Moore: Eagles again show they have plenty of work to do

It’s getting late early for the Eagles.

Sunday afternoon’s 23-23 overtime tie against the Bengals at the Linc makes the Birds winless after three weeks in a season for the first time since Doug Pederson was the quarterback and they were 0-3 in 1999.

Coupled with a season-opening defeat to Washington, the Birds have a loss and a tie vs. two of the worst teams on the 2020 schedule. Cincinnati came into Sunday with a 14-game road losing streak, while Washington has dropped its other two games.

More:Eagles can't stop making mistakes and losing players to injury in overtime tie with Bengals

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That Jake Elliott didn't get a chance to kick a potential 59-yard winning field goal in overtime because guard Matt Pryor's false start to wipe away that possibility, was a fitting conclusion. The normally aggressive Pederson playing not to lose by punting and not having enough confidence in his offense or defense to go for it on fourth-and-12 from the Bengals’ 46-yard line is telling.

“I feel you,” said defensive end Brandon Graham, when asked about not playing to win there. “I’m going to ride with coach. That’s all I’m going to say.”

“Tying is no fun,” quarterback Carson Wentz said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a tie. Frustrating way to end the game.”

While there were some encouraging signs, such as Wentz’s perfectly thrown 30-yard completion to tight end Zach Ertz (seven catches for 70 yards) in overtime, there is reason for the Philly faithful to be concerned.

“I told them we weren’t a very smart football team today,” Pederson said. “I think (we committed) 11 penalties came at crucial times. We couldn’t get off the field on defense and, offensively, we didn’t execute well enough.”

While the defense sacked rookie quarterback Joe Burrow eight times and stopped the Bengals three times in OT, Jim Schwartz’s group had trouble getting off the field in regulation for the second straight week, including when the Birds had a 16-10 lead and seemed poised to take control of the game midway through the third quarter.

Burrow completed 11 straight passes on the Bengals’ go-ahead drive, culminating with a 4-yard strike to open rookie wide-out Tee Higgins late in the third period.

Wentz ended up with two interceptions for the third straight week. He threw the ball to the inside instead of where Ertz could catch it outside on the ensuing possession, resulting in a pick by Cincinnati cornerback LeShaun Sims that set up a Randy Bullock field goal, increasing the Bengals’ advantage to four points.

On the Birds’ next possession, running back Miles Sanders got behind the Bengals’ Josh Bynes on third down but Wentz overthrew him, necessitating another Cam Johnston punt.

On third-and-15, Schwartz’s “sticks” defense allowed a 42-yard completion to running back Giovani Bernard on an underneath route. Safety Rodney McLeod’s personal foul on the next play gave the 0-2-1 Bengals first-and-goal at the 4-yard line, though the “D” kept it a one-score game by limiting Cincinnati to another Bullock field goal.

A pair of Bengals pass-interference penalties helped Wentz and the offense get inside the 30-yard line and Wentz scrambled down to the 19 before covering the final 7 yards to tie the score in the final minute of regulation.

Cincinnati defensive end Carl Lawson treated 38-year-old left tackle Jason Peters like a turnstile for much of the opening half, sacking Wentz twice and beating Peters on numerous other occasions.

Injuries factored into the Eagles’ struggles, as tight end Dallas Goedert (ankle) and receiver DeSean Jackson (hamstring) were out of the game by halftime. Receiver Greg Ward played a more prominent role in their absence, finishing with eight catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.

Starting cornerbacks Avonte Maddox (ankle) and Darius Slay (right arm) were hurt in the third period, too, though Slay returned after missing one possession and was a factor down the stretch.

Still, the defense has yet to force a turnover this season and the Eagles are minus-7 in takeaways, which is the mark of a losing team.

“Nobody’s down on themselves,” said safety Jalen Mills. “Of course, this is upsetting … We’ve been through this before. We’ve got the coaches, the players, to get through this.”

The Eagles are going to need Slay and as many healthy regulars as possible over the next two weeks since they'll be visiting the 49ers and Steelers, which are teams more formidable than the Bengals. Even that might not be enough.

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly