By Patrick Del Gaone, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
After a mental break against Green Bay, all signs point toward Nelson Agholor returning to the field on Sunday afternoon.
Having lost five-in-a-row away from home, Doug Pederson's Eagles will look to win their first road game since September 19th when they face the reeling Bengals in Cincinnati.
The first-year head coach didn't fully commit to his list of active players, but it's becoming clear that the former first-round pick will be back in action at Paul Brown Stadium.
"I plan on keeping [Agholor] in the mix, because of Jordan's situation right now," Pederson said. "[We're] gonna definitely keep him alive, he's had a good week of practice. There's a good chance [he'll be active]. Just getting on Nelson, his mind has been great, his attitude has been really good, he's been working hard. Right now, everything is leaning towards keeping him active."
Like his mentor, Andy Reid, Pederson scripts the first 15 plays on offense. Today, he was asked if getting the USC product involved early will be a priority on Sunday.
"Yeah, there's always ways to do that. Obviously, play-design to specifically get him going in the game could help. It might just be a screen, just getting him the ball quick, get kind of settled into the game, those are all things that I consider. Especially putting the openers together, the first 15's, focusing on certain guys, wanting to get them touches early, and he's definitely one of those guys."
Pederson ruled out starting running back Ryan Mathews (knee) for Sunday's matchup against the Bengals, who allow 120 rushing yards per game (28th in NFL). Rookie Wendell Smallwood is expected to once again spearhead the rushing attack for Philadelphia, but the first-year head coach says that shouldn't affect his run-pass ratio.
"Not really," Pederson said. "That's something that when I evaluate after the game, it's something that I have to consider more of. Did I run the ball enough? Did I throw the ball enough? Or, did I do it too much one way or the other. But no, that did not dispel anything [against Green Bay], run or pass."
While supremely talented wideout A.J. Green (hamstring) won't be in uniform for Cincinnati this weekend, the status of Carson Wentz's top target is unknown after sustaining a knee injury against the Packers.
"Jordan Matthews right now is questionable," Pederson said. "Jordan's doing good. He got a little sore yesterday, and we kept him limited. Then we'll try to get more out of him today. We'll be outside, so, get a good chance [to see him] on the grass."
You can watch the full press conference from Pederson below.
