Joe Burrow and the Bengals can get to .500 with a win over the Eagles
Philadelphia (4-2) at Cincinnati (3-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox.
NFL Odds: Bengals by 2 1/2.
Against the spread: Eagles 3-3, Bengals 4-3.
Series record: Bengals lead 9-3-2.
Last meeting: Eagles and Bengals tied 23-23 on Sept. 27, 2000, at Philadelphia.
Last week: Eagles beat Giants 28-3, Bengals beat Browns 21-14.
Eagles offense: overall (9), rush (2), pass (27), scoring (17)
Eagles defense: overall (9), rush (14), pass (10), scoring (7)
Bengals offense: overall (14), rush (T28), pass (8), scoring (10)
Bengals defense: overall (22), rush (T21), pass (21), scoring (20)
Turnover differential: Eagles: minus-6; Bengals: plus-2.
Eagles player to watch
RB Saquon Barkley, in his first year with the Eagles after leaving the Giants, is third in the NFL with 658 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He's averaging 109.7 yards per game, second best in the league to Baltimore's Derrick Henry.
Bengals players to watch
QB Joe Burrow has done just enough to get wins for the Bengals in the past two games, despite lethargic starts in both. Last week against the Browns, the Bengals gained just 86 yards and didn't pick up a first down in six attempts in the first half. Burrow threw third-quarter touchdown passes to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to get the Bengals what they needed. ... The Eagles and Bengals have both earned wins against the Browns and Giants in the past two weeks.
Key matchup
The Eagles used former Bengal Fred Johnson as an injury replacement for offensive lineman Jordan Mailata and the results have been mixed. He had a nice block on Cleveland's Myles Garrett to set up a go-ahead touchdown pass two weeks ago but struggled last week against the Giants. Johnson allowed four pressures on QB Jalen Hurts against the Giants. Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson could use his speed to get pressure on Hurts.
Key injuries
The Bengals' best offensive lineman, Orlando Brown Jr., left last week's game in the second quarter with a right knee injury. S Geno Stone was carted off with an air cast on his left leg after colliding with Vonn Bell on a pass breakup. Coach Zac Taylor said Stone has a contusion and may be able to play Sunday.
Series notes
The Bengals established an early dominance, winning the first five in the series from 1971 to 1988. The most successful streak for the Eagles came when they managed to win three out of four from 1991 to 2000.The Eagles are winless since then, losing three games and tying Cincinnati in two.
Stats and stuff
The Bengals have struggled to run the ball. RBs Zack Moss and Chase Brown combined for just 51 yards against the Browns last week. ... Burrow is fourth in the NFL with a completion rate of 70.4%. He's averaging 251.3 passing yards per game. ... Ja'Marr Chase leads the Bengals with 39 catches on 48 targets for 620 yards and six touchdowns. ... Cincinnati LBs Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson are tied for the team lead with 71 tackles apiece. That's good for a tie for third in the league. ... DE Trey Hendrickson leads the Bengals with seven sacks. He had two in each of the past two games. ... Charlie Jones ran back the opening kickoff for a 100-yard TD against Cleveland. That's the first time the Bengals had returned a kickoff for a score since 2020. ... Sunday's game will be the first NFL matchup between 24-year-old twin brothers Chase and Sydney Brown. Chase is a second-year Bengals running back and Sydney is a second-year safety for the Eagles.
Fantasy tip
Hurts. He came out of the bye week seemingly a new QB, especially when it comes to protecting the football. Hurts has not had a turnover in either of the past two games after he opened the season with four interceptions and five fumbles, losing three. Hurts has completed 26 of 39 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns since the bye week and figures to build on those numbers against a Bengals defense ranked just 21st against the pass.
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