The Cincinnati Bengals threw in the towel with the Philadelphia Eagles in town on Sunday to the tune of a 37-17 result.
Joe Burrow’s offense started the game hot but fizzled. The defense seemed composed, yet old issues — such as a lack of a pass-rush — popped up and hurt them.
In the second half, the Bengals seemed to just let the Eagles run away with the game.
Exiting the game, here’s a look at some snap takeaways as the Bengals look to sort things out and move on to next week.
The Evan McPherson problem is real
McPherson missed a kick from 50-plus yards in the first half. He only missed two from that range over his first two seasons. Over the last two seasons, he’s now missed eight. He entered the day 10-of-13 overall with a missed extra point, too. Right now, the team can’t count on him to be automatic anymore.
The Mike Gesicki game
Without Tee Higgins, it was the tight end Gesicki getting an increase in usage, not rookie wideout Jermaine Burton. While it’s not a long-term fix in case they lose Higgins in free agency, Gesicki was simply a big-bodied wideout on the day. He moved the chains multiple times and showed how the team will operate if Higgins misses extended time.
Something missing
McPherson’s issues seem symbolic of the whole team right now. The defense is effective in spurts, but doesn’t get enough pressure. The offense just went 9-of-12 on third downs, yet scored 17 points. It feels like a weird mismash of personnel and coaching that just hasn’t come together properly this season.
The outlook
Brutal. The Bengals have four games against AFC opponents up next. But even going undefeated in those doesn’t put the team in a great spot. And it’s worth wondering how the locker room is in the face of this adversity — the signs of surrender on the field in the second half were…not great.
