The Eagles Power Rankings Round Up- Week 5
If vibes around the Eagles were high entering week 4, they are even higher leaving it. Going into Week 5, the Eagles are the last remaining undefeated team. And while the win over the Jaguars was not as perfect as the wins over the Vikings and the Commanders, that maybe makes people feel better. The story after those two games was how the Eagles seemed to fade a bit in the 2nd half. They weren’t tested by attrition. But on Sunday, they had to deal with some turmoil.
They fell behind the Jags 14-0. They had to claw their way back into the game and did. After some early mistakes, they settled down and went back to dominating as they had in weeks 2 and 3. Jalen Hurts threw a pick 6 on his first drive, but then made no mistakes the rest of the game. In horrible playing conditions, perhaps the worst of any game this season, Hurts was dependable. He didn’t put up the big numbers he did the last two weeks, but very few could in those conditions. But he made no mistakes after the first one. Meanwhile, Trevor Lawrence turned it over 5 times.
The Eagles continue to look like an elite team. And now in week 5, there is a case for them as the best team in the league. But how does the NFL media view our Birds? Let’s take a look at where various outlets have the Eagles in the Week 5 Power Rankings.
ESPN- Rank 3 (Previously 3)
The Eagles are first in sacks (16), tied for first in takeaways (10), third in yards allowed (277.3 per game) and 10th in points allowed (17.8). They look really solid from front to back, even with safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, formerly of the New Orleans Saints, acclimating to a new position and team.
The two teams ESPN still ranks above the Eagles are the Bills and Chiefs. And it is hard to argue against that. Both came into the season considered to be the elite of the elite. And both had impressive wins this week. The Bills battled with the Ravens, after coming up short vs the Dolphins the week prior. And the Chiefs crushed a Bucs defense that had been operating at an elite level. The fact the Eagles are up among those teams is a great sign for them.
USA Today- Rank 1 (Previously 1)
The league’s lone undefeated team, arguably the league’s best-balanced squad and featuring MVP candidate Jalen Hurts. But if one thing sums up the early season success, then how about this – Philadelphia has the most takeaways in the NFL (10) and the fewest turnovers (2).
I brought up the same thing about turnover differential in my 5 numbers article this week. 8 of the last 10 Super Bowl winners were in the top 10 of turnover differential. 5 of those were in the top 5. Winning that battle is a big deal. And the Eagles are winning it every week.
The Athletic- Rank 1 (Previously 2)
The undefeated Eagles have proven they can win in a variety of ways. They won an offensive shootout in Week 1 thanks in large part to Jalen Hurts’ scrambling ability. They dominated the Vikings in Week 2 with Hurts’ precision passing and a suddenly aggressive defense. They turned the pressure up in Week 3 with nine sacks, then proved in Week 4 they could take a punch, storming back from a 14-0 deficit against the Jaguars to win 29-21 behind a run-heavy offense that turned the clock back to the second half of last season.
The part about winning in different ways is key. last year they could only win in one way. On the ground. Their defense never got the better of good teams, and Jalen Hurts never won with his arm. Now they can beat teams in every facet of the game. If the passing game isn’t working, they can pound the rock. If the run game doesn’t work, Hurts can beat teams with his arm. And the defense is crushing teams in the run and the passing game.
NFL Network- Rank 1 (Previously 1)
Adversity came for the Eagles on Sunday, and they turned it away. Playing in rainy conditions and with multiple important players forced out of action with injuries, Philly relied on its ground attack (210 yards rushing) and an opportunistic defense (five turnovers) to hold off a game Jaguars team at the Linc.
Yep, as I mentioned at the top of the article, things didn’t go easily for the Eagles on Sunday. People wanted the Eagles to face adversity. They did. And they passed with flying colors. It’s one last thing people can hold over the Eagles’ heads. This is not a team that will fold when things go poorly. In fact, they did the opposite. When they went down 14-0 they responded immediately and had the lead before entering the locker room at halftime.
Sports Illustrated- Rank 1 (Previously 3)
While their schedule has been somewhat friendly, the Eagles are demolishing the good teams (Vikings, Jaguars) and laughing off the bad teams alike. It’s unlikely but not entirely outlandish to suggest they could be undefeated still at Thanksgiving.
The Eagles have a favorable schedule. And even if they didn’t, they showed they can beat up on good teams when they beat the Vikings and the Jags. Of course, going undefeated is unlikely. There have been many great teams, and only a couple to go undefeated in the regular season. even great teams have off days. But the point is they could win any game they play. In fact, they will likely be favored in every game they play.
Yahoo Sports- Rank 2 (Previously 1)
There are no 0-4 teams in the NFL. There’s only one 4-0 team. When they were behind 14-0 to the Jaguars and rallied to take the lead back before halftime, it said a lot about this Eagles team. They’re here to stay this season.
Dropping the Eagles after an impressive win is strange. I can’t argue with putting the Bills at one, that is fair. But if you had Eagles at 1, and then watch them beat the Jags like they did, I would think they should stay at 1. But fair enough. Both the Eagles and the Bills are great teams, and deciding which is best is splitting hairs.
The Ringer- Rank 4 (Previously 7)
Week 4 showed us that there is just so much margin for error with this Eagles team. Jalen Hurts was late throwing a crossing route early in the first quarter, and the ball was ultimately intercepted for a pick-six. That mistake contributed to a 14-0 first-quarter hole in the pouring rain at home. But Hurts and the Eagles proved too talented and too well-coached for any early deficit to matter.
I can defend ranking the Chiefs and Bills over the Eagles. But ranking the Packers over the Eagles at this point is being blinded by past seasons. The Packers have yet to have a truly impressive game. And the Eagles continue to impress every week.
Bleacher Report- Rank 1 (Previously 2)
Offensively, Jalen Hurts was held in check, passing for just 204 yards and failing to throw a touchdown pass. But running back Miles Sanders picked up the slack, rumbling for 134 yards and two scores on 27 carries, Defensively, the Eagles were outstanding, allowing just 219 yards of offense, sacking Trevor Lawrence four times and forcing five Jacksonville turnovers.
As impressive as Jalen Hurts has been, the Defense is the most impressive part of this team. They are elite. They shut down solid passing games 3 weeks in a row. Even with injuries, they dominated a productive Jags offense. They can hang with any elite offense as long as the defense plays like this.
Average Ranking- 2
Top Ranking- 1
Bottom Ranking- 4
