What they're saying about the Eagles: Bound for the NFC's 1-seed? Saquon Barkley for MVP?

The Eagles made a statement in their Thursday night win over the up-and-coming Commanders.

What exactly was that statement?

It will be impossible to avoid hearing that the Eagles are real contenders — and they are — during the extended week. It will also be impossible for fans to curb their enthusiasm over a team that actually feels like it could make a run this year, if it stays healthy (and doesn't implode again).

Here's a look at what the experts and pundits are saying about the Eagles following a 26-18 win that moved them to 8-2, with a 1.5 game lead in the NFC East:

Saquon Barkley for MVP

Christian Arnold | New York Post

Football fans in New York are doing one of two things this morning. They're either cursing the Eagles for the success their former star running back is having in Philadelphia, or they're talking themselves into Tyrone Tracy Jr. being a better running back. Good luck with that. Amid cheers of "Thank you, Giants" following Philly's Week 11 victory, even the New York Post is wondering whether Barkley is actually deserving of the first non-QB NFL MVP in a decade:

Barkley has been having a season to remember for the Eagles after signing with the club during the offseason after playing the first six seasons of his career with the Giants.
The decision to let Barkley walk has seemingly haunted the Giants front office week after week as the back has become one of the most dominant players in the NFL this year.
The Penn State product finished Thursday night’s game with 1,137 rushing yards this season, taking the NFL lead over Ravens star Derrick Henry (1,120).
Impressively, he had already surpassed his total rushing yards from last season (962) before a single touch in the win over the Commanders. [NYPost.com]

Don't forget the defense

Eric Edholm | NFL.com

Over at NFL.com, the league's website recounted a handful of things they learned about the Commanders and the Eagles in the Thursday night bout. And one of them was singling out the play of the Eagles' secondary in totally shutting down rookie phenom Jayden Daniels and the Washington passing attack:

Eagles corners led a big defensive effort. When the Commanders strode down the field for a quick TD drive in the first quarter, it was a brief flashback to some of the pre-bye struggles the Eagles’ defense experienced. That feeling was fleeting. The Eagles rebounded with a smothering defensive performance most of the night, led by their standout cornerbacks Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell. It says something about the Eagles’ trust in the rookie Mitchell that they’d task him with covering a Pro Bowl receiver such as McLaurin, but Mitchell rewarded them with a fine effort, helping to hold McLaurin to one 10-yard catch. [NFL.com]

Getting ahead of ourselves

Reuben Frank | NBC Sports Philadelphia

The vibes are good. Can they get better? NBCSP's Reuben Frank couldn't help himself, as he looked ahead at the Eagles final seven games. Is a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye a real possibility?

The Eagles are 8-2 and if they take care of business against the Panthers, Cowboys and Giants, that gets them to 11 wins. Their other opponents: The Rams Sunday night in Inglewood, the Ravens, Steelers and Washington again. Go 2-2 in those four and you’re at 13-4. Would that be enough for the No. 1 seed? The Lions are 8-1 and they’ve got some tough games coming up – Packers, Bills, 49ers, Vikings – along with the Jaguars, Colts and Bears twice. The Lions are very good and they’ve won seven in a row since losing to the Bucs. But I really think that No. 1 seed is within reach. I know we’re not supposed to get this far ahead of ourselves, but if the Eagles can beat the teams they’re supposed to beat and the Lions let up somewhere along the line, the Eagles can certainly claim that top seed. [nbcsportsphiladelphia.com]

It was really sloppy

Marcus Hayes | Inquirer.com

Perhaps forgotten after the back-to-back Barkley touchdown scores in the fourth quarter and all the euphoria of victory, is the nitty gritty truth that the game was extremely ugly, and the Eagles did struggle — a lot. In fact both teams did. The Eagles didn't even score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, and after that, the Commanders sort of gave them a gift:

Inexplicably, at the end of their next possession, the Commanders declined the chance to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, when they opted to try a fourth-and-2 play instead of a 43-yard field goal. Reed Blankenship ran down quarterback Jayden Daniels before Zack Baun blasted him out of bounds, well short of the first-down marker.
Even more inexplicably, early in the second quarter, the Eagles suffered a 13-yard sack on a reverse that demanded two handoffs, long blocking, and competence — in short, it demanded lots of practice. Why would you even try a play like that raggedy reverse in a week in which you had zero days of full-speed practices?
Maybe the coaches were tired, too.
Even some of the best plays looked sloppy. Dallas Goedert caught a 32-yard pass but had the ball punched out as he was tackled (Grant Calcaterra recovered it). [Inquirer.com]

"That really says a lot!"

Micah Parsons

And finally, Cowboys pass-rusher Micah Parsons, who is among the best in the game and a former Penn State alum (where Barkley went) couldn't help himself Thursday. Again.

The three-time Pro Bowler always seems to be talking about the Eagles and he did a little live tweeting during Barkley's monster 198-yard night:

Parsons was critical of the Giants for not only hurting themselves by allowing Barkley to leave and sign with the Eagles, but also for the chain reaction it created for the entire league, giving Barkley the opportunity to have a breakout year behind Philadelphia's elite offensive line:

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