The Eagles Power Rankings Round Up- Week 6
The Eagles are still the lone undefeated team in the NFL. But their win on Sunday was not as pretty as their prior 3 wins. They left Arizona with a win, but just barely. It took Kliff Kingsbury telling his QB to spike the ball on third down, and a missed FG, for the Eagles to stay undefeated. Still, 5-0 is 5-0. And it is a record only the Eagles can make claim to. But maybe some folks around the NFL look at the Eagles differently after seeing some cracks in their armor. It leaves the Eagles with some question marks heading into week 6.
Did the Eagles’ struggles in Arizona drop them in the power rankings around the NFL Media? Last week their average ranking was 2. Where did they fall in the power ranking going into week 6? Let’s take a look at where the various outlets put the Eagles…
ESPN- Rank 3 (Last Week- 3)
“As the only remaining undefeated team, the Eagles are in good shape, but the recent rash of injuries to their offensive front is worth monitoring. Tackle Jordan Mailata (right shoulder), center Jason Kelce (left ankle), and guards Landon Dickerson (leg) and Isaac Seumalo (ankle) are all banged up to varying degrees heading into Sunday’s divisional game against the 4-1 Cowboys. None of the injuries appears long-term at this point, but the Eagles will need it to stay that way to keep their dynamic offense humming.”
The injuries are a very valid concern. All the on-field struggles can be chalked up to a bad week. But injuries can derail a season. Luckily none of them seem long-term. But still, even minor injuries piling up can cause problems. The Eagles O Line is the thing that drives this team. The V12 engine. But if that engine starts to fall apart, the Eagles’ car cant go. Hopefully, everyone gets healthy soon.
USA Today- Rank 1 (Last Week- 1)
“A big reason for their 5-0 start? The ability to sprint out to big leads before putting teams away. Philadelphia’s 92 second-quarter points are the most in NFL history through five games and 68 more than their opponents have. Philly has not trailed in the second half all season.”
The Eagles strong starts are certainly a thing to love about them. And I can’t be as worried about the slow finishes as other people. The two times they really needed to score in the second half this season, they did. They got a TD to put the Jaguars away and got the game-winning FG on Sunday in Arizona.
The Athletic- Rank 2 (Last Week-1)
“Trade idea: Panthers edge rusher Brian Burns
We know general manager Howie Roseman will always build his team through the line of scrimmage, so why not offer something like the Eagles’ 2023 first-round pick (keeping the upside of the Saints’ first-rounder in-house) and a 2024 Day 2 pick for the 24-year-old Burns? Burns has 29.5 sacks since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2019, 12th-most in the NFL.”
I am very on board with the idea of moving a first-round pick to make the team better this year. This team is ready to win now. And this could be the best year for them to win. Players like Kyzir White and James Bradberry are on one-year deals. Jalen Hurts will need to be paid soon. The team is built to be good for a while, but why not try to cash in when the Eagles’ chances are this high?
NFL Network- Rank 2 (Last Week- 1)
“The Eagles keep answering the bell in different ways. Win a shootout? Check. Blow a team off the field? Check. Rally from multiple scores down? Check. Win a close one in a hostile environment? Got that, too. Sunday’s 20-17 triumph at Arizona came with a dollop of good fortune: Kyler Murray’s premature slide short of the first-down marker set up an ugly miss by a temporary kicker to close the game. But you tend to get these kinds of breaks when things are going good.”
I like this point. Good teams sometimes win ugly. The fact they could pull out a win, despite playing with their C-game at best, is a good sign. They were able to just enough to win. No other team has won every game they have played. The Chiefs lost to the Colts. I bet they would have preferred to pull out the win and hear about how ugly it was. Instead, they have 1 loss. The Eagles don’t. That means something.
Sports Illustrated- Rank 3- (Last Week- 1)
“While mind-boggling throws are the norm now, it’s worth looking back at Jalen Hurts’s game against the Cardinals and see the fluidity with which he’s escaping pressure and finding open receivers with expert ball placement. The latter part sometimes makes balls seem like they’re just lame-ducked in the air, when, in reality, they’re down and away on purpose: the only place where a good pass catcher can find it.”
It’s true that Hurts has a nice tendency to put the ball where only his guys can get it. Hurts is lucky to play with two great WRs and a great TE. He has the luxury to trust they will make a play on the ball. Hurts plays with maturity beyond his years. The most underrated part of his game is how smart he is.
Yahoo Sports- Rank 1- (Last Week- 2)
“They are the last unbeaten team in the NFL. The Eagles went into the desert and came out 5-0. That’s a healthy win, especially when you consider it could have been a trap game with the Cowboys visiting in Week 6. Next: vs. Dallas Cowboys”
Yep, as already stated escaping that game with a win should only be a positive thing. It had trap game all over it. The Eagles came close to springing that tap, but they didn’t they won, and that is all that matters.
The Ringer- Rank 3 (Last Week- 4)
“Top six in offensive EPA per drive (0.39) and yards per play allowed on defense (4.7), the Eagles are comfortably the best team in the NFC after five weeks. Even with injuries to cornerback Avonte Maddox, starting left tackle Jordan Mailata, and kicker Jake Elliott, the Eagles pulled off a road win over the Cardinals to remain the NFL’s only undefeated team.”
There are teams with great offenses, and teams with great defenses. Not many teams have a claim to both. The Eagles do.
Bleacher Report- Rank 1 (Last Week- 1)
“The victory kept the Eagles undefeated and atop the NFC East, and it set up one of the biggest matchups so far this season. Next Sunday night, Philadelphia will host the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field in a battle for first place in the league’s most surprising division. If Philadelphia can eke out a win there, it could make quite the regular-season run. After Dallas, the Eagles won’t face another team with a winning record until another prime-time tilt with the Packers on Nov. 27.”
The crazy thing is this is the hard part of the Eagles’ schedule. After the Cowboys, they have a bye week, and then play 4 teams with a combined 5 wins through 5 games. The Steelers, Colts, Texans, and Commanders. Beat Dallas, and they have a real chance to go 10-0. And then the Packers in week 12 aren’t exactly the imposing matchup we once thought they were. And they have the Titans, Saints, and Bears on their schedule as well.
Average Ranking- 2
Some publications dropped them, and some moved them up. But they are now a consensus top 3 team. It is them, the Chiefs, the Bills, and everyone else. And if they pull out a win over the Cowboys heading into the bye, it will be hard to rank them anywhere but number 1 overall.
