Eagles Power Rankings Round Up Going Into Week 14
The Eagles had a statement win over the Titans on Sunday. And surely after the National Media spent all week talking about how difficult the game would be for the Eagles, they would then be praising them for tackling that challenge in such a dominating fashion. Well, let’s check out this week’s power rankings to find out. Here is the round-up of where the Eagles placed in the power rankings going into week 14.
ESPN- 1 – (Last Week- 2)
“We’re No. 1 in … turnover margin.
The Eagles are an NFL-best 13-plus in that department — a major reason they have the league’s best record. The defense is top in takeaways with 23, while the offense has turned the ball over just nine times, which ranks second. Quarterback Jalen Hurts deserves much of the credit, having thrown three interceptions to 20 touchdowns on the year”
It’s an obvious statement, but teams who get takeaways, and limit their own takeaways, win games. And the Eagles continue to do both things very well even this late into the season. No CJ Gardner Johnson, who led the league in Interceptions before his injury, hurts that for now. But they are still a defense capable of creating a turnover at any point.
NFL.com- 1 -(Last Week- 1)
“The Eagles continue to prove themselves to be a tier above nearly every team in football. On Sunday, they took the Titans apart at the Linc, outgaining the AFC South leaders by nearly 250 yards in a 35-10 laugher. A.J. Brown went full Jefferson-against-Lincoln High mode in his Titans revenge game, piling up 119 yards and two touchdowns before telling reporters how personal this matchup truly was against his former team. “It’s been personal since the trade,” he said. “I was just trying to keep it down. That’s where I wanted to be. Things just didn’t work out. It was like here, we don’t want you anymore.” Tennessee’s big loss is Philly’s massive gain.”
Thank you Titans for AJ Brown. The Eagles’ recent history at WR is bleak. There was Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson in the late 2000s, and early 2010s, one great year of Terrell Owens, and then mostly a bunch of crap. But the years of Greg Ward, Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Josh Huff are over. The era of AJ Brown and Devonta Smith is here. And you know what? This era is pretty great.
Yahoo Sports- 1 – (Last Week- 2)
“The Eagles aren’t losing many games in which A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith each go for 100 yards, like they did Sunday. The Eagles can win in many ways, and the run defense looked fixed with rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis back on Sunday.”
Someone said the Eagles can win in many ways. Take a drink. But while it may be a cliche. It is a true cliche. One week after putting up nearly 400 yards on the ground to beat the Packers, they put up nearly 400 through the air to beat the Titans. If there is a weakness in a defense, this team has a way to attack it.
The Athletic- 1 – (Last Week- 2)
“The stakes at this point for the Eagles are clear: No. 1 seed or bust. They hold a one-game edge over the Vikings with a tiebreaker in hand thanks to their head-to-head victory. The Cowboys loom two games behind, with all eyes on the Dec. 24 showdown in Arlington, Texas. The difference between the prospect of having to win two home games to make the Super Bowl instead of potentially having to win three straight road games is obvious. Win on the road against Dallas and Philadelphia might be in a position to really take it easy on its veteran starters down the stretch. Right now, Mock projects the Eagles with a 78.9 percent chance of earning the NFC’s bye.”
Yep, the expectations have been reset. At the beginning of the season just the chance to be the top seed would feel like enough. But with how good this team has played, anything less than the top seed would be a disappointment. They control their destiny. Win the games, and you get home-field. I have all the confidence that they will get it done.
The Ringer- 1 – (Last Week- 1)
“The Eagles out-bullied one of the biggest bullies in the league on Sunday. A.J. Brown literally ran through a Titans defender’s face en route to his first of two touchdowns in the 35-10 win over his former team. Tennessee managed to slow the Philadelphia run game down, but simply had no answers for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ passing attack. Hurts only had 12 yards rushing but put together one of his best performances of the year, going 29-of-39 for 380 passing yards and three touchdowns. No one is beating the Eagles if Hurts plays the way he did against Tennessee into February.”
I think Hurts showing off his arm was all it took to finally convince these people that the Eagles are serious. We of course knew that. Despite the low stats some weeks, we saw Hurts making these type of throws every week. But against the Titans the passing stats matched the great play. And now you can see everyone else taking notice too. Hurts is the MVP to this point.
USA Today- 1 – (Last Week- 1)
“Their 11-1 record remains the league’s best, but Philadelphia must now maintain its pace despite going on the road for the next three weeks – a trip that will conclude in Dallas for perhaps the league’s most-anticipated matchup of the season. QB Jalen Hurts can also further fuel his billowing MVP campaign. Quite surprisingly the NFL’s third-rated passer (108.3), Hurts needs one more rushing TD to become the first quarterback with at least 10 in successive years.”
The schedule makers were unkind when they have the Eagles on a late 3-game road trip. But they have been very good on the road this year. And they are running into the Giants as they begin to unravel, and not the force that was the early season Giants. The Cowboys will of course be a tough matchup, but as we saw this week, the Eagles handle tough tests well.
Average Ranking – 1
There was no argument to be made for anyone else to be number 1. Even with the injury bug finally biting them, they are still playing at a high level. And they are close to getting Avonte Maddox, and Dallas Goedert back. They are the best team in both the NFC, and the NFL right now.
