D’Andre Swift Named NFC Offensive Player of the Week
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 14: D'Andre Swift #0 of the Philadelphia Eagles rushes the ball against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field on September 14, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After touching the ball just twice in week 1, D’Andre Swift had quite the performance in week 2. 28 carries for 175 yards and a TD. The offensive line deserves a ton of credit for helping get all of that production. But Swift deserves a large portion of that credit as well for his vision to hit those holes, and to run through some contact to get those extra yards. And the NFL agreed that this performance was great because they named him the NFC Player of the Week.
The 175 yards set a new career high for D’Andre Swift. He may have had more TDs, but Jalen Hurts poached two from him with the infamous Tush Push. Most of the Eagles’ offense though came on his runs though.
He is the 2nd straight Eagles player to win Player of the Week. Jake Elliott was the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 1 after he went 4 for 4 on FGs and scored 13 total points.
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Swift beat out Mike Evans, who had 6 catches for 171 yards and a TD, and Kirk Cousins, who threw for 4 TDs and 364 yards. It is the first time D’Andre Swift has ever won Player of the Week.
He now has the 3rd most rushing yards in the NFL, and 3rd in yards per carry, despite barely touching the ball in week 1. We will see what type of usage he gets in week 3, once Kenny Gainwell is back. It is doubtful he goes back to touching the ball just two times. But it is also unlikely he will get 28 carries again. Expect him and Gainwell to share the rock, and maybe for the Eagles to lean on whatever RB seems to have the hot hand in each game.
If this trend continues, don’t be surprised if it is an Eagles defender winning Player of the Week in week 3. Jalen Carter multi-sack game incoming?
Week 3 Power Rankings Round Up- Eagles Are Still An Elite Team
Two weeks in, and the Eagles are still undefeated. An honor they share with 8 other teams heading into week 3. Joining them are the Cowboys, Niners, Commanders, Buccaneers, Ravens, Falcons, Saints, and Dolphins. An improvement after only 6 teams were 2-0 heading into week 3 last season. All 6 of those teams made the playoffs, two made the Superbowl, and 2 made the second round of the playoffs. 63.8% of teams that have started 2-0 since 1990 went on to make the playoffs. A good place for the Eagles to be in. Despite some early season issues, they are still undefeated and put up 34 points in their last win.
So why are so many acting like the Eagles are in trouble? Yes, Jalen Hurts hasn’t looked himself through two games. But shouldn’t that be a sign that the team can be even better than they have been? Once Hurts finds his groove, the offense can be even better. There are some injuries, but every team has injuries, and only the Maddox one seems to be long-term.
With high expectations comes increased scrutiny. And if they had blown one of these two games, it would be understandable for people to be as annoyed. But they won both games and looked better in week 2. It feels like the scrutiny is larger than it should be.
But does the National Media agree? Do the people outside of Philly understand that they are still a very talented team? Or are they overreacting to the first two weeks of the season? It is perhaps a little bit of both. The Eagles are still in the top 4 of every Power Ranking, at least the ones I looked at. But we are seeing the early season darlings, like the Cowboys, Dolphins, and Niners passing them in many of these power rankings.
Here is where the Eagles fell in the various Week 3 Power Rankings:
Tyrone Johnson is the host of “The Best Show Ever” on 97.5 The Fanatic. He has been with the station for the past 8 years. Before working at the Fanatic, Tyrone produced political radio, did financial reports, and was assistant chief engineer of another radio station. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic, Tyrone writes articles on the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.
