Eagles Report Card
Paul Domowitch's report card on the Eagles-Bengals game:
RUSHING OFFENSE: Eagles ran the ball just 18 times in 5 quarters. Faced with 4 third- and fourth-and-ones, they ran the ball just once, and that was a QB sneak. Nine of Brian Westbrook's 14 carries were for 3 yards or less.
Grade: D
PASSING OFFENSE: For the second week in a row, Donovan McNabb completed less than 50 percent of his passes and averaged less than 6 yards per attempt. Had 4 turnovers, including 3 interceptions. Need I go on?
Grade: F
RUN DEFENSE: While Cedric Benson isn't Brandon Jacobs and the Bengals' offensive line bears no resemblance to the blue-and-white one that manhandled the Eagles' last week, the bottom line is they held the Bengals to a puny 1.9 yards per carry, though Benson's 13-yard third-quarter run set up a Shayne Graham field goal.
Grade: A
PASS DEFENSE: Eagles sacked Ryan Fitzpatrick 8 times, but he completed 66 percent of his passes and didn't throw an interception. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught 12 passes for 149 yards, including a 26-yard second-quarter TD on an Eagles blitz.
Grade: C-minus
SPECIAL TEAMS: None of Sav Rocca's last 5 punts in the fourth quarter and overtime traveled farther than 37 yards. Three, including a 17-yarder, went out of bounds. Another was returned 22 yards. David Akers made both of his field goal attempts. DeSean Jackson had a pair of 15- and 16-yard punt returns.
&nbs p; Grade: C
OVERALL: The Eagles converted just 3 of 18 third-down opportunities against a Bengals team that was 31st in the league in third-down defense. They converted just 1 of 4 third- and fourth-and-one chances and most of their players, including the quarterback, admitted that didn't realize there was only one overtime period in the NFL.
Grade: F
