Eagles Power Rankings Summary: Week 8

Are power rankings completely stupid and meaningless? Yes. Yes they are. Personally, though, I click whenever I see them. And now that I've hooked you with the promises of many power rankings, you'll read it and like it.

Here are the Eagles' national rankings after Week 7 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of this sold-out ranking too.

NFL.com: 10

It was another slow start offensively, but Saquon Barkley wouldn't be missed in his return to New York on Sunday. He took charge of an otherwise limited offense and did some damage to his former team. The Eagles' pass rush also required batting practice from Daniel Jones and Drew Lock, who combined for eight sacks and held them to a net of 43 passing yards. The Giants' long lead that day was 14 yards; Barkley alone had three runs longer. And finally, Jalen Hurts salvaged a tough afternoon with arguably his best throw of the season on his 41-yard TD connection with AJ Brown. There were blocking issues early on with Jordan Mailata missing the game, Mekhi Becton leaving early with an injury and Cam Jurgens having his hands full with Dexter Lawrence, but the Eagles found a way to deal with it.

#JimmySays: I like “batting practice” as a term for a high sack game. I also didn't realize the Giants' gain on the day was 14 yards, but that sounds about right.

ESPN: 11

Young newcomer: DB Cooper DeJean

His rookie season got off to a slow start due to a hamstring injury he suffered this summer, but he has made a difference since becoming the starting nickel corner in Week 6. The 21-year-old DeJean has 10 tackles, half a sack and two quarterback pressures in two games, helping to solidify a unit that has scored a total of nine points in that span. He has also taken over as punt returner for the injured Britain Covey and is averaging 11 yards per return.

#JimmySays: Disclaimer about the small sample size, but early signs point to the Eagles taking a hit with their first two picks of the 2024 draft.

USA today: 11

Among the many things that went well in Saquon Barkley's first visit to the Giants was that he hit 21.93 mph in his 55-yard dash on Sunday – the fastest run by a running back this season, according to Next Gen Stats Year.

#JimmySays: I used to love when MPH stats were used at Senior Bowl practice. Almost always, it was the kick returners who had the highest MPH numbers because they went full throttle on their return reps, especially without fear of being jacked in practice. And then there were people who argued that these guys had the best MPH, like they were definitely the fastest guys on the field, just to run a 4.52 at the combine. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't love MPH as a comparison metric because it's limited to guys who can get into the open field and be able to hit fourth gear.

It's probably easier to see that Barkley has had multiple opportunities to turn on the Jets, which is a great thing, and yes, he looks fast.

Yahoo: 9

Maybe it was just because the Giants were terrible, but this was finally a game where the Eagles looked like a contender. The talent has always been there, but the results have not. The defense, in particular, seemed to slowly adjust to coordinator Vic Fangio's plan, allowing just 119 yards and collecting eight sacks.

#JimmySays: The Giants are indeed terrible, but I've also seen most of their games this season and no one has beaten them as badly as the Eagles did on Sunday.

CBS: 11

The Eagles team we saw against the Giants is the team we expected. They put aside for a week any talk that head coach Nick Sirianni is in trouble.

#JimmySays: Sirianni really needed such a victory.

PFT: 10

Playing the Browns and Giants in back-to-back weeks helps. At some point they have to beat someone better.

#JimmySays: Are the Packers better than the Browns and Giants?

On a side note, I received a message that there were complaints among some of our rational, always polite and friendly commenters here that the Eagles were higher in the hierarchy than the Buccaneers, given that the Buccaneers smoked the Eagles earlier this season would have. I looked into it and found out that makes me a “homer” too lol. But sure, I'll defend the Eagles' ranking over the Bucs.

• First, the Bucs also knocked the Commanders out of the game. Should the Commanders stand behind the Bucs? Should the Eagles be ahead of the Packers because they beat them? Should the Bucs stay ahead of the Eagles all season long if they lose the rest of their games and the Eagles win the rest of their games? Should the Panthers be in the top 5 because they beat the Raiders, who beat the Ravens?

• I actually like this Bucs team, but I mean, they lost Chris Godwin for the season and Mike Evans for a month, and they don't really have anyone else at receiver. Plus, they've never been able to run the ball well, so it's not like they can suddenly change their offensive identity on the fly. Baker Mayfield needs to keep throwing, except now against guys like Sterling Shepard, Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer.

• The Eagles' average ranking in the top six power rankings this week is 10.3. The Bucs' rating is 11.8, so it's hardly a local “homer” view that the Eagles appear to be in a better position at this point. Oh, and the betting market ratings have the Eagles 7 spots ahead of the Bucs, for what that's worth. The Bucs are 20 there.

Make your rhythm, boys and girls.

Average performance ranking of the six media mentioned above

1. Week 1: 7.2
2. Week 2: 5.7 📈
3. Week 3: 9.2 📉
4. Week 4: 5.8 📈
5. Week 5: 12.3 📉
6. Week 6: 11.5 📈
7. Week 7: 12.5 📉
8. Week 8: 10.3 📈

So far it's been up, down, up, down, up, down, up. If that pattern holds true, be on the lookout this Sunday in Cincinnati.

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