The Philadelphia Eagles got off to a monster start to their Super Bowl-defending season as they took care of business against the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27 in the first preseason game of the 2025 season.
Philly finished with 435 yards of total offense, and that was with most of the starters resting and not playing. The Eagles controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for over 31 minutes.
The Eagles improve to 1-0 on the preseason thanks to multiple potential stars shining. There were some tough performances on the team, but plenty of good to be excited about for the rest of the preseason. Here are the winners and losers of the Eagles' win over the Bengals:
Winner: QB Tanner McKee
What a beautiful sight to see McKee dominate the Bengals' defense and never slow down with two and a half quarters played. He finished with 20 of 25 passes completed for 252 yards and two passing touchdowns, as well as one rushing touchdown. Outside of one almost interesting pass, he played a near-perfect game with Howie Roseman about to get his phone blown up with trade offers for him.
Losers: CBs Adoree' Jackson and Kelee Ringo
There's an understanding that the Eagles had their second-team defense against the Bengals' starters, but Jackson and Ringo looked out of place against Ja'Marr Chase. Jackson had some nice open-field tackles, but he and Ringo played real soft coverage on Chase, and he made them pay. Ringo had a nasty whiff on Chase's 36-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. Jackson and Ringo must play better if they want to be starters on this team.
Winner: OC Kevin Patullo
Patullo was not afraid to throw the football early and often with McKee, but he called as good a first half as a first-time play caller could have. Nice balance between run and pass, and calling great plays to set his receivers up. The real question is how different the play calling will be when Jalen Hurts and the starters are on the field.
Losers: Eagles' Lack of Pass Rush
Outside of one Ty Robinson sack, the Eagles did not have much of a pass rush. The edge rushers did not play as well as fans would have liked to see, with only two quarterback hits. That will be something that needs to be monitored in the next two preseason games.
Read more:Jalen Carter's NFL peers agree on one thing regarding the Eagles Pro Bowler
Winners: WRs Ainias Smith, Johnny Wilson, Darius Cooper
All four of these players are competing for the final few spots on the roster, and their decisions have made it difficult for Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman. Undrafted rookie Cooper led the way with six catches for 82 yards and one touchdown. After a rough training camp, Wilson exploded with two contested catches and a back-shoulder catch that wowed fans as he finished with 73 yards. Smith caught a touchdown and had a 46-yard punt return, so good luck to the Eagles on making their final roster decisions.