Eagles Fall to Bengals in Prime-Time Disgrace

What's to be said about a game like Thursday night's?

The Eagles fell behind 10-0 early to the still-in-the-playoff-hunt Cincinnati Bengals. Then, powered by a rejuvenated defensive line, they fought back admirably, scoring 13 unanswered points.

But even that reversal of fortune only turned two fumble recoveries into six points. The defense continued to play well, but its effort was rendered moot by an unprecedented comedy of errors in the third quarter.

Between the offense and the always-undependable special teams, the Eagles turned the ball over four times on five plays. That is nearly impossible to do, but this 2012 Eagles team is capable of remarkable futility. The Bengals capitalized on the shortened field position, and by the time it was over, they had crafted a blowout win, 34-13.

Foles played only fairly, but it was difficult to adequately grade him; the offense rarely had the ball in the second half amid its turnovers. Bryce Brown was extremely unproductive for a second straight game. He did not get good blocking from the offensive line, but he also fumbled yet again. He has to be in the doghouse—so far.

A young player who has looked very good lately is DE Brandon Graham. With two-and-a-half sacks last night, he now has four takedowns in his last three games in an expanded role after Jason Babin was jettisoned. Graham was the lone bright spot on a very dark night.

Watching this team, one gets the feeling it is just broken. It finally figures out the defensive line problems, netting a season-high six sacks—and the outcome is no different. Any Eagles fan that was worried about a late-season winning streak allowing Coach Reid to keep his job need not fear after the latest chapter in the embarrassing book authored by this 2012 Eagles team. 

The atmosphere at the Linc is now depressing, especially when contrasted with the rabid energy that has existed there in seasons past during late-season games. The PA system was back to normal levels tonight. Management did not have to worry about drowning out boos because the fans no longer care enough to bother booing.

Eagles fans right now should be enjoying meaningful games, watching the scoreboard, rooting while their team fights for the division lead. Instead, every Eagles fan is wishing for the season to be over. It is a sad turn of events.

We can only go up from here. The first step is hiring the right coach to lead this team back to respectability. Right now, they are a laughingstock.