The Eagles and Bengals are excellent teams on paper but have not always looked like excellent teams on the field. The Bengals enter Sunday’s game as a small home favorite and are looking to win their third game in a row to get back to .500 for the season.
Cincinnati’s defense, a major flaw in the first few weeks, has put things together over the past two weeks by allowing just 21 total points in back-to-back wins. The catch is that those wins came against the Daniel-Jones New York Giants and a one-win Cleveland Browns team that had to use three quarterbacks due to injuries.
The Bengals defense will face a significantly bigger test this weekend against an Eagles offense led by Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. If the Bengals limit Philly’s offense, maybe Cincinnati can start building some momentum for the second half of the season.
Stopping Barkley is the key, and that is easier said than done. The Bengals are allowing 136 rushing yards per game (21st in the NFL) and nearly 4.5 yards per carry. They are vulnerable on the ground, which could present an opportunity for Barkley to have another huge game — a trend for him this season. He has been a great fit in the Eagles offense and has been especially dominant over the past four weeks, averaging 7.6 yards per carry.
The Eagles defense has also played great over the past two weeks, not allowing a single touchdown in back-to-back wins. The catch here is that those two performances also came against the same Giants and Browns teams.
Neither team has been overly dominant in covering the spread this season, with the Bengals coming in 4-3 against the spread and the Eagles having a 3-3 mark.
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Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals odds
How to watch Eagles vs. Bengals
- Venue: Paycor Stadium — Cincinnati
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Expert picks for Eagles vs. Bengals
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(Photo of Joe Burrow: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)