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 12 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
NFL.com: 3rd
The Eagles put on a show Sunday night. Saquon Barkley hit a few bombs on his way to a top-10 all-time rushing game, and the defense racked up five sacks. These two factors — Barkley and the pass rush — are, for me, what make the Eagles far more dangerous now than they were at this point last year, despite Philly's superior record (10-1) through 11 games in 2023. Barkley won't win MVP, but he deserves to be in the discussion, and I'd vote for him for Offensive Player of the Year over Derrick Henry right now. The Eagles have outgained their opponents over the past seven games by an average of 180 yards (!), and Barkley is a big reason why. But so is Philly's defense. The Rams moved the ball well in the early going, but Vic Fangio adjusted, and the Eagles erased them for the remainder of the first half. It's hard to remember how ugly things were defensively, because those vibes are long gone. Losing Brandon Graham to a season-ending triceps tear this late in what could be his swan-song campaign really stings; we're also waiting to see about the seriousness of the hamstring injury that kept DeVonta Smith out. Even with those issues, the Eagles are one of the very best teams in football.
#JimmySays: The Barkley-Henry rushing comparison:
| OPOY comparison | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| Saquon Barkley | 223 | 1392 | 6.2 | 10 |
| Derrick Henry | 221 | 1325 | 6.0 | 13 |
Henry has more rushing TDs, but Barkley would very likely have more if Jalen Hurts didn't have so many Brotherly Shove TDs.
Barkley has more rushing yards in one fewer game. But also, he has done more damage as a receiver:
| OPOY comparison | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| Saquon Barkley | 27 | 257 | 9.5 | 2 |
| Derrick Henry | 10 | 96 | 9.6 | 2 |
The Eagles also have a better record. Barkley should have a clear edge.
ESPN: 3rd
Offense ranking: 7
Defense ranking: 4
Special teams ranking: 19
There is not much to pick at with this Eagles team right now. The offense has turned into a force thanks in large part to MVP candidate Saquon Barkley, who leads the league in average yards per rush (6.2). The defense has far exceeded expectations with rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean bolstering a secondary that has held the opposition to 175.5 passing yards per game, good for third in the NFL. Kicker Jake Elliott has not played up to his lofty standards, but the Eagles' metrics reflect what we're seeing: a legitimate contender for the NFC crown.
#JimmySays: When the biggest concern is that the team's most electric player might be playing too many snaps, yep, there's not much to pick at. (I do think that Jalen Hurts isn't playing to the level he played at in 2022, and for Eagles fans it would be cooler if he were.)
USA Today: 2nd
RB Saquon Barkley showed Sunday night he might be the league's best player. Per OptaSTATS, he's the first to have more than 500 yards from scrimmage over consecutive games since Hall of Famer Walter Payton in 1977. He's also the first since Maurice Jones-Drew 15 years ago to break two TD runs of 70-plus yards in the same game. But is Barkley the most valuable player in the NFL? Not ready to go there yet … though maybe Sunday's game at Baltimore – against MVP candidates Lamar Jackson and (maybe) Derrick Henry – will shed further light on Barkley's case.
#JimmySays: Barkley is currently third in MVP odds, via DraftKings:
- Josh Allen, Bills: +150
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens: +250
- Saquon Barkley, Eagles: +450
- Jared Goff, Lions: +700
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs: +1300
Yahoo: 2nd
Saquon Barkley got all the headlines, and rightfully so. That means the Eagles' defense keeps playing under the radar. It’s probably a top-five defense at this point. That’s a big reason the Eagles, on a seven-game winning streak, move up to No. 2. This is an elite team.
#JimmySays: Overall, the defense has played better than the offense during the team's seven-game winning streak. In fact, over their last six games, the Eagles have more rushing yards (1396) than they have allowed total yards (1314).
CBS: 4th
Saquon Barkley is keying their offense right now, and the offensive line is mauling people. The defense has really come on over the past five games.
#JimmySays: The defense has been playing at a high level for more than five games. They're allowing just 222.6 yards per game over their last 7 games.
PFT: 4th
If Saquon Barkley wins MVP, John Mara might have to fire everyone. Himself included.
#JimmySays: Barkley already has 80 more rushing yards than his previous single-season high in New York.
Average power ranking of the six media outlets above
- Week 1: 7.2
- Week 2: 5.7 📈
- Week 3: 9.2 📉
- Week 4: 5.8 📈
- Week 5: 12.3 📉
- Week 6: 11.5 📈
- Week 7: 12.5 📉
- Week 8: 10.3 📈
- Week 9: 9.5 📈
- Week 10: 8.0 📈
- Week 11: 5.7 📈
- Week 12: 4.3 📈
- Week 13: 3.0 📈
MORE: NFC Hierarchy/Obituary, Week 13
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