Eagles whose stock is rising following an impressive Week 8 win vs. Bengals

Hours have passed since the Philadelphia Eagles walked out of Paycor Stadium with a win. We won't lie. We haven't watched any of the games that were played during the 4 p.m. EST window on Sunday. We listened to the postgame press conferences. Then, we watched the Eagles game again. We caught some of the Sunday Night Football game. Then, we hung out with friends.

We felt like we deserved to party a little. Work hard, and play hard. That's what we were always told. We didn't work as hard as the Birds did, but we felt we did enough.

So, yeah... We treated ourselves to a night out. When, we got home, we watched the Eagles game again. Had there been a World Series game, we would have ignored that.

Over the years, we have told a ton of stories about this Eagles team, but Week 8's game was different. That was fun, so we enjoyed it as fans.

We'll get to those other games that were played at some point. We need to see what the other NFL teams that played were doing. Besides, we can only enjoy this one for a few more hours before we begin talking about the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But for now, our thoughts are about a near-second-half shutout vs. one of the NFL's most gifted young quarterbacks and explosive offenses. Perhaps you have heard. The Philadelphia Eagles have finally broken the jinx.

After four losses and a tie in five previous road meetings vs. the Bengals, they win in impressive fashion as road underdogs. Let's hand out a half dozen game balls. These six Birds are enjoying a stock increase after Week 8's win.

Grant Calcaterra, tight end

Following Jack Stoll's injury, Grant Calcaterra was the lone tight end standing on Philly's active roster. Grant held it down with a nice Week 8 showing.

He didn't need to be Dallas Goedert. All he needed to do was make the most of his opportunities and do work when the ball was thrown his way. Check the boxes for Number 81.

He caught all three of his targets for 58 yards. Heck, that's all a criminally underutilized Goedert would have been given.

Calcaterra is up to 12 receptions and 186 yards receiving on the season and an average of 15.5 yards per snag.

Zack Baun, linebacker

Zack Baun is well on his way to a 100-tackle season. That would be the first of his career. His previous high was 30, a mark he reached twice, in 2021 and 2023.

Entering the game with two sacks and 57 tackles, 37 of which were solo, he added 12 more to the tally on Sunday, but he showed some playmaking ability too. His 'Peanut Punch' halted a Bengals drive and gave the ball back to the Eagles offense.

Cooper DeJean, cornerback

Just when you thought we couldn't fall deeper in love with Cooper DeJean, he almost picks off a pass and comes up with a key stop on fourth down. Check this one out below.

The game was still in doubt at this point. The extra offensive opportunity the rookie's hustle play created led to a Jake Elliott field goal and a two-score advantage.

On the next drive, two of his teammates in the secondary sent Eagles Nation into near-supernova. This might be our favorite play of the contest.

Isaiah Rodgers and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, defensive backs

Though we're never supposed to count wins before they are official, it was here where we knew Philly would win. Joe Burrow dropped back to pass with a little more than a dozen minutes remaining. Let's just say he gambled and lost.

Cut a game ball in half for Isaiah Rodgers and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. With Darius Slay injured, Rodgers was tested while matched up vs. one of the NFL's top wide receivers. He proved to be up for the challenge.

He and C.J. G.J. have been criticized, but they combined for one of the best defensive plays of the Eagles season so far. How about the catch and toe drag swag for Gardner-Johnson? This shifted the momentum in Philly's favor permanently, and the Bengals never recovered.

QB1 Jalen Hurts

We talk about Jalen Hurts every week. We're all critical when he struggles. Credit must be given when he plays this well.

The stat line: 16 completions on 20 passing attempts, 236 yards through the air, 37 rushes on ten attempts, three rushing TDs.

QB1 wasn't sacked. He didn't turn the ball over. Oh, and how could we forget? He went deep to DeVonta Smith, and this happened.

We could go back and forth about some dangerous throws that ended a couple of drives, but that would just be nitpicking. He shared the stage with one of the NFL's top young signal-callers on the road. Truth be told, as good as Burrow was at times, Jalen outplayed him.

Take a bow QB1. You've earned it!