The Eagles Power Rankings Round Up Heading into Week 8
The Eagles are coming off a bye week, so of course, they are still the only undefeated team. But how do they match up with the other teams? While power…
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 16: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks to pass the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on October 16, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Eagles are coming off a bye week, so of course, they are still the only undefeated team. But how do they match up with the other teams? While power rankings might not mean all that much, they are like mock drafts, and still fun to look at. So where do the various media outlets have our Eagles ranked heading into week 8? Here is a roundup.
ESPN- Rank 2 (Previously- 2)
"The Eagles are the runaway leaders in turnover differential at plus-12 -- with the Cowboys the next closest at plus-6. It speaks to how effective the defense has been at generating takeaways (it's tied for the league lead with 14) and how well Jalen Hurts and the offense have protected the football, committing just two turnovers in six games. Philadelphia has rushed the ball 225 times -- the third most -- and has yet to lose a fumble."
Of all the impressive things about this Eagles team, the turnover differential stands out the most to me. Teams who force takeaways win games. Teams who don't turn the ball over win games. And teams who do both, well they win Super Bowls. Jalen Hurts is really good at protecting the ball. He makes good decisions and has a good knack for knowing when to go down to avoid taking big hits. And right now this defense, and especially this secondary, has an eye for the ball.
NFL.com- Rank 2 (Previously- 2)
If this Eagles season ends in another Lombardi celebration, it should be the late-summer trade for defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson that earns general manager Howie Roseman the most credit. Gardner-Johnson -- acquired from the Saints on roster cutdown day for a couple Day 3 draft picks -- has been a producer in the Philadelphia secondary and one of the team's vocal and charismatic leaders. Gardner-Johnson picked off Cooper Rush twice in the Week 6 win over the Cowboys that sent Philly into its bye as football's only undefeated team. The Eagles sit at plus-12 in turnover differential, by far the best figure in the league.
Speaking of turnovers, CJ Gardner Johnson has a real knack for it. But as good as he has been, I might still argue with the idea he was Howie's best off-season addition. You could argue that it is actually James Bradberry. He has also shown a knack for picks, but he also has a knack for pass deflections. And it was one of those pass deflections that landed in the hands of CJ Gardner-Johnson for one of his picks vs the Cowboys.
Yahoo Sports- Rank 2-(Previously 2)
It really is wild that if the NFL season ended today, the Eagles would have a top-five pick thanks to the Saints' trade for Chris Olave in the 2022 draft. The Eagles are set up really well for the next few years.
Thank you again Saints. That was an awful trade for them at the time, and it looks even worse now. And with it being such a QB-heavy draft, and the Eagles no longer being in need of a QB with Jalen Hurts progression, they may be in line to get their pick of the non-QBs.
USA Today- Rank 2- (Previously 2)
The NFL's last unbeaten team isn't currently scheduled to face an opponent with a winning record before Dec. 4, when the Titans come to Philadelphia. Good thing champagne doesn't spoil for those still-reveling '72 Dolphins.
It is still too early to be talking about them going undefeated. But it could be time soon. Their remaining schedule is not very tough. Record isn't the best indicator of that, but even with the eyeball test, there are not many games on the schedule where you think, "oh that will be tough."
The Athletic- Rank 2 (Previously 2)
If you’re looking for reasons the Eagles might regress from their hot start, two are glaring. The first is turnover differential. Philadelphia leads the league with a plus-12 turnover differential, having given the ball away just twice and taken it away 14 times. That differential is twice as good as the No. 2 team in the league (Dallas, which has 12 takeaways and six giveaways). Even if Jalen Hurts and Co. continue protecting the football with care, it’s unlikely the defense will continue at its current pace.
The second elephant in the room for the Eagles is their injury luck so far. They have a league-low two players on injured reserve, one of whom is reserve defensive end Janarius Robinson, who was a healthy inactive Weeks 2-5. Knock on wood, Philadelphia, while you’re not dancing on your own.
Yes, the Eagles have yet to suffer any big injuries. But to say they haven't dealt with injuries at all is a bit inaccurate. All of their offensive linemen have dealt with something and missed at least a few snaps, if not a game or 2. The same goes for the secondary with Darius Slay, Avonte Maddox, and CJ Gardner Johnson all missing time, even if only for part of a game. And it is also worth mentioning that the Eagles also have depth at the most important positions, O-line and D-line.
Also, why can't the defense continue at its pace? Who in that secondary is over performing? No one is playing over their head. Just because a team is playing well, does not mean there is a regression to the mean coming. Maybe this is their mean.
The Ringer- Rank 2 (Previously- 2)
Like Buffalo, nothing changed for the Eagles during the bye week, and their status as the NFC’s top team remains secure. They’re a clear betting favorite to win the conference, at +200; no other team has better odds than +650, according to FanDuel. While Jalen Hurts hasn’t been perfect in recent weeks, he doesn’t have to be with how complementary the team is playing on both sides of the ball.
Anything less than the 1 seed in the NFC will be disappointing at this point. The rest of the NFC is mostly bad. Their divisional rivals are probably their biggest competition at this point, and they already have a win over 1 of them. They also have a win over the Vikings. And they have a 3-loss buffer over the rest of the NFC.
Average Ranking- 2
Highest Ranking- 2
Lowest Ranking- 2
We have a consensus. They are better than everyone, except for the Bills. And that is fair. The Bills may have 1 loss, but they also have wins over the Chiefs and Ravens and have blown out any average or bad team they played. The Bills were probably the best team in the league coming in, and haven't given us any reason to doubt them yet. So while the Eagles have been great, it is more than fair to rank them below the Bills still. But everyone seems to agree the Eagles are better than the other 30 teams.
