They came early and often, and then they just wouldn?t stop.
It was like a nightmare that wouldn?t end, each turnover more haunting and damning and mind-boggling than the previous one.
The Eagles had a chance Thursday night to prove that they?re not the abject failure that they?ve been for almost two full seasons now. They had a chance to seize the momentum from a buzzer-beating road win four days earlier, parlay it into their prime-time home showdown against the Bengals and win consecutive games.
But they fumbled it away in the most literal sense possible.?
They turned the ball over five times and had a punt blocked in their 34-13 unraveling at the hands of Cincinnati before an ashamed Linc crowd (see Instant Replay). All of those Bengals points came off either Eagles turnovers or a botched special teams play.?Turnovers killed us today,? said wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, one of five different culprits who coughed up the pigskin. ?This was on the offense and special teams today.?
In an almost surreal sequence that might never happen twice in the next 100 years, the Eagles managed to give the ball back to the Cincinnati four different times in a span of five plays in the second half. Within that time frame, they actually turned the ball over on three consecutive plays.
Their sorriest display of ball security since a five-turnover game in the season opener against Cleveland -- yep, Ohio hasn?t been kind to them -- turned a three-point halftime lead into a double-digit deficit going into the fourth.
Nick Foles threw an interception for the first time since his starting debut, Bryce Brown botched a handoff and Clay Harbor fumbled in a four-play span of the third quarter that directly led to 17 unanswered Bengals points in just five minutes and 37 seconds.
That?s nearly three points a minute.
?We just have to protect the ball. It?s as simple as that,? Foles said. ?Most of the time that will win you a game if you can hold onto the ball.?
Defensive tackle Cedric Thornton, who plays special teams, put the icing on the cake early in the fourth when he let a short kickoff bounce off his chest and into the arms of Bengals safety Taylor Mays.
Cincinnati hadn?t produced six turnovers in a game since Nov. 11, 2007 in a win against Baltimore -- more than five years ago.
The Eagles (4-10) have now turned the ball over 34 times this season and opponents have scored 123 points off those giveaways. Their turnover ratio for the season fell to minus-22, tied with Kansas City for the NFL?s worst.
?It has to be a bigger sense of not just yourself but of the organization,? said wide receiver Jason Avant, who was not responsible for any turnover, said. ?When you're carrying the football, you're representing the Eagles fans, you're representing Mr. [Jeffrey] Lurie, you're representing the coaching staff. I think it has to become more than just about you. When you carry that football, you're representing a whole bunch of people, and I don't think we have that mindset all the time."
The Bengals merely had to get off the bus to win their first prime-time road game in more than 17 years and break their streak of 10 consecutive road prime-time defeats.
Cincinnati?s 249 total yards were its second-fewest of the season and fewest this year in a win. The Bengals averaged 3.4 yards per play, their lowest since a 26-10 loss to the Jets on Nov. 25, 2010. They haven?t won a game averaging 3.4 yards per play or fewer since they beat the Dolphins 16-13 on Sept. 19, 2004.
?Everything happened so fast,? Brown said. ?We were up and the next thing you knew, we were down big. This was a rough loss. We hate to lose like that any competitor would.?
The shame is that these turnovers overshadowed what looked like the Eagles? best defensive effort of the season -- maybe even the past two seasons.?
The defensive line was all over Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, churning out a season-high six sacks, its most of the year by two. Defensive end Brandon Graham set a career single-game best with 2? sacks and rookie defensive tackle Fletcher Cox added 1? more.
The Eagles even forced two turnovers for the first time since Nov. 5 against New Orleans. But that couldn?t help them overcome the comedy of mishandles and mishaps that they showcased to an NFL Network audience.
?Five turnovers and 31 points -- that really says it all,? coach Andy Reid said, leaving out the blocked punt and ensuing field goal from the first quarter. ?I thought the effort was there and guys played hard, but you just can?t have those turnovers.?
The slimmest notion that Sunday?s thriller over Tampa had set the stage for a four-game win streak to close the season and perhaps save Reid?s job slipped away like any one of six mesmerizing miscues that gift-wrapped another win for the Bengals (8-6).
?You have to take care of the ball,? Reid later added. ?There?s nothing I can say about that, but it?s my responsibility to to make sure the guys do it. I take full responsibility and full blame for that.?
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