to an advantage. Tanner McKee and Wilson connected often on slot fades and other downfield routes that allowed Wilson to catch the ball at its highest point. After a tough first few days of camp, Wilson started to come on over the past week and carried into the preseason opener.
Don't worry about the Bengals' big plays
Yes, the Bengals made a bunch of big plays early in the game. They also started most of their top offensive players, including Burrow, Chase and Higgins. Some of the NFL's best corners can't stop those guys, so what did you expect from Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson?
To the naked eye, it appeared that Burrow didn't face much pressure, but several of the Bengals' biggest first-half plays came from two-tight end groupings that were countered by the Eagles' base defense. It's hard to get to the passer with a five-man d-line when the opponent is keeping seven in to block and one of your five d-linemen is 340-pound rookie free agent Joe Evans.
Eagles DC Vic Fangio did dial up a few blitzes as the game progressed, especially when the Bengals loosened up their protection. The Bengals went three wide on a 2nd-and-6 in the second quarter and Fangio sent a six-man rush, with rookie Ty Robinson and Josh Uche executing an inside stunt while Smael Mondon Jr. blitzed the A gap, leading to Robinson dropping Jake Browning for a 6-yard sack.
Not a great showing for the ILBs
Mondon Jr. got the start over rookie, first-rounder Jihaad Campbell – and it could've been better for the fifth-rounder of out Georgia. He got stiff-armed by Bengals running back Chase Brown after a swing pass to the left side that enabled Brown to pick up nine yards and then couldn't stop tight end Tanner Hudson from barging into the end zone to cap Cincy's 10-play march on its opening drive.
Campbell later entered the game and got an early hands-to-the-face penalty on a run. He did show off his athleticism, though, almost intercepting a pass that was deflected when safety Andre' Sam drilled Isaiah Williams in the midsection.
Fangio made a point to say that his three young stacked linebackers need more reps, then proved that point by having all three play into the second half.
O-line looked good
Can't be too upset about the second-string offensive line that started the game. Here's what it looked like from left to right: LT Kendall Lamm, LG Brett Toth, C Drew Kendall, Rg Tyler Steen, RT Matt Pryor. Steen is the only starting o-lineman who played this game but the third-year pro needed the reps. Rookie fifth-rounder Myles Hinton eventually came into play left tackle replacing the veteran Lamm.
Other than some confusion on a stunt between Hinton and Toth that allowed Tanner McKee to get dropped for a quick 7-yard sack, pass protection and run-blocking were generally good. The Eagles averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the first half. Some of that was weighted by Will Shipley's 38-yard scamper on an inside zone, but that came courtesy of a picture-perfect hole opened by Steen covering up a linebacker flowing downhill and Hinton setting the edge against Myles Murphy, a Bengals first-round pick.
Kendall even jumped into the second level to cover up the weak-side linebacker. Even Jahan Dotson got into the action with a downfield block on a corner.
Hinton got flagged for holding in the fourth but there were also some gaping holes for the running backs,
Notes that might only be interesting to me...
• Eagles fullback Ben VanSumeren didn't appear to play any offensive snaps. He only played special teams. Maybe he's still not 100 percent from an ankle injury last weekend at training camp, or maybe the Eagles are hiding their plans to use him? That's a real conspiracy theory right there.
• Just wondering, but of the numerous tight ends who played for the Eagles, did any of them make a good play in the passing game before the second half? After Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra, it remains to be seen who catches the attention of the coaches over the next few weeks.
• Yes, Braden Mann executed a point-after attempt. I suppose it makes sense to see if there's a good emergency point-after kicker if Jake Elliott gets hurt in the middle of a game ...
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