Eagles’ Baby Boomer Coming of Age

Growing up in Ohio, Bobby Hoying watched Boomer Esiason rally the Cincinnati Bengals many times. He learned well.

Hoying threw four touchdown passes and led the Philadelphia Eagles on a 61-yard drive in the final minute to set up Chris Boniol’s 31-yard field goal as time expired for a 44-42 victory over the Bengals on Sunday.

Hoying’s hometown, St. Henry, Ohio, is only 90 miles from Cincinnati, and the Bengals were the team he went to see while growing up.

“We’d usually go a couple of times a year,” Hoying said. “I really remember their [AFC] championship year in 1988.”

Esiason, 36, led the Bengals to the Super Bowl that season, where they lost to San Francisco, 20-16. He returned to Cincinnati this season after playing with New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals and has revitalized the Bengals (4-9) with six touchdown passes in two games since taking over as the starter for Jeff Blake.

Esiason complimented Hoying, a 25-year-old, second-year player who has led the Eagles (6-6-1) to two victories and a tie in his three NFL starts.

“If the quarterback’s on the money, and you have a good running game and good pass blocking, you can make some big plays,” Esiason said. “Bobby had a propensity to do it [in college at Ohio State] and he’s done it the last three games for the Eagles.”

Esiason nearly pulled it out for the Bengals, who went ahead, 42-41, with a minute to play on Brian Milne’s one-yard touchdown run. Esiason, who was 27 of 47 for 378 yards, threw two of his four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter but the Bengal defense, ranked 28th, wilted in the end.

Hoying was 26 of 42 for 313 yards in helping to keep the Eagles’ playoff hopes alive.

“We’re still in this,” Hoying said. “Hopefully, we’re peaking at the right time.”

The Eagles, who entered the game as the only NFL team not to have scored more than 24 points this season, led 24-14 at the half and 34-21 after three quarters before Esiason brought the Bengals from behind.

“At the end of the third quarter, you could sense the direction the game was going,” Eagle Coach Ray Rhodes said. “It was going to be a shootout, and the team that ends up with the ball last is going to win.”