Mid-days On The Fanatic: Weekdays 10am – 2pm

Mid-days On The Fanatic: Weekdays 10am – 2pm

Mid-days On The Fanatic: Weekdays 10am – 2pm

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - DECEMBER 18: DK Metcalf #14 of the Seattle Seahawks catches a pass in the fourth quarter at Lumen Field on December 18, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.

If the mood around Philadelphia was not already in the dumps, it certainly is now. After starting 10-1, the Eagles have lost 3 in a row. That would be bad enough, but the way they lost makes it even worse. The 49ers crushed them. After all the trash talk, the Eagles had no response and got their teeth kicked it. They followed that by being beaten up by the Cowboys. And then, to make it even worse, they got beat by Drew Lock and the Seahawks after allowing them to go almost the entire field in under 2 minutes. They go into week 16 10-4, and the 5-seed in the NFC.

If you were told they went 4-3 in their gauntlet and were 10-4 at this point of the season, you may have taken it. But it is hard to be happy with how it shook out. The Eagles are in a tailspin, and even the most positive fans will have a hard time making this situation look decent. The team is collapsing. They changed their DC, something teams doing well never do. They are near the bottom of the league in every defensive metric. The offense has hit a wall. And there are anonymous leaks coming out and finger-pointing between players. If this isn’t rock bottom, it is close to it.

Last week, the Power Rankings were oddly positive about them coming off that Cowboys loss. I didn’t get it, but there was lots of talk about them still being in a good spot. Then they fell onto their face again. Has the national media given up on them yet? Or will they still be oddly optimistic despite the product on the field? Let’s take a look at where they fell in the Power Rankings this week.

Here is where they fell in the Week 16 Power Rankings:

  • ESPN- 5 ( Previously 4)

    “The Eagles convert on 72.7% of their attempts. It helps that they are just about automatic on their tush push tries from a yard out, picking up a first down more than 90% of the time. Philadelphia has a success rate of 50% on third and fourth down combined, which also leads the league.”

    ESPN did a thing where they talked about what every team is best at. And for the Eagles, it was 4th down rate. And right now, the tush push is pretty much the only thing that works.

    Philadelphia Eagles on Twitter: ".@JalenHurts đŸ€ Franchise record for single-season rushing TDs by a QB#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/zCeGfKGKeK / Twitter"

    @JalenHurts đŸ€ Franchise record for single-season rushing TDs by a QB#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/zCeGfKGKeK

    ESPN Power Rankings

  • NFL.com- 5 (Previously 5)

    “This wasn’t the catastrophe of a loss that some will make it out to be. Had the Eagles won, I might have bumped them over Dallas. Instead, they slipped a little. They’re still in decent shape to take the NFC East, but the defensive issues haven’t gone away.”

    The only silver lining is most of the NFL is also a complete mess. The 49ers may be the only non-fraudulent team. The Chiefs had a get-right game vs the Patriots, but they are still a mess. The Cowboys just got blown out by the Bills. The Jaguars are collapsing. The Eagles are not alone in their issues. But that doesn’t mean you let the Eagles off the hook or pretend everything will be okay.

    NFL.com Power Rankings

  • CBS Sports- 6 (Previously 4)

    “They’ve lost three straight games and do not have the look of a Super Bowl team. They have three games to get it going again — or else.”

    Yes, this team as they are playing, will not win in the playoffs. They may still get the 2 seed. But they are not going to beat the 49ers playing like this. And just making the playoffs is not good enough. This is a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, but they do not look like a Super Bowl team. And their once-vaunted offense has become predictable.

    CBS Sports Power Rankings

  • Sports Illustrated- 6 (Previously 4)

    “I feel for Jalen Hurts, who was clearly not healthy in this game. He played like someone might with the flu. He wasn’t sliding on certain runs. His agility was lacking. And he tried so many times to heave these game-altering passes that were either underthrown or completely ill-conceived. Save me the team-in-crisis nonsense, but there is no doubt this losing streak is taking a toll.”

    Hurts was brutal in that game. And it was not just this game, he didn’t play well enough vs the Niners or Cowboys either. Every QB has their ups and downs. And we have seen great QBs have to work through stuff in the past. But he needs to figure it out fast. Also, this is very much a team in crisis. That isn’t nonsense. You don’t change your DC mid-season unless it is a crisis.

    NFL on Twitter: "JULIAN LOVE CLUTCH SIDELINE INT! pic.twitter.com/GnIyn1KeEG / Twitter"

    JULIAN LOVE CLUTCH SIDELINE INT! pic.twitter.com/GnIyn1KeEG

    Sports Illustrated Power Rankings

  • Yahoo Sports- 6- (Previously 4)

    “The Eagles’ defense is going to keep this team from going very far in the playoffs. Philly was 28th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed before Monday. They played a little better, but when it mattered the Eagles allowed a 92-yard drive to Drew Lock in the final two minutes… it’s hard to see them winning a Super Bowl.”

    Yeah, it is hard to argue with that. They lack the talent on defense to be a true elite team. It is just too easy for QBs to pick them apart. And it’s not a recent thing, it was a trend that got worse rather than better. Changing the playcaller doesn’t fix the lack of talent or speed.

    NFL on Twitter: "Lock to JSN for the lead!đŸ“ș: #PHIvsSEA on ESPN/ABCđŸ“±: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/bbJNB6yPkz pic.twitter.com/t7q0x5073q / Twitter"

    Lock to JSN for the lead!đŸ“ș: #PHIvsSEA on ESPN/ABCđŸ“±: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/bbJNB6yPkz pic.twitter.com/t7q0x5073q

    Yahoo Sports Power Rankings

  • The Athletic- 6 (Previously 4)

    “The Eagles are the most hand-wringing 1o-win team in the NFL. They already have clinched a playoff spot and still have a good chance to win the NFC East, yet the team and its fans believe the sky is falling because it has hit a rough patch against talented opponents… Philadelphia still has some of the most talented offensive and defensive lines in the league and will be fine in January”

    I swear these people are trolling us. All season, when the Eagles were winning, they called us crazy for praising them. Now that they lose, and lose ugly, we are called crazy for complaining about them. The O-Line and D-Line are talented. But that is clearly not enough to carry them when the rest of the defense is lacking in talent, and the Eagles offense can’t score points.

    The Athletic’s Power Rankings

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

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