December 14, 2016
As we know, power rankings are kind of pointless, but we click them anyway. Here's a roundup of where the Eagles "rank" after they were beaten by the Washington Redskins for their fourth consecutive loss.
Carson Wentz is on pace to throw 613 passes this season, which would be an Eagles franchise record. Having a rookie throw that much is not a recipe for success, and with four straight losses, it obviously hasn't been. The Eagles head to Baltimore in Week 15.
#JimmyNote: ESPN has the Eagles ranked ahead of the Bears, 49ers, Rams, Jaguars, and Browns. That's it. They even have the Jets ranked higher, who have a turnover differential of -95. The Eagles are not worse than the Jets.
The Eagles made it interesting Sunday, with the ball and a chance late in the fourth quarter. Carson Wentz couldn't pull out the win, although the rookie quarterback bounced back nicely after a miserable outing in Cincinnati. To be honest, many of the issues with Wentz have nothing to do with Wentz. The Eagles are devoid of playmakers on offense. Losing Darren Sproles in the second half didn't help, either. That said, big ups to Trey Burton, who not only caught seven balls but volunteered to deep snap on Philly's go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter (and delivered). Maybe the Cardinals should trade for him.
#JimmyNote: Basically the same spot as ESPN, but ranked ahead of the obviously worse Jets.
We've never seen a team so loaded with long snapper depth. Here's hoping Jon Dorenbos' broken wrist doesn't curtail his magic act too much.
#JimmyNote: Yep, these are the kinds of comments you get when you're irrelevant.
Carson Wentz had a solid game against the Redskins, improving his mechanics and showing great pocket awareness. His improved play wasn’t enough to match the high-powered offense of Washington, though. It’s fairly clear where the Eagles need to improve in the offseason: Wentz needs plenty of help around him on offense.
#JimmyNote: And a better pass rush. And corners.
This is why good offensive tackles are so important. The Eagles have a revolving door at right tackle after Lane Johnson’s suspension. Ryan Kerrigan barely slowed down breezing past Matt Tobin, the Eagles’ fourth option at right tackle, on his way to a strip-sack of Carson Wentz with the game on the line. That probably doesn’t happen if Johnson was in the lineup.
#JimmyNote: Yep.
That 3-0 start was a big tease. This team has a long way to go to be a playoff contender.
#JimmyNote: Yeah, I don't know that they have "a long way to go." The Eagles have their quarterback, a pair of quality bookend tackles, a defense that certainly had its moments, and the best special teams units in the NFL. While I certainly wouldn't predict them to be in the playoffs in 2017 at the moment, it's not as if it'd be some kind of shocking thing if they did.
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