December 29, 2020
Are power rankings completely dumb and meaningless? Yes. Yes, they are. However, personally speaking, whenever I see them, I click. And now that I've sucked you in with promises of many power rankings, you'll read it and like it.
Here's where people around the country have the Eagles ranked after Week 16 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
New Year's resolution: Choose a quarterback
The Eagles tried to have their cake and eat it too by selecting intriguing prospect Jalen Hurts in the second round while already committed to Carson Wentz. The controversy that ensued proved exactly why you don't do that. While keeping both on the roster might be the most appealing financially and from a flexibility standpoint, doing so would put Philadelphia on a path leading to the exact spot it is in now. Pick a quarterback, move forward and learn from your mistakes.
#JimmySays: I agree that it has to be one guy or the other going forward, and the more likely scenario is that Wentz will get traded.
You know you’ve had a bad campaign in 2020 when you get eliminated from NFC East contention before the final week of the season. Philly’s defense got its doors blown off by Andy Dalton and the Cowboys in a 37-17 loss that ended any hopes of a fourth straight postseason for the Eagles. The game changed when defensive tackle Fletcher Cox exited with a neck stinger in the first half. After that, Dallas’ elite young pass catchers had a field day against an undermanned Philly defense that surrendered more than 500 yards and four touchdowns. The Jalen Hurts-led offense wasn’t blameless: The Eagles scored just three points in the last 50 minutes of this game, after scoring 14 points in the first 10.
#JimmySays: And their special teams stunk too!
Sunday was a reminder that while you were fixated on the quarterback position and offensive issues, the Eagles are saddled with an aging pass rush and lack of capable cornerbacks.
#JimmySays: Nah. That's wrong. Three of their four best pass rushers were out, and two of those guys are still in their early 20's. Meanwhile, they were starting a rookie undrafted free agent CB because of injury issues, and as we saw, he got wrecked. Of all the awful things that can be highlighted about this Eagles team, the pass rush is what you think is wrong with them? Lol.
Committing three turnovers and 12 penalties for 115 yards is a pretty good way to eliminate yourself in an elimination game.
#JimmySays: Well, that, and just having a trash roster.
The Jalen Hurts hype train blew a tire Sunday in Dallas.
To be fair, it's not entirely (or even mostly) the rookie quarterback's fault that the Eagles were eliminated from contention in the NFC East in blowout fashion. Hurts didn't allow the Cowboys to pile up over 500 yards of offense.
But after staking the Eagles to a 14-3 lead, Hurts couldn't do much of anything offensively. He finished with 342 passing yards and 69 rushing yards, but he also committed three critical turnovers.
Hurts admitted after the game that Sunday's struggles were a learning experience:
"I think it's a big-time learning experience, a lot to learn from this game. It's something I've got to step away from it, evaluate everything, and learn from it. You've got to go out there and make the plays when the opportunity presents itself. It's something that I take complete ownership on. Those guys believe in me to go get it done and I take it very personally in getting it done and today I came up short."
All that's left for Hurts and the Eagles is a chance to do what Dallas did to them Sunday by playing spoiler next week against Washington.
Then comes an offseason that will be dominated by two questions.
Is Hurts "the guy" under center in Philly?
And if he is, what the heck do the Eagles do with Carson Wentz?
#JimmySays: The first question, in my view, is unanswerable right now. The second question is the one that really matters.
The Eagles are in a weird spot with Doug Pederson, who said he’s confident he’ll be back in 2021. The Eagles made the playoffs three times in a row before this season. They won a Super Bowl with Pederson. There are injuries to consider when it comes to evaluating this horrible year. It’s also fair to wonder if Pederson is the right guy for the job. The Eagles have underachieved for a couple seasons and looked awful most of 2020. I assume Pederson is right and he’ll be back, but I’m not sure that’s the right decision either.
#JimmySays: The coach is less culpable than the GM.
Losing to the Cowboys makes it official: They won't be making the playoffs. But Jalen Hurts has flashed in his three starts.
#JimmySays: CBS always bringing the thoughtful analysis.
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