As we hit humpday and going into a road matchup with the Bucs this weekend, let's take a peek at where the "experts" rank the Eagles after last week's loss to the Saints
ESPN Rank #9 down from #4 - Bright spot in Philly's loss to the Saints was the play of WR Reggie Brown, who is emerging as a consistent deep threat (No. 5 in yards per catch -- 19.6 yards).
CBS Rank #10 down from #5 - They got caught in a tough spot, coming off their emotional victory over the Cowboys and hitting the road to play the Saints. The rally to take the lead shows this is a good team.
Real Football 365 Rank #7 down from #6 - TLosing in the Superdome as time expired was a tough pill to swallow for the Eagles, but they remain the top team in the NFC East and a true title contender.
Fox Sports Rank #13 up from #8 - Philadelphia receiver Reggie Brown may not bicker with his quarterback, do sit-ups in his driveway, or call out his coach -- but he can play some football. The Eagles new number one wideout exploded for six catches, 131 total yards, and two touchdowns in Sunday's clash with New Orleans. Donovan McNabb looked superb on Sunday, though the Eagles did not come away with the W. Philly travels to Tampa on Sunday, for what can either be a chance to get back on course -- or a classic "trap game."
just as note, Fox has the 2 win Steelers and the 2nd place Giants ahead of the Eagles. Plus, the Rams who despite losing at home to a division foe jumped ahead of the Eagles. Pretty bad job on Fox's part IMO....
And the special Fox Sports DVOA ranking which breaks down every single play of the season and compares each one to the NFL average based on situation and opponent and is considerd to be the system that takes the opinions and guesswork out of power rankings Has the Eagles ranked #3 overall, #1 in offense, and #9 in defense - The Eagles have gotten better-than-expected games from reserve cornerbacks like Joselio Hanson, but they may be having a problem with their safeties. They were in Cover 2 on both Joe Horn touchdowns, as well as the bomb to Terry Glenn last week. On each play, Michael Lewis as the deep safety had problems turning to get to the pass in time. When Marques Colston scored on a slant pattern, the problem wasn't Lewis, but rather a bad angle to the tackle taken by Sean Considine, Hellblazer.
NEXT: at TB