Week 16 Eagles Power Rankings Roundup- Eagles At The Top
After a week of adversity, the Eagles had their best game yet this season. They made a very good Steelers team look average. Was that enough to finally convince people still doubting them? Find out in the Week 16 Eagles Power Ranking Roundup.
Week 16 Eagles Power Rankings
ESPN- 1 (Previously 3)
“Jalen Hurts had seven turnovers in the first four games — second only to Will Levis over that span — and the Eagles started 2-2. In the ensuing 10-game win streak, he has had just three giveaways. The decision to become a more ground-heavy offense helped. But as shown in his 290-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Steelers, this offense is at its best when Hurts finds that sweet spot between being conservative and aggressive.”
Hurts was maybe a bit too timid the past several weeks. But that was gone vs the Steelers. They were not necessarily taking many deep shots, but he was letting it rip and trusting his 2-star WRs even if they were not open yet. He was near perfect on Sunday.
NFL.com- 1 (Previously 2)
“It’s nice to know that Saquon Barkley doesn’t have to deliver a sonic boom every week. The league’s leading rusher can have a relatively quiet day (65 rushing yards on 19 carries), and the Eagles can still roll — against a good defensive team, to boot.”
That was the biggest question people had for the Eagles, can they win if someone stops Saquon? The answer is yes. Because if you stop Saquon, it most likely means you left yourself vulnerable in the pass game. Pick your poison.
USA Today- 2 (Previously 2)
“After winning their club-record 10th straight game, they’re one victory shy of putting a Christmas bow on the NFC East. Now officially the league’s No. 1 defense in terms of points and yards allowed, opponents are only averaging 15.1 points during Philly’s heater.“
The 1 team USA Today ranked above them was the Bills. After they just beat up on the Lions, that is fair enough. But as USA Today pointed out, the Eagles have an elite defense. Number 1 in the league in the most important stat. Do the Bills? Their defense is okay, but also outside the top 10- in passing defense, rush defense, and points allowed per game.
Sports Illustrated-2 (Previously 6)
“I read a lot of good stuff Monday morning on the Eagles’ weaponization of empty sets against Pittsburgh, but I’ll add that backfield motion was also a critical piece of this puzzle… they served to create space efficiently, or to freeze defenders and buy Jalen Hurts more time in the pocket indirectly. Down the stretch, Saquon Barkley will obviously matter, but the utilization of him as a decoy will matter nearly as much.“
Saquon makes AJ and Devonta better, and they in turn make Saquon better. There is no right answer to defending this team. We have seen every other team keep their Safties back to help stop the passing game, and Saquon tore teams apart. But when the Steelers sold out to stop the run, Hurts tore them apart.
Yahoo Sports- 1 (Previously 2)
“Jalen Hurts putting up 290 yards and a 125.3 passer rating was telling. It was the Eagles’ way of responding to criticism — plenty of it brought on by A.J. Brown’s simple comment saying it wasn’t good enough — by letting the NFL world know that they can do everything well, if they want.”
Like Hurts said, “Just because we don’t doesn’t mean we can’t.” The passing game had a couple of down weeks. But the Eagles averaged 8 yards per pass attempt on the season and averaged 9.1 vs the Steelers. There is no doubt they passed better, but they were already a top 5 team in that stat.
CBS Sports- 2 (Previously 3)
“They keep on rolling in the NFC East, and the passing game came alive against the Steelers. But they do face a tough game on the road against the Commanders this week.“
I am not denying the Commanders on the road is a tough game. But they have had mostly tough games for over a month. Rams and Ravens on the road. Commanders and Steelers at home. They far outplayed all of them. So I can’t sit here and be concerned about any matchup being tough anymore.
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6 Impressive Numbers From Eagles Big Win Over The Steelers
1
The Eagles are very close to sealing the NFC East, and at least the 2 seed. This week they guaranteed they will have a better seed then the winner of the NFC West or South. The only thing left to do is seal their spot over the Commanders, and it will guarantee they have the 2 seed at worst.
To do that, all they need is 1 more win or 1 more Commander’s loss. They play the Commanders this weekend, so a win would really seal the deal. But even if they lose this week, beating either the Cowboys or Giants at home, or the Commanders losing to the Falcons or Cowboys, would seal the deal for the Eagles.
Getting the 1 seed is a bit tougher. They will need to win out, and they will need both the Lions and the Vikings to lose. The Lions get the Bears, Niners, and the Vikings. The Vikings have the Bears, the Seahawks, the Packers, and The Lions. So 1 of them is guaranteed a loss, barring a tie. But they will need the team that goes on to win that game, to lose before the Final Week. It is possible though, mostly because the Eagles continue to handle their own business.
