October 18, 2022

Eagles power ranking roundup: Week 7

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports

Miles Sanders agrees that the Eagles should be second in the 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 have the Birds ranked after Week 6. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.

NFL.com: 2nd

Everybody wants to be known as a "fourth-quarter team," but there's something to be said for stealing the soul from your opponent in the second quarter, too. From the NFL Media Research Department: The Eagles have scored 112 second-quarter points in 2022, the most points in any quarter in NFL history through a team's first six games. Football's lone undefeated team, Philly will come out of its Week 7 bye with a favorable schedule, with four straight games against teams with three or fewer wins through Week 6. The road to 9-0 is clear for Nick Sirianni's rowdy gang of spirit-swiping marauders.

#JimmySays: That really is a crazy stat.

ESPN: 2nd

I thought quarterback Jalen Hurts would improve in his second full season as the starter, but wasn't expecting him to be in the early MVP conversation. His strides in the passing game have been particularly notable. He ranks ninth in completion percentage through six games (66.8%) compared to 26th last year (61.3%). He is third in yards per attempt (8.23) and has only committed two turnovers while dropping back 221 times and running it 77 times. Hurts is a primary reason why the Eagles are undefeated.

#JimmySays: Not only has Hurts not turned the ball over, he has also only had a small handful of other close calls.

The Athletic: 2nd

It’s kind of silly to talk playoff seeding after six weeks, but things are getting late early for the rest of the NFC in the race for the No. 1 seed. Aside from the Eagles, there are only three teams in the conference with a winning record, and Philadelphia has already beaten two of them (Dallas and Minnesota).
After they rest up this week — well-timed considering the concussion suffered by star right tackle Lane Johnson — the Eagles’ next three opponents are the Steelers, Texans and Commanders, all games in which they’re likely to be favored by more than a touchdown. The Athletic’s Austin Mock now projects them to have a 70.8 percent chance of winning the NFC East and a 63.4 percent chance of earning the No. 1 seed.
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Just as scary for the rest of the conference, Philadelphia has yet to put together a full game. How’s this for a weird split? The Eagles have been outscored 78-49 in quarters one, three and four this season, but have outscored opponents 112-27 in the second quarter.

#JimmySays: It would almost be a disappointment at this point if the Eagles didn't earn the 1 seed.

The Ringer: 2nd

Jalen Hurts ranks just 15th in EPA per dropback (-0.01) and 15th in yards per attempt (6.95) over the last three weeks, but mediocre passing numbers haven’t mattered. Starting offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata have both missed time due to injuries, but that hasn’t mattered. The team ranks 24th in point differential in second halves (minus-22) and 29th in the fourth quarter alone (minus-25), but, again, it hasn’t mattered.

When Hurts does miss throws, Miles Sanders and the running game can pick up the slack. If the offense can’t create explosives downfield, Dallas Goedert and A.J. Brown can make plays after the catch. The run defense ranks just 27th in yards per carry allowed (4.99), but the pass defense ranks second in opponent net yards per attempt (4.93). It’s complementary, undefeated football in a league where no one else can claim such a feat.

#JimmySays: There's pretty good reason for Hurts' low YPA in two of the last three weeks. Week 4 was the heavy wind/rain game and Week 5 was the foofy WR screen game. Opposing defenses' heavy blitzing will be the concern area going forward. Can the Eagles figure out how to consistently beat the blitz? That's the next offensive hurdle.

USA Today: 2nd

Slotting the league's only undefeated team as 1A would be a copout, but Philadelphia is well beyond legit. Another second-quarter blitzkrieg neutralized Dallas' vaunted defense Sunday night, and the Eagles – they're on bye in Week 7 – appear to have at least a fairly smooth runway to 9-0. Beautifully balanced in every phase, the Allen factor is the biggest consideration differentiating Philly from Buffalo, as great as QB Jalen Hurts has been.

#JimmySays: We showed the Eagles' percentage chance of winning each game the rest of the season in the Hierarchy, and only one was below 50 percent (barely).

Yahoo: 2nd

Right tackle Lane Johnson left Sunday's game with a concussion and the line struggled in the second half. Injuries, especially to the offensive line, could set the Eagles back. There's not much else stopping them.

#JimmySays: It can be said that offensive line injuries could set any team back. I'll take the Eagles' OL depth over any other team in the NFL.

CBS: 1st

One area they have to fix is their run defense. They are giving up 5.0 yards per rush, which isn't a good thing when you are trying to win a division -- and even more.

#JimmySays: A game-by-game look at the Eagles' run defense:

Opponent	Rush	Yards	YPC	TD
Lions	28	181	6.5	3
Vikings	11	62	5.6	0
Commanders	22	87	4.0	1
Jaguars	19	71	3.7	0
Cardinals	26	124	4.8	1
Cowboys	26	134	5.2	1
TOTAL	132	659	5.0	6

More specifically, the Eagles have not tackled well at times. They struggled tackling against the Lions, Cardinals, and Cowboys, and as a result, they gave up a lot of rushing yards in those games. So I do think that's a fixable issue. And maybe Jordan Davis should get some more snaps.