October 02, 2024
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 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
It wasn’t shocking that the Eagles lost a tough road game without Lane Johnson, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but it was a bit unnerving to see how it went down. They showed a lack of life early on, falling behind 24-0. The Eagles rallied, and they absolutely had a chance to steal one after Kelee Ringo’s stirring return of a blocked extra point. But the defense took two big steps back after a fine performance at New Orleans, allowing the Bucs to move the ball all game. Tampa had at least one first down on every single drive and 29 of them for the game. Jalen Hurts' fumble late in the third quarter also prevented any hopes of a comeback. It was his only turnover of the game, but he’s now up to 27 of them since the start of last season. Without Hurts displaying better ball security, a shorthanded Eagles squad isn’t going to win many games. This will be a frustrating bye week, but they’ll have the chance to get healthier and get back on track.
#JimmySays: The bright side is that the Eagles will very likely be getting Johnson, Brown, and Smith back after the bye, and should be pretty close to fully healthy. They'll then have four games against struggling teams in the Browns, Giants, Bengals, and Jaguars. Those four teams have a combined record of 3-13 and a combined point differential of -96.
Biggest issue on defense: Edge rushers
The defensive group entered Week 4 with zero sacks and finally got on the board with takedowns by Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat against Tampa Bay. At age 36, Graham has been the best of the bunch, which is a good story but also problematic when projecting out a 17-game season. The Eagles signed Bryce Huff to a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency to be an impact three-down player, but he hasn't been reliable against the run, in particular. Barring a significant uptick in play from Huff or 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith Jr., this unit could be an issue all season.
#JimmySays: It feels like a pretty good bet that the Eagles will deal for a recognizable edge rusher at the trade deadline who also disappoints.
A trio of inactive Pro Bowlers isn't going to help the bottom line. Nor will QB Jalen Hurts' now-chronic propensity for turnovers, which are now coming at nearly two per week. Early as it is, Philly's Week 5 bye could be fortuitous.
#JimmySays: The Eagles are -6 in turnover differential, second worst in the NFL. They were -10 in 2023, sixth-worst.
Oh, and hey, they were +8 when they went to the Super Bowl in 2022, and they were +11 in 2017.
Turnovers are kind of a big deal. #Analysis.
The Eagles looked like a team that knew their bye was coming up in a week. There were the offensive injuries, too. Not much changed: The Eagles still aren’t a great team yet, just a good one with some flaws. That’s most of the NFL going into October.
#JimmySays: The Eagles have too much talent to be among "most of the NFL going into October."
They have big problems. The injuries are one thing, but Jalen Hurts isn't playing well and the defense is back to being bad. The heat is on Nick Sirianni.
#JimmySays: CBS with the fire🔥analysis as always.
Getting embarrassed in the place where they were embarrassed in the playoffs is the kind of thing that gets a coach fired.
#JimmySays: I don't know that losing to the team that beat you in the playoffs the previous season is a reason to fire a coach. That's kind of a weird thing to say. I'd say that if the head coach is a "CEO" figure, it should be on him to ensure that the team is smart and fundamentally sound, the game management decisions are logical, and the locker room culture is healthy. If he's not bringing those things to the table, it's reason for termination.
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