The Philadelphia Eagles battle it out against the Cincinnati Bengals to close their 2026 NFL Preseason action. Given that the regular season is so close, the fact is that many starters are not even considered to play.
Hence, Jalen Hurts won’t be suiting up. The Philadelphia Eagles have been very cautious during preseason and that is expected to be the case once again. Hence, Tanner McKee will be under center vs. Bengals.
Per NBC10 Philadelphia, the game will focus entirely on reserves, rookies, and bubble players fighting for final roster spots ahead of roster cuts. After all, teams have to officialize their final 53-man roster on Sunday.
Will Joe Burrow play vs. Eagles?
Joe Burrow and the other Cincinnati Bengals starters won’t play against Philadelphia, per head coach Zac Taylor. Hence, backups Joe Flacco, Josh Johnson, and Sean Clifford could be playing vs. Eagles.
Josh Johnson (1) to Colbie Young (1)*
— NFL Touchdown Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) August 23, 2026
Cincinnati Bengals
18 yards pic.twitter.com/0edbM1sjbR
More specifically, it’s expected that Johnson and Clifford take the majority of the workload, as Flacco is seen as a premium backup in the NFL for the last few years. Hence, there’s no need to risk him either.
Both teams have coaches with lots of eyeballs on them
The Eagles have gone to two Super Bowls in the last four years and yet somehow head coach Nick Sirianni is always getting doubted. A heavy reliance on coordinators might bring doubts over Sirianni, but he’s been proven capable to get to the top.
As for Zac Taylor, many were shocked when the Bengals didn’t fire him at the end of last season. However, after three straight years without a playoff appearance, the pressure is big. After all, Taylor is wasting Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and many other star players in their primes.






