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Eagles Team Grades: Philly Flunks Road Test In Awful Loss At Cincinnati

By Kevin McGuire

The Philadelphia Eagles took another brutal loss on Sunday by a score of 32-14 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. Just when you thought the Eagles were sinking to new lows in 2016, they managed to lower the bar just a little more as they looked like a team with no emotion or interest in competing against a dreadful opponent.

Offense: F

Rookie quarterback Carson Wentz was intercepted three times and was forced to attempt 60 passes in a poorly organized offensive effort all around. Wentz continues to make rookie mistakes and has seemingly regressed since his first few games in the NFL, but the playcalling didn't help him out either.

The Eagles' running game was non-existent with a combined 53 yards on 19 rushing attempts. Wendell Smallwood led the team with 19 rushing yards on eight attempts. Considering almost everyone has been able to do some big damage on the ground against the Bengals this season, that is unfortunate.

Tight end Zach Ertz was targeted 15 times by Wentz, but came down with just nine receptions for 79 yards and continued to show an inability to break tackles. If there was one minor bright spot for the offense, it may have been Nelson Agholor catching four of the five passes in his direction for 23 yards.

Defense: F

From dumb penalties to poor coverage against the pass, the Eagles were doomed in more ways than one. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton was locked in and completed 23 of 31 attempts for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns, making the Eagles secondary look silly at times. The Bengals didn't even have A.J. Green available, and the receivers for Cincinnati still managed to turn in a productive and efficient performance. A lack of pressure up front allowed Dalton and the Bengals to pick apart the Eagles defense, which had no answers up front or in the defensive backfield.

Special Teams: C-

Caleb Sturgis has generally been pretty reliable kicking field goals this season, so he may be excused for a missed field goal on Sunday. Sturgis did convert the two extra point attempts he was called on for, but those were meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Punter Donnie Jones pinned two of his three punts inside the 20-yard line. Darren Sproles only managed one punt return in the game, for a gain of just seven yards, but Kenjon Barner had one good kickoff return for 61 yards, and another for 27 yards.

Coaching: F

Rookie head coach Doug Pederson is going to take the brunt of another bad showing, and that has been earned. The Eagles have the look of a team simply riding out the remainder of the season. That may not exactly be the case for the Eagles, but Pederson and his assistants must find a way to show any signs for optimism coming down the stretch to look forward to in 2017.

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz looked great as a staff addition in September, but his pedigree has been shaken, and Frank Reich's job on the offensive side of the coaching staff continues to disappoint. The Eagles continue to lack discipline, as evidenced by 10 penalties, and that has to fall on the coaching staff as well.

Up Next: vs. Washington, Dec. 11, 1:00 pm

The Eagles return home next week to host NFC East rival Washington. Philadelphia dropped an earlier game against Washington by a final score of 27-20 on the road. The Eagles continue to fall further and further out of playoff contention, but Washington may still have a chance to make a late push, so next week's game may be a must-win for the Redskins.

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