October 03, 2023
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports
Nick Sirianni wonders why the Chiefs are ahead of the Eagles in some power rankings.
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 4. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
The Eagles like to make things harder on themselves than needed, yet they keep winning, even if it took overtime vs. Washington on Sunday. The offense is returning to shades of 2022 form, adding the D’Andre Swift dimension and rekindling the Jalen Hurts-to-A.J. Brown magic. But self-inflicted errors almost cost Philadelphia the game. Among the teeth-gnashing penalties: Zach Cunningham’s defensive hold wiping out a stop. Two bad personal fouls on Terrell Edmunds. James Bradberry’s DPI. Brown’s post-TD taunting flag. Even Hurts’ intentional grounding briefly knocked Philly out of field-goal range in OT. This team has elite talent, but you can’t be that fast and loose every week. Did you know the Eagles have allowed more TDs than they’ve scored?
#JimmySays: OK, I'd like to address each of the penalties cited here one-by-one.
• Zach Cunningham's defensive holding call: The officials got the wrong number on this call. It is actually on Nicholas Morrow. This is only a good call if you're an NFL fan who wants penalties to be called on every play.
Here's the hold they called on Zach Cunningham, by the way. It was actually on Morrow, and... lol. pic.twitter.com/4eEW8o0e60
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) October 3, 2023
• Two bad personal fouls on Terrell Edmunds: One was certainly legit. Edmunds' hit Logan Thomas was helmet-to-helmet. Easy call. Here was the other:
Here's the "late hit" by Edmunds. It's 3rd down & you can see Howell readying to hold the ball out past the sticks as he's heading for the sideline. He has to tuck it back in with the Edmunds hit coming. Edmunds saves the 1st down. Good play! But because it's a QB... penalty. pic.twitter.com/fUBxDmQFSa
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) October 3, 2023
• James Bradberry’s DPI: You can see a slight tug of the receiver's jersey here, but this is ticky tack, at best. But also, watch where this ball lands out of bounds. Is this really a penalty we want in the NFL? This is what people buy tickets to see?
James Bradberry DPI pic.twitter.com/Wn5ucYlWRD
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski2) October 3, 2023
• A.J. Brown's taunting penalty: I know some of you will disagree with this, but Brown 100 percent taunted Emmanuel Forbes. Want to demoralize a rookie corner you bodied all game if you're up by 28? Sure, have at it. But in that situation, Brown has to be smarter. He made the ensuing Commanders' drive a little bit easier.
AJ Brown was flagged for “taunting” after this touchdown. You can see him hand the ball to the defender.
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) October 1, 2023
Should this have been a 15 yard penalty for taunting or should this be nothing? pic.twitter.com/X7HSJ1to62
• Jalen Hurts' intentional grounding: Hurts thinks Brown is running a post, but Brown instead runs an in route. He is clearly not unloading this football to avoid a sack.
Jalen Hurts intentional grounding pic.twitter.com/zNgQK1QuVs
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski2) October 3, 2023
It feels like every year the Eagles have a game where a crazy number of bad calls go against them, and it usually costs them a win. (This can probably be said for pretty much any team, to be clear.)
This year the Eagles won that game anyway. If this were a better officiated game, it's probably a double-digit Eagles win.
Defensive efficiency: 64.5 (12th)
Biggest issue on defense: Pass defense
The Eagles are 27th in passing yards allowed (260.8 per game) and have yielded the third-most passing touchdowns with nine, trailing only the Broncos (13) and Bears (10). Their top two slot corners, Avonte Maddox (torn left pectoral muscle) and Zech McPhearson (torn right Achilles tendon), are expected to miss the remainder of the season, and they are thin at the safety spot as well. -- Tim McManus
#JimmySays: The passing TDs allowed is the more alarming stat, in my opinion.
Despite going to overtime with Washington, the Eagles have been one of the steadiest ships in the league so far. The reasons are the offensive and defensive lines. Philadelphia runners are second in the NFL in yards per rush before contact (2.16), according to TruMedia, and four pass rushers had at least six QB pressures Sunday.
#JimmySays: I think (?) there's a perception that the Eagles' defensive front did not have a good day on Sunday from a pass rushing perspective. The team had five sacks, and as noted above, created pressure all day. In my opinion, the back end didn't hold up its end of the bargain.
They're the sixth team since 2000 to go 4-0 in successive seasons. Of the previous five, three won the Lombardi Trophy at some point, and all but one appeared in the Super Bowl at least once … which Philadelphia already did last season.
#JimmySays: As we noted in a recent "random notes" post, only three teams in the Super Bowl era were the last unbeaten team in consecutive seasons (with the Bears doing it three years in a row in the 80's). The Eagles have a decent chance at becoming the fourth.
A.J. Brown is up to 18 catches, 306 yards and two touchdowns in the two games since he had his mini-blowup on the sideline. The Eagles aren't quite where they want to be yet despite a 4-0 start, but it'll come. Their main pieces are as good as ever.
#JimmySays: I think the "main piece" who would give the Eagles' the biggest bump if he starts stringing together elite performances like he did in 2022 is Haason Reddick.
It still doesn't look great, but they are finding ways to win games. That's the good news. But they need to pick it up.
#JimmySays: CBS with the fire🔥analysis as always.
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