The Cincinnati Bengals' coaching staff, in an attempt to dispel consistent slow starts to regular seasons, trotted out the team's starters against the Philadelphia Eagles to open the preseason.
We won't know whether the change in philosophy has worked until meaningful game action kicks off. For now, it simply served as a warning to the rest of the league: Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase make football look easy.
Burrow and Chase connected on four passes for 77 yards on Cincinnati's first two drives — both resulting in touchdowns, one to the elite receiver. Burrow had played just 15 preseason snaps in five years before his team's 34-27 defeat to the Eagles. He matched that workload on Thursday night alone.
The Eagles kept their starters on the bench, but quarterback Tanner McKee looked right at home against much of the Bengals' first-team defense. He played into the third quarter, going 20-of-25 for 252 yards and two scores. Tarleton State product Darius Cooper was on the end of several throws, hauling in six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.
PFF's dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The comprehensive grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
We'll add an “s” to “player” and highlight both Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase for their outstanding work, which is nothing new for the pair.
Both earned 90.0-plus PFF overall grades, pending grade reviews, and their connection fueled Cincinnati's two scoring drives to open the contest. Chase forced two missed tackles on just four catches, while Burrow made one big-time throw and had his only incompletion come on a drop.
BOX SCORE
|
Bengals |
Eagles |
|
|
Total points |
27 |
34 |
|
Total offensive plays |
60 |
72 |
|
Average EPA per play |
-0.015 |
0.017 |
|
Total net yards |
330 |
416 |
|
Avg yards per play |
5.5 |
5.8 |
|
Total first downs |
18 |
22 |
|
Rushing first downs |
2 |
7 |
|
Passing first downs |
12 |
15 |
|
Penalty first downs |
4 |
0 |
|
Third-down efficiency |
33% |
20% |
|
Fourth-down efficiency |
11% |
22% |
|
Possessions |
13 |
13 |
|
Avg plays per drive |
5.4 |
6.9 |
|
Avg yards per drive |
23.6 |
32 |
|
Avg points per drive |
1.9 |
2.6 |
|
Red-zone possessions |
3 |
5 |
|
Red-zone plays |
7 |
19 |
|
Red-zone TDs |
2 |
4 |
|
Red-zone FGs |
1 |
1 |
|
Red-zone scoring efficiency |
100% |
100% |
SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION