Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles Odds & Game Pick (2020)
Something’s got to give Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia when the 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals battle the 0-2 Philadelphia Eagles.
Nobody’s overly surprised by Cincinnati’s start. The Bengals entered 2020 with hope in the form of No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow, but expectations were low. Meanwhile, the Eagles have been one of the biggest disappointments of the season and have been riddled with injuries.
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Which team can snap out of their slow start? Here’s a breakdown of Sunday’s winless showdown:
Details
- Opening Lines: Eagles -5.5, O/U 45.5
- Current Line: Eagles -6
- O/U: 46.5
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA.
- Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Television: CBS
- Last Meeting: December 4, 2016 - Bengals 32, Eagles 14
View consensus picks from the experts for the Bengals at Eagles >>
Overview
The Bengals get the benefit of a long week to prepare after losing last Thursday night to Cleveland, 35-30. Cincinnati managed a backdoor cover over the Browns thanks to a Burrow touchdown pass with 48 seconds remaining.
Cincinnati became one-dimensional after going down by 15 points in the third quarter. Burrow threw a whopping 61 times and completed 37 passes for 316 yards and three touchdowns. He also fumbled twice, one of which was recovered by Cleveland at Cincinnati’s 1-yard line.
The Bengals offensive line continued to be a problem, allowing seven quarterback hits and three sacks. They weren’t any good in run blocking either, as Joe Mixon garnered only 46 yards on 16 carries.
Cincinnati’s rebuilt defense has been particularly poor against the run, allowing the third-most yards on the ground in the league (370). They’ve taken the ball away just once, have only two sacks, and failed to get a quarterback hit against Cleveland last week. The unit would benefit from the return of Geno Atkins from a shoulder injury and Mike Daniels from a groin injury, but both are still uncertain to play.
Injuries along the offensive line have haunted the Eagles, who have allowed eight sacks already this season. Carson Wentz has struggled mightily as a result. He’s completed only 58.8% of his passes and is tied with Kirk Cousins for the league lead with four interceptions.
The good news for Philadelphia’s offense was that Miles Sanders was effective in his return from a hamstring injury that held him out Week 1. Sanders rushed 20 times for 95 yards and a touchdown while catching three passes. He could be in line for a big game against Cincinnati’s lousy run defense.
Philadelphia’s front seven was supposed to be a strength coming into the season. But they were pushed around by a mediocre Los Angeles Rams offensive line last week. The Eagles allowed 121 rushing yards and failed to record a sack.
Trends
- The Eagles are winless in their last four games against Cincinnati (0-3-1).
- Philadelphia went 2-4 as a home favorite in 2019.
- Cincinnati went 4-2 as a road underdog in 2019.
- The Eagles are 14-13 as a home favorite under Doug Pederson.
Bottom Line
This game comes down to the battle in the trenches. Cincinnati’s defensive front simply isn’t good enough to expose Philadelphia’s weakness along the offensive line, especially if Atkins and Daniels are out again.
And while Philadelphia’s front seven has been disappointing, I can’t trust Cincinnati’s offensive line to neutralize Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and the rest of Philadelphia’s front seven. That means bad news for Burrow and Mixon.
Carson Wentz should benefit from having more time in the pocket this week and Sanders should have plenty of running lanes. Philadelphia’s lack of receiving talent will continue to hurt them against better defenses. However, they should get by fine against Cincinnati, who has allowed 8.1 yards per pass attempt this season against Baker Mayfield and Tyrod Taylor.
Both teams desperately need a win. But the sky might really start falling if Philly falls to 0-3. I anticipate this being a get right game for the Eagles and like them to cover.
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Matt Barbato is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @RealMattBarbato.