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Kincade & Salciunas: Weekdays 6am – 10am

Kincade & Salciunas: Weekdays 6am – 10am

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Author Pat Egan

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Week 15 Power Rankings Round Up- Weirdly Optimistic On The Eagles

Two weeks ago, the Eagles were on top of the NFL world. They were 10-1, the number 1 seed, with a 2-game lead over everyone else in the league. Now they are 10-3, technically the 5-seed, and just got their teeth kicked in in consecutive weeks. Confidence in the team went from sky-high, to the lowest it has been since 2021. They go into week 15 with a ton of questions hanging over their head.

On the bright side, they have 4 very winnable games coming up. This week it is the scuffling Seahawks. Then they get two games vs the Giants and a game vs the Cardinals. And if they win all of them, regardless of what the rest of the league does, they are guaranteed at least the 2 seed. They would need the 49ers to lose another game if they are going to reclaim the 1-seed, but they do have a tough game vs the Ravens coming up. Even in that case though, it would be hard to have confidence in them if they run into the 49ers or Cowboys in the playoffs, given how bad they looked vs them these past two weeks.

All year, while the Eagles won every game we had to hear people in the National Media put the Eagles down. Now those doubters are being proven right. It is far from over for the Eagles, and they have the talent, at least on offense, to bounce back. But we are going to have to deal with the negativity about them for a while now. At least until they get another chance to prove themselves vs the Niners and Cowboys.

What is the National Media saying about them now? Oddly, it seems they were actually positive about the Eagles.

Here is where the Eagles feel in the Week 15 Power Rankings:

  • ESPN- 4 (Previously 2)

    “The offense ranks third overall in this category with a 47.7% conversion rate. The Eagles got off to a slow start on third down, going 4-of-13 (30.8%) in the opener against the Patriots, but began to shoot up the charts after that. It helps that third-and-shorts are almost automatic thanks to the tush push, with Philadelphia converting on more than 90% of its sneak attempts.”

    It’s good to hear about something they are doing well. The offense has sputtered a bit these last two weeks. But it is good to remember that despite some issues, they are still a top 5 offense in the league. They put up points on a stout Bills defense just a few weeks ago and played better against the Chiefs’ defense than almost any other team this season.

    ESPN Power Rankings

  • NFL.com- 4 (Previously 2)

    “Save for the end-of-game kneel-down by San Francisco in Week 13, Philadelphia’s defense allowed points on 10 consecutive drives (nine TDs and one field goal) for a stretch over the past two games.”

    The defense has been mediocre most of the season, but it was getting by. They were getting stops, and making plays, when it mattered. Now it is surprising when they get a stop. They were a bit better in the second half. But it is clear they just do not have the talent at certain spots on the defense. And even the pass rush isn’t getting it done for them.

    Thomas R. Petersen on Twitter: "Eagles are a top 8 defense in the league on 1st down (EPA).The other downs?- 2nd down: Worst- 3rd down: Worst- 4th down: WorstThey're letting teams convert a league worst absurd 48 % !?#Eagles pic.twitter.com/61wd9vS6q2 / Twitter"

    Eagles are a top 8 defense in the league on 1st down (EPA).The other downs?- 2nd down: Worst- 3rd down: Worst- 4th down: WorstThey're letting teams convert a league worst absurd 48 % !?#Eagles pic.twitter.com/61wd9vS6q2

    NFL.com Power Rankings

  • The Athletic- 4 (Previously 5)

    “During that span, Brown was the second-leading receiver in the league (1,005 yards), and the Eagles had the third-most productive offense in the league (376.8) and an 8-1 record. As he has slumped, so have the Eagles, who are 21st in yards per game in Weeks 10-14 (318.3).”

    First off, I am not sure how the Eagles went up in the Power Rankings after last week. But it says a lot about how they are not the only team with issues. The Dolphins blew a 14-point lead to the Titans, the Chiefs dropped one to the Bills, and the Lions fell apart vs the Bears. Right now, the 49ers, Ravens, and Cowboys are the only teams playing well.

    But as for what they said about Brown, it is hard to argue with. He has not been himself, and this last game was especially bad with him having bad drops, a fumble, and not going after certain balls like he normally would. They need him to snap out of it.

    John Clark on Twitter: "Great throw by Jalen Hurts. AJ Brown usually catches these pic.twitter.com/ukgDzkbPWN / Twitter"

    Great throw by Jalen Hurts. AJ Brown usually catches these pic.twitter.com/ukgDzkbPWN

    The Athletic’s Power Rankings

  • CBS Sports- 4 (Previously 2)

    “They have issues on defense in a big way, which is why they are struggling the past few weeks. They still control their way to winning a division title.”

    Why is it that all year, when the Eagles were winning, everything was negative? But now that they have gotten crushed the past two weeks there is oddly a sense of optimism to some of these rankings. I don’t know if I would rank them 4th with how they played, but so far everyone still has them as the 4th best team.

    https://x.com/RoobNBCS/status/1734289632328622201?s=20

    CBS Sports Power Rankings

  • Sports Illustrated- 3 (Previously 2)

    “Yes, still, momentarily, I like the Eagles a little bit better than the Cowboys, even though Dallas’s victory on Sunday night was decisive. I can’t quite pinpoint why, and there is a clear sense that Jalen Hurts isn’t seeing the field as well as he did last year. But if this is Philadelphia at its worst, they are still an incredibly dangerous team.”

    Is it weird that it annoys me how positive these people are being about the Eagles? If the roles were reversed, and the Eagles just smoked the Cowboys, and someone said the Cowboys were better, it would annoy the hell out of me. I am glad these writers still think the Eagles are good. But part of me is annoyed they were negative all year, and now act positive when there is finally reason to be negative.

    Sports Illustrated Power Rankings

  • Yahoo Sports- 4 (Previously 2)

    “The Eagles have been absolutely overmatched and outclassed over their last seven quarters. They were blown out by the 49ers and the Cowboys. The Cowboys beat them by 20 despite giving up a defensive touchdown. The Eagles have the talent to rebound. They still have the inside track to the NFC East title due to a soft schedule and tiebreaker advantages. But their outlook is a lot different than it was going into that 49ers game.”

    Something is wrong with me because I am getting increasingly annoyed with all the positivity in these Power Rankings. But it is also some much-needed clarity. Because this is still a very talented roster, at least on offense. And they should be better than this.

    Yahoo Sports Power Rankings

  • Watch Andrew Salciunas live on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pat is Philly through and through, having grown up in the Oxford Circle of Northeast Philadelphia. He attended Cardinal Dougherty High School, and it was at CD that a teacher suggested he should pursue a career in sports radio. He worked his way up the ranks and joined the morning show in June of 2020. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic he writes about Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers. Follow Pat on Twitter @Pat_Egan

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