Cincinnati 32, Philadelphia 14
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 4, 2016
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Temperature:
42°
Head Official:
Jeff Triplette
Attendance:
55456
By The Sports Xchange
CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Bengals played their second game without receiver A.J. Green on Sunday, and quarterback Andy Dalton and the offense was as crisp as it has been since the five-time Pro-Bowler went down.
Dalton passed for 332 yards and two touchdowns and Mike Nugent kicked four field goals, lifting the Bengals to a 32-14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.
Brandon LaFell had five catches for 95 yards and a touchdown for Cincinnati (4-7-1) which snapped a three-game losing streak to keep its fading playoff hopes alive.
Dalton wasn't sacked for the first time this season as Cincinnati scored on its first six possessions.
"It's great for these guys," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. "They've worked their tails off. Had a great week of preparation and get to enjoy the fruits of their work."
Philadelphia (5-7) started the season 3-0 including a 34-3 win over Pittsburgh but now has lost eight of nine. The Eagles haven't scored more than 15 points in their past three games.
"Obviously, I'm very disappointed with the way we played," said Eagles head coach Doug Pederson. "It's a collective effort in all three phases."
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz overcame a rough first half to pass for 308 yards and a touchdown. But, he also had three interceptions, two by linebacker Vontaze Burfict, but could have had more.
In the first half, Wentz had four potential interceptions go off the hands of Bengals defenders. He was 8-of-18 for 67 yards at halftime.
"When you throw the ball 60 times, you're going to miss some," Wentz said. "I don't think it's the mechanics. What we see on film is generally what we're getting (from opposing defenses). We just gotta execute better."
After allowing touchdowns on opening drives in three straight games, the Bengals' defense had an impressive three-and-out to begin Sunday's game.
The Eagles were forced to punt three times in the half. They also had a missed 51-yard field goal attempt by Caleb Sturgis.
Cincinnati got a 32-yard field goal from Nugent on its first possession to go ahead 3-0.
Cody Core's first career reception, a 50-yarder from Dalton, gave the Bengals first-and-goal at the five. "I wanted to get into the end zone so bad," Core said. "I was close."
Jeremy Hill took matters into his own hands, scoring on a 2-yard run two plays later to make the score 10-0.
Dalton was hit late by Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham and 15 yards was added to a 39-yard completion to Tyler Boyd. That set up a 33-yard field goal by Nugent to make the score 13-0.
"The penalties gotta stop, and obviously the turnovers," Pederson said. "It's not characteristic of how we coach and how we play."
Cincinnati closed the first half with an impressive drive with Dalton going 8-of-9 for 79 yards with a 13-yard touchdown to Tyler Eifert, making the halftime score 19-0 after Nugent's fourth PAT miss this season which earned him some boos.
But, the Bengals and Dalton picked up right where they left off in the third quarter.
A 44-yard completion to LaFell set up his 8-yard touchdown making the score 26-0.
Philadelphia finally scored on Wentz's 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Darren Sproles added a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter but the Eagles couldn't complete the rally.
For the Bengals who essentially need to win the rest of their games to have any shot at the playoffs, it felt good to get a win.
"As I said earlier in the week, it starts with one," said Dalton. "The locker room feeling is a whole lot better today than it's been."
NOTES: Bengals WR A.J. Green still hopes to return this season. ... Philadelphia was without leading rusher RB Ryan Mathews (knee) and top WR Jordan Matthews (ankle). ... Bengals C Eric Winston made his first start this season. ... Cincinnati honored several past players including Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz prior to Sunday's game as part of the NFL's Legends Program to honor and assist former players.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Philadelphia |
|
Cincinnati |
Wendell Smallwood
|
Player |
Rex Burkhead |
8 |
Attempts |
8 |
19 |
Yards |
38 |
2.4 |
Avg Yards |
4.8 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
0 |
9 |
Long |
16 |
Receiving
Philadelphia |
|
Cincinnati |
Paul Turner
|
Player |
Brandon LaFell |
6 |
Receptions |
5 |
80 |
Yards |
95 |
13.3 |
Avg Yards |
19.0 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
41 |
Long |
44 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Philadelphia
|
359 |
53 |
306 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0.0 |
2 |
Cincinnati
|
412 |
80 |
332 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
1.0 |
0 |
Upcoming Games
-
Cincinnati will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Bengals have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .500 after a loss.
-
Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Washington. The Eagles have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .333 after a loss.