Week 13 Eagles Power Rankings Roundup- In Elite Company
Every week people say the Eagles are facing a new test, and they keep passing those tests. They have firmly established themselves as one of the league’s elite teams. But does the National Media agree? Find out what people around the league think in the Week 13 Eagles Power Rankings Roundup.
Week 13 Eagles Power Rankings
ESPN- 3 (Previously 4)
“The offense has turned into a force thanks in large part to MVP candidate Saquon Barkley, who leads the league in average yards per rush (6.2). The defense has far exceeded expectations… the Eagles’ metrics reflect what we’re seeing: a legitimate contender for the NFC crown.“
Saquon is currently on pace to break both the Rushing Yards Record and the Yards From Scrimmage. Yes, he has an extra game to do so, but if this pace keeps up he will do so with fewer touches than Eric Dickerson.
NFL.com- 3 (Previously 4)
“The Eagles have outgained their opponents over the past seven games by an average of 180 yards (!), and Barkley is a big reason why. But so is Philly’s defense. The Rams moved the ball well in the early going, but Vic Fangio adjusted, and the Eagles erased them for the remainder of the first half. It’s hard to remember how ugly things were defensively because those vibes are long gone.”
What Vic Fangio has done for this defense can’t go unnoticed. Is the talent better? Absolutely. But Fangio is doing something we have not seen the Eagles’ defense do in years, adjust in-game. Twice now, vs the Bengals and the Rams, the defense came out slow but then adjusted to eventually have a great game. That is a big deal.
CBS Sports- 4 (Previously 5)
“Saquon Barkley is keying their offense right now, and the offensive line is mauling people. The defense has really come on over the past five games.“
As already mentioned, Saquon has been fantastic. But credit also has to go to the O-Line. O-line play is hard to define by stats, but Saquon is 4th in the league with 4.2 yards before contact. They are mauling people, and by the end of the game opposing defenses are simply beat up.
Geoff Schwartz broke down just how well they play in the below Tweet.
Sports Illustarted- 2 (Previously 6)
Saquon Barkley and the Eagles have yet to play one of the top 10 rushing defenses in the NFL (in terms of Schatz’s excellent hallmark defense adjusted value over average, DVOA, statistic)… While I’m as blown away as anyone, I am placing the Eagles here to recognize their recent streak but hedging that I am glad I can revisit this column once a week.
Have a backbone. If you don’t think the Eagles are as good as they look say it. Hedging your bets is lame. I for one am confident the Eagles could run on anyone. That has been the case even before they had Saquon because of how good they are at run blocking. I don’t see why that would change now that they have an elite RB to go with the elite O-Line.
Yahoo Sports- 2 (Previously 4)
“Saquon Barkley got all the headlines, and rightfully so. That means the Eagles’ defense keeps playing under the radar. It’s probably a top-five defense at this point. That’s a big reason the Eagles, on a seven-game winning streak, move up to No. 2. This is an elite team.“
The defense slowed down the Bengals, Commanders, and the Rams. They held all 3 well below their season averages. Say what you will about those teams, but those are 3 good offenses when healthy, and the Eagles defense passed all 3 tests.
USA Today- 2 (Previously 3)
“RB Saquon Barkley showed Sunday night he might be the league’s best player. Per OptaSTATS, he’s the first to have more than 500 yards from scrimmage over consecutive games since Hall of Famer Walter Payton in 1977.“
We talked about how good the O-Line is, so just to make sure Saquon also gets credit, here is a notable Tweet from Next Gen Stats that shows how special Saquon has been on his own.
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