CINCINNATI _ Whatever message Eagles coach Doug Pederson wanted to send to his players was either not delivered well or not received well, because the Eagles looked even worse in a 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday than they have at any other point this season.
The Eagles' third consecutive loss came to a team that entered Sunday with only three wins this season and only one since September. But the Eagles proved to be the inferior team, falling to 5-7 and watching a season that once had promise deteriorate in a way that leaves little reason for optimism.
Quarterback Carson Wentz, the source of any optimism about the Eagles, had his first three-interception game of the season. He finished 36 for 60 for 308 yards and one touchdown.
With top receiver Jordan Matthews out of the lineup, Paul Turner had six catches for 80 yards and tight end Zach Ertz caught nine passes for 79 yards and a score. Wendell Smallwood rushed only eight times for 19 yards. The defense allowed 412 yards, and the Bengals converted six of their first eight third downs.
Cincinnati scored on their first six drives of the game. They entered halftime with a 19-0 lead. They had a 29-point lead before the Eagles even scored a point.
After the Eagles opened the game with a three-and-out, the Bengals scored first with a field goal. After another Eagles punt, the Bengals went 81 yards on eight plays, including two third-down conversions. One was a 50-yard pass from Andy Dalton to Cody Core in which the rookie receiver beat Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll. Jeremy Hill rushed for a 2-yard score for a 10-0 lead.
The Eagles had a chance to keep the lead within one possession when they drove into Bengals territory. Pederson called a draw play on third and 9 from Cincinnati's 32-yard line, and Smallwood was stuffed for a 1-yard loss. That meant the Eagles needed to attempt a 51-yard field goal, which Caleb Sturgis clanked off one of the uprights.
After a field goal, the Bengals entered halftime with a 12-play, 93-yard touchdown drive. Dalton found tight end Tyler Eifert for a 13-yard touchdown with seven seconds remaining for the 19-0 halftime lead.
Because the Eagles started with the ball, the Bengals had a chance to inflate their lead to open the second half. They were not going to waste the opportunity. The Eagles defense looked most inviting on third downs, when Dalton found Brandon LaFell for a 44-yard catch and then an 8-yard touchdown.
With a 26-0 deficit, Wentz threw his first interception. He was lucky that was only his first, because his accuracy was a problem throughout the game. Cincinnati kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive, with the help of back-to-back personal fouls on the Eagles that gave the Bengals 30 yards. The 29-0 lead was the Bengals' biggest of the game.
The Eagles cut into the Bengals' margin, but could never make it more than a two-possession game. Wentz found Ertz for a 13-yard touchdown with 2 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter, and then they forced a fumble on the next possession.
Wentz responded by throwing his second interception of the game _ a pass that sailed too high, which has been a problem for Wentz throughout the season.
The Eagles made it a 29-14 game after a 15-play, 64-yard drive that included two fourth-down conversions. Darren Sproles rushed for a 2-yard touchdown.
After the defense forced a fumble, the Eagles had a chance to make it a one-possession game. They even drove down into Bengals territory. But on a third and 3 from the 31-yard line, Wentz threw a pass that might as well have been intended for Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict, who intercepted Wentz for the second time in the game.
That led to a late field goal, but any hope the Eagles had of a comeback ended with Wentz's third interception. The hope of a win might have been lost well before that, with the Eagles reaching the low point of the season with four games remaining against teams with winning records.
