5 Questions for the Enemy: Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton talks Eagles

The Cincinnati Bengals have an exciting interconference matchup this Sunday as they look for their first home win of the 2024 season against the Eagles. According to FanDuel, they will try to do this as narrow 1.5-point favorites.

To get a sense of what's going on in Philly, we tapped into the knowledge of Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation.

1.) AC: What is the mood at the Eagles at the moment? It seems like the end-of-season disappointment from 2023 has seeped into this year, even though they are 4-2. Have things changed for their coach and quarterback, who have come under criticism?

BG: “Eagles fans are feeling encouraged after the team’s second straight win and first by more than a goal in almost a year. It's a relief to actually be able to experience a victory that doesn't feel so agonizing.

But beating the Browns and Giants (the two teams the Bengals also recently played) has done little to make anyone truly believe in the Eagles' ceiling as a championship contender.

Questions remain regarding Nick Sirianni's ability to push the right buttons and give his team an advantage. He struggled with game management and lacked answers when it came to getting started quickly on offense. The Eagles are the only team in the NFL not to score a point in the first quarter this season. They haven't scored in the first quarter for eight straight games.

Jalen Hurts is coming off his second straight game without turning the ball over, which is good to see after starting the season with seven giveaways in the first four weeks. But the Eagles' passing game isn't very consistent or reliable at the moment. Hurts didn't seem to see the field well in Week 7. Holding on to the ball too long meant missing some throws that needed to be made and getting sacks that could have been avoided if the ball had come out sooner.

To beat the Bengals, the Eagles will probably need Sirianni and Hurts to be sharper than they have been.”

2.) AC: What do you think is the most advantageous position play for the Eagles this week?

BG: “If Orlando Brown can't play, I think an Eagles pass rush that seems to come alive could take advantage of the Bengals' offensive line in particular. But it looks like Brown has a chance to assert himself after being limited in practice on Wednesday.

Still, I'm curious to see if Philly's defense can match their performances against the Browns and Bengals, where they combined for 13 sacks, 14 TFLs and 21 quarterback hits. I noticed that Pro Football Focus currently ranks the Bengals' offensive line as the sixth-worst blocking unit in the NFL.

I'm also curious to see how the Bengals defend Saquon Barkley. The Bengals are the fourth-best run defense in yards per rush attempt, but Barkley will put this Cincy defense to the test, which allowed Derrick Henry to record 15 carries for 92 yards earlier this season.”

3.) Give us a player on offense and defense that we may not be familiar with but could have an impact in this game.

BG: “Attack: You actually know him as a former Bengal, but I would say it’s Fred Johnson. He starts at left tackle in place of Jordan Mailata, who is on injured reserve. Johnson has made some really good contributions as a run blocker, but he has had his ups and downs in pass protection. I'm really worried about him going up against an elite edge rusher in Trey Hendrickson.

You'd think the Eagles would try to give Fred Johnson some help, but offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland doesn't typically go that route with his tackles, instead having them go 1-on-1 more often than the rest of the league. We'll see if he'll adjust to this match. (Honorable mention on offense: Linebacker Ben VanSumeren, who saw some snaps at fullback. He had some good lead blocks on Saquon runs last week.)

Defense: Not exactly an understated guy for a first-round pick (I'm really not playing by the rules of this question, am I?), but I'd say Quinyon Mitchell. According to Pro Football Reference, the rookie cornerback has allowed just a 69.3 passer rating this season. He has come close to intercepting a pass in almost every game this season.

It seems only a matter of time before he finally catches the ball and makes a really big play. Mitchell faces his biggest test yet as he goes up against the Bengals' formidable receiving trio. He may face some rookie problems at some point, but no one would be surprised if he rises to the challenge and shines once again.”

4.) AC: Do you think a potential victory would come more from the legs of Hurts and Saquon Barkley or from Hurts' arm and his good wideouts?

BG: “The former. The Eagles have really focused on their running game after their bye in Week 5. And it's hard to blame them for how good Barkley looked. He's a big play waiting to happen.

At some point, the Eagles will have to get their passing game better than before. They won't be able to win regularly if Hurts only attempts 14 passes like he did against the Giants. At some point they will need more transit volume. But they might not need it right now, especially if they can get a lead in this game and play from the front.”

5.) AC: Do you have a prediction about this?

BG: “I do power rankings for Bleeding Green Nation every week. Even when the Bengals fell to 1-4, I still had them ranked 14th. Here's what I wrote back then:

“You may be wondering why I'm moving the 1-4 Bengals up after the loss. The answer: They are better than their record suggests. Don’t be surprised if they get four straight wins next at NYG, at CLE, vs. PHI and vs. LVR.”

I believe the Bengals are better than their record suggests. The underlying metrics suggest this; Cincy ranks 12th in DVOA and 16th in point differential.

That's why I want the Bengals to win this game. I don't think they'll fall to 0-4 at home, especially when the Eagles usually struggle in Cincy. Bengals 28, Eagles 24.”

Our thanks go to Brandon Gowton from Bleeding Green Nation. You can read the other side of our conversation here.