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NFL Week 13: Cincinnati Bengals Vs. Philadelphia Eagles Preview — Injury Updates, Fantasy Football Projections, Where To Watch

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 18:48 PST, Dec 3, 2016

For the first time in their professional careers, Andy Dalton and AJ Green of the Cincinnati Bengals will not be playing in the NFL Playoffs. A full 2.5 games behind both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens headed into Week 13, the Who Dey nation will have to wait at least one more year before they break the longest NFL Playoffs victory drought in the league. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles — currently the last-place team in the NFC East at 5-6 — are holding on to a thread of hope that they can qualify for a Wild Card spot. While the Bengals will almost certainly end the regular season at third place in the AFC North and watching the Playoffs from home, the Eagles are in a must-win situation with a post-season appearance still a possibility.

Even if the Cincinnati Bengals turn things around and win the final five games of the season, there’s no guarantee that would be good enough to qualify for the NFL Playoffs. For the Bengals to win the division under those circumstances, both the Ravens and Steelers would have to win three or fewer of their last five games. For Cincinnati to earn a Wild Card berth with a 8-7-1 record, at least two of the three teams consisting of the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3), Miami Dolphins (7-4) and Denver Broncos (7-4) would have to win just one or fewer of their final five games, while the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5), Buffalo Bills (6-5), Tennessee Titans (6-6), Indianapolis Colts (5-6) and San Diego Chargers (5-6) would all have to win fewer than three or four games in the final five weeks.

The situation for the Philadelphia Eagles isn’t so dire, but it certainly isn’t ideal. Currently tied with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers at ninth place in their conference, the only team in the NFC Wild Card race with more than six wins is the New York Giants (8-3). Winning four or five of their final games will certainly keep the Eagles in the conversation, but anything could happen in the final few weeks of the regular season.

Week 13 Injury Updates

According to Saturday evening’s injury report from CBS Sports, four Cincinnati players are listed as “out” for Sunday’s game, with two more listed as “doubtful.” At wide receiver, both A.J. Green (hamstring injury) and Marlo Alford (ankle injury) are out, while defensive end Wallace Gilberry (calf injury) and safety Derron Smith (thigh injury) will be joining them. Both back-up tight ends Clark Harris (groin injury) and C.J. Uzomah (calf injury) are listed as doubtful against the Eagles.

A.J. Green of the Cincinnati Bengals. [Image by Al Bello/Getty Images]

Philadelphia has four players listed as “out” for their match-up with Cincinnati, with wide receiver Jordan Matthews is listed as “questionable” with an ankle injury. Both running back Ryan Mathews and tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai are out with knee injuries, while defensive lineman Connor Wujciak is out with a shoulder injury.

Predictions: Top Performers For Fantasy Football — Eagles at Bengals

According to standard fantasy football scoring provided by the NFL, no one from either team is expected to be a top 30 fantasy performer in Week 13. The highest projected player for the Bengals vs. Eagles game is Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton (12.96 points), compared to Philadelphia QB Carson Wentz (10.86 points), who only ranks fourth. Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (11.30 points) is the second highest expected producer from this game, while Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood (11.20 points) is projected to be Philadelphia’s highest performer.

Carson Wentz and Wendell Smallwood [Image by Rich Schultz/Getty Images]

For Week 13, neither team is projected to have a top 15 quarterback, a top 15 running back, or a top 50 wide receiver. At tight end, however, Eifert is the second-highest projected at his position, with Philly’s Zach Ertz (10.50 points) the third in the league at the TE position. The Eagles defense (6.00 points) and Bengals defense (4.00 points) are tied at fifth place and 13th place respectively. Neither team’s kicker is projected to break the top 15.

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Remaining Cincinnati Bengals Schedule — 2016

After hosting the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon, the Cincinnati Bengals have two more home games and two away games to finish out the season. They travel to Cleveland in Week 14 to play the Browns, the only team in the NFL that hasn’t won a game all season. The final three games of the season read like a list of their NFL Playoffs nightmares over the last five years, hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) in Week 15, traveling to Houston to play the Texans (6-5) in Week 16, and finishing the season at home against the Baltimore Ravens (6-5).

Remaining Philadelphia Eagles Schedule — 2016

After facing the Bengals on Sunday afternoon, the Eagles will be returning home to host division rivals, the Washington Redskins (6-4-1). Their last away game will be Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens (6-5), as they host division rivals the New York Giants (8-3) in Week 16 and then the Dallas Cowboys (11-1) in Week 17, who are still the best team in the NFC East and the entire NFL.

Where to Watch Cincinnati Bengals vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday afternoon’s Week 13 match-up featuring the Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals will be played at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincy. The game will be televised on FOX and the NFL RedZone with coverage beginning at 1:00 PM EST. The game can be heard live on Sirius XM Radio and can be viewed online with a subscription to NFL Game Pass.

[Featured Image by Al Bello/Getty Images]

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