By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Another loss on Monday night sent the Eagles to 5-6 and essentially ended all talk of the playoffs, barring a miracle.
The first of the final five games on the 2016 season comes in Cincinnati as the Bengals await a matchup with the Eagles in Week 13.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Quarterbacks
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) | Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) |
| 11 Carson Wentz | 14 Andy Dalton |
| Stats: 2,593 YD, 11 TD, 8 INT | Stats: 3,043 YD, 12 TD, 6 INT |
Nothing really stands out about Dalton's game to this point in the season. He's been average at best after helping make the Bengals an AFC North contender in years past.
Carson Wentz continues to suffer from a lack of weapons around him. The rookie displayed some more potential in Monday's loss on an impressive opening drive, but sputtered after that.
Running Backs
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) | Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) |
| 28 Wendell Smallwood | 32 Jeremy Hill |
| Stats: 66 Att, 290 YD, 1 TD | Stats: 147 Att, 644 YD, 6 TD |
It's been a pretty good year for Jeremy Hill, who is averaging 4.4 yards per carry and has six touchdowns on the season as the Bengals lead running back.
Wendell Smallwood got the bulk of the carries last week and should see more action as the lead running back with Ryan Mathews still not available to play.
Wide Receivers
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) | Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) | ||
| 81 Jordan Matthews | Stats: 57 Rec, 686 YD, 3 TD | 11 Brandon LaFell | Stats: 36 Rec, 457 YD, 4 TD |
| 86 Zach Ertz | Stats: 38 Rec, 373 YD, 1 TD | 83 Tyler Boyd | Stats: 38 Rec, 411 YD, 1 TD |
It's a different receiving group when A.J. Green isn't playing as will be the case on Sunday, but Brandon LaFell has held his own this season and Tyler Boyd is not far behind. LaFell is actually tied with Green in receiving touchdowns with four.
Until he got hurt during Monday's game, Jordan Matthews was putting together one of his better performances from this season. He is questionable to play, but if he does, look for him to build on what he started last week.
Defense
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) | Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) | ||
| 58 Jordan Hicks | Stats: 62 Tackles, 2 INT, 1.0 Sacks | 55 Vontaze Burfict | Stats: 76 Tackles, 2.0 Sacks |
| 23 Rodney McLeod | Stats: 61 Tackles, 1.0 Sacks, 3 INT | 56 Karlos Dansby | Stats: 72 Tackles, 6 TFL |
| 55 Brandon Graham | Stats: 36 Tackles, 5.0 Sacks, 6 TFL | 96 Carlos Dunlap | Stats: 35 Tackles, 6.5 Sacks, 2 FF |
Cincinnati comes in with the 21st-ranked defense in the league, nothing that strikes a lot of fear into the opposition. But with the Eagles lack of weapons on offense and a few standout players on the Bengals defense, there is nothing easy about the day ahead for the Eagles.
On Monday night, the Eagles defense did not play well and will be looking for a bounce-back performance against a struggling Bengals team this week.
Player to Watch
| Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) | Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) |
| 11 Nelson Agholor | 85 Tyler Eifert |
| Stats: 27 Rec, 264 YD, 1 TD | Stats: 21 Rec, 312 YD, 2 TD |
It's easy to overlook the group of Bengals receivers without A.J. Green, but they have LaFell and Boyd and also tight end Tyler Eifert, who has put together a solid season as well. Eifert should be a favorite target of Dalton's with Green not available again.
If Nelson Agholor is indeed back in the lineup, then his presence alone makes him one to watch. The Eagles gave him a mental break by making him inactive on Monday night. We'll see what that does for the second-year receiver upon his return.
Injury Report
|
Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) |
Cincinnati Bengals (3-7-1) |
||||
|
RB Ryan Mathews |
Knee |
Out |
DE Wallace Gilberry |
Calf |
Out |
| T Halapoulivaati Vaitai | Knee | Out |
WR A.J. Green |
Hamstring |
Out |
| WR Jordan Matthews | Ankle | Questionable | S Derron Smith | Thigh | Out |
| LS Clark Harris | Groin | Doubtful | |||
| TE C.J. Uzomah | Calf | Doubtful | |||
Game Notes
- Since the start of the 2014 season, the Eagles are 9-1 in non-conference games.
- The Eagles are also 6-3-1 in their last 10 games against the AFC North, including wins over the Browns and Steelers this season.
- The Eagles are 2-2-1 in their last five meetings against the Bengals, but have never won in Paul Brown Stadium.
Where to Watch
TV: FOX (Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Peter Schrager)
Radio: 94 Sportsradio WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin)
