December 06, 2022
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
"So, what exactly was the logic behind trading A.J. to us?"
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 have the Birds ranked after Week 13. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
The Eagles continue to prove themselves to be a tier above nearly every team in football. On Sunday, they took the Titans apart at the Linc, outgaining the AFC South leaders by nearly 250 yards in a 35-10 laugher. A.J. Brown went full Jefferson-against-Lincoln High mode in his Titans revenge game, piling up 119 yards and two touchdowns before telling reporters how personal this matchup truly was against his former team. "It's been personal since the trade," he said. "I was just trying to keep it down. That's where I wanted to be. Things just didn't work out. It was like here, we don't want you anymore." Tennessee's big loss is Philly's massive gain.
#JimmySays: I did not know what "Jefferson-against-Lincoln High" was in reference to, and a quick google search did not help. If someone could fill in the blanks on my missing piece of (I assume?) pop culture here, that would be much appreciated.
Also, yes, the Titans were stupid for trading A.J. Brown.
We're No. 1 in... turnover margin.
The Eagles are an NFL-best 13-plus in that department -- a major reason why they have the league's best record. The defense is top in takeaways with 23 while the offense has turned the ball over just nine times, which ranks second. Quarterback Jalen Hurts deserves much of the credit, having thrown three interceptions to 20 touchdowns on the year.
#JimmySays: The Eagles notably did not force any turnovers against the Titans, and they stomped all over them anyway.
The Eagles put together their most complete performance of the season in dismantling the visiting Titans 35-10. Jalen Hurts continued his MVP chase by backing up his record-setting rushing performance a week ago with 380 yards passing, including three touchdowns of 29 yards or more. Two of those were to A.J. Brown, a particularly cruel reminder for Titans fans watching their stubborn offense entirely shut down by a suddenly stout Eagles run defense. Even the Eagles’ special teams bounced back with its best performance of the season.
The stakes at this point for the Eagles are clear: No. 1 seed or bust. They hold a one-game edge over the Vikings with a tiebreaker in hand thanks to their head-to-head victory. The Cowboys loom two games behind, with all eyes on the Dec. 24 showdown in Arlington, Texas. The difference between the prospect of having to win two home games to make the Super Bowl instead of potentially having to win three straight road games is obvious. Win on the road against Dallas and Philadelphia might be in position to really take it easy on its veteran starters down the stretch. Right now, Mock projects the Eagles with a 78.9 percent chance of earning the NFC’s bye.
#JimmySays: Some other playoff projections:
| Analytics Nerd | Playoffs | NFC East | 1 seed | Super Bowl |
| FiveThirtyEight | >99% | 79% | 74% | 20% |
| New York Times | >99% | 83% | 75% | 15% |
| ESPN | 100% | 73.5% | N/A | 13.3% |
The Eagles have the best chance of winning the Super Bowl in the NFL in FiveThirtyEight's model. They're third — behind the Bills and Chiefs — in NYT's model.
In ESPN's crack-smoking model, the Cowboys have the best Super Bowl odds in the league, at a ridiculous 29.3 percent.
The Eagles out-bullied one of the biggest bullies in the league on Sunday. A.J. Brown literally ran through a Titans defender’s face en route to his first of two touchdowns in the 35-10 win over his former team. Tennessee managed to slow the Philadelphia run game down, but simply had no answers for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ passing attack. Hurts only had 12 yards rushing but put together one of his best performances of the year, going 29-of-39 for 380 passing yards and three touchdowns. No one is beating the Eagles if Hurts plays the way he did against Tennessee into February.
#JimmySays: I want royalties.
Their 11-1 record remains the league's best, but Philadelphia must now maintain its pace despite going on the road for the next three weeks – a trip that will conclude in Dallas for perhaps the league's most-anticipated matchup of the season. QB Jalen Hurts can also further fuel his billowing MVP campaign. Quite surprisingly the NFL's third-rated passer (108.3), Hurts needs one more rushing TD to become the first quarterback with at least 10 in successive years.
#JimmySays: I've mentioned this before, but the schedule makers didn't do the Eagles any favors making them (a) play three consecutive road games at the end of the season, and (b) having the final game during that stretch be a short rest road game against their biggest rival.
The Eagles aren't losing many games in which A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith each go for 100 yards, like they did Sunday. The Eagles can win in many ways, and the run defense looked fixed with rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis back on Sunday.
#JimmySays: Davis only played 6 snaps, but the point that their run defense was very good is well taken.
They just keep on winning games as Jalen Hurts continues to move up the MVP rankings. The offense is dominant and the run defense was better against the Titans.
#JimmySays: And thus concludes the clean sweep at No. 1 overall. The last time each of the above media outlets agreed that the Eagles were No. 1 in the power rankings, they lost to an inferior NFC East rival. 😬
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