PHILADELPHIA _ Captain Orlando Brown Jr., the Bengals left tackle, wanted to see the film before he said anything definitive about the preseason opener here at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night against the defending Super Bowl champ Eagles.

Well, he could say one thing. Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow and All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase are pretty good.

Brown beamed as he recalled the 36-yard touchdown pass to Chase. He'd seen it before. A quick throw to Chase against an all-out blitz. A spin move on the sideline. Tear-away jersey speed. A foot race where the only feet belonged to Chase.

"I think he caught a five-yard out and that was it," Brown said. "I've seen him do it on air. I've seen him do it in practice. In a real game. In a preseason game. It's a standard they set."

Brown also felt like he had a feel for the run game, where running back Chase Brown averaged 4.6 yards per his five carries. He also had two catches out of the backfield that were basically extensions of the run game for 19 yards. Plus, he caught a six-yard check-down pass, wonderfully efficient in itself.

And on one of those run-passes for nine yards on the perimeter, he delivered a hellacious stiff-arm to linebacker Smael Mondon.

On the first two touchdown drives that Burrow delivered, the Bengals converted their two third downs. Short-yardage has haunted the Burrow Era, but on Thursday, Chase Brown followed center Ted Karras and right guard Lucas Patrick for two yards on third-and-one. They never had longer than second-and-six.

"Our offense is efficient when we're able to run the ball and execute in those situations," Brown said. "Great things are going to happen. It seemed efficient. Everybody was in the right spot on their double teams. We were working well together."

No one threw more passes than Burrow last season, but he doesn't mind giving the ball to Brown any which way.

"He's playing a huge role for us. He caught some out of the backfield today," Burrow said. "If we get four, five, six yards every time we hand it to him, it's going to pay dividends."

The first team has already played two more snaps than all last preseason with two drives totaling 15 plays, and Orlando Brown is looking forward to next week's game in Washington, where Taylor has indicated they'll play even more.

"It's a good way to get the kinks out before September," Brown said.

SLATON VIEW

New massive nose tackle T.J. Slaton Jr. held court after the game and joined the growing chorus praising first-rounder Shemar Stewart’s work up and down the defensive line.

"We just want to know if he can cover," said Slaton, loud enough for Stewart to hear in the adjoining locker. "You praise him when he does well, but you've also got to give him some crap.

"I've said it before. He's unusually strong. He's a natural athlete, good awareness to the game. He just has to get the small details down. I feel he'll be a hell of a player."

The first defense allowed 49 yards rushing on eight carries, but 38 came on Will Shipley's ramble over the Bengals' left side.

"They did a lot of things to get the balls into the C and B gaps," Slaton said. "We've got to set the edge better … For me personally, I feel like I need to use my hands a little more. As for the team, I think we're all good. We just need to communicate a little bit more. Once we get the communication down 100 percent, we'll be OK. We're already at that place where we know what's going on, we just have to communicate."

SLANTS AND SCREENS

Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee started in place of Jalen Hurts and challenged the Bengals' first and second defenses for a 135.3 passer rating, while 11 Philly receivers went on to make at least one catch as their quarterbacks averaged more than eight yards per pass. That was a big surprise after the secondary has been so competitive with Burrow in camp.

"We just didn't get as fast of a start we wanted," safety Jordan Battle said. "I'm glad we got it out now before the season starts. Not hopefully. I know we will get it right. We practiced very well. We have to make sure it translates to the game field." …

Demetrius Knight Jr., the second-round linebacker who has been drawing raves since he showed up, had two tackles in his debut and no welcome to the NFL moment.

"I had that moment in the spring lining up against Joe and Tee," Knight said of Burrow and Higgins. "Tonight it was more, 'I'm here right now just to go out and play football.'"

Knight thinks he did 'OK,' but "I'm going to grade myself hard."

He said the Bengals didn't want to show much of the defensive playbook.

"We have plenty of areas to grow, but not any areas of concern because I know what we've got," Knight said …

The Bengals' No. 1 NFL special teams of last season, as ranked by Pro Football Focus, had a rough night. Running back Gary Brightwell's 71-yard kick return was wiped out by tight end Cam Grandy’s hold, they allowed a 46-yard punt return, cornerback DJ Ivey was called offsides on old friend Jake Elliott's field-goal miss from 55 yards that allowed a made field goal late in the drive, and defensive tackle McKinnley Jackson was called for roughing the long snapper on a field goal for a penalty that led to a touchdown.

"We had too many procedural penalties. Too many errors," Burrow said. "Things like that are going to happen, but it wasn't clean enough across the board." …