NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Eagles are the best team nobody's talking about

Week 13 of the 2014 NFL season is over which means it's time for everyone's favorite activity: NFL Power Rankings. With the return of power rankings comes the return of the weekly Philadelphia Eagles power rankings compilation.

Here is a round-up of how various Internet media outlets have ranked the Eagles. Let's see what the 'experts' are saying. As always, we'll start by revisiting mine first.

Bleeding Green Nation

4) Philadelphia went down to Dallas and blew out their division rival in front of a national audience. The Eagles absolutely dominated the Cowboys in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Birds are in good position to win the NFC East.

Last week: 5

SB Nation

2) Philadelphia's outstanding special teams play continued this week. This time the hero was rookie kicker Cody Parkey, who made all four of his field goal attempts in a Thanksgiving Day win against the Cowboys. Parkey now leads the NFL with 27 field goals. The big story for the Eagles this time wasn't the competent play from Mark Sanchez, but LeSean McCoy picking up where he left off last week. Shady's 159 rushing yards were a season high and his 6.4 yards per attempt was his second-best effort this year. The Eagles aren't just winning games this year, they're blowing the doors off opponents. Of Philadelphia's nine wins, only three of those games have been decided by a touchdown or less.

Last week: 3

Music City Miracles

2) N/A

Last week: 4

Cincy Jungle

4) Good win against rival Dallas, the Sanchize is loving his supporting cast.

Last week: 6

Philadelphia Daily News

4) Eagles are averaging 5.1 yards per carry in the last 2 games.

Last week: 6

CBS (Prisco)

5) If the defense continues to play at the same level it did against the Cowboys, this could be a Super Bowl team. Now comes a tough one with Seattle.

Last week: 6

CBS (Kirwan)

4) Mark Sanchez is more than holding down the fort while Nick Foles is out. This up-tempo no-huddle offense can break down opponents and the defense is playing much better. Week 14 brings the Seahawks to town for a real test.

Last week: 6

ESPN

4) The Eagles gained 244 yards on 40 designed rushes (excluding scrambles and kneeldowns) Thursday, the most yards on designed rushes by Philadelphia since Week 16 of 2013.

Last week: 6

NFL.com

4) Mark Sanchez, take a bow, man. What an efficient, effective outing from one of the most maligned quarterbacks in NFL history. That's no exaggeration. He has taken heat from all corners of God's green Earth, yet he was masterful Thursday, knowing precisely where to go with the ball every single snap. My question for the #bleedinggreen is simple: Do you trust Sanchez through the rest of the season and postseason?

Last week: 6

FOX

4)  The Eagles have developed a blueprint for running Chip Kelly’s offense with Mark Sanchez at the helm, and Sanchez is now 3-1 as a starter with the Eagles. On defense they continue to live and die with the play of their front seven -- on a good week, they generate enough pressure to hide the secondary.

Last week: 7

PFT

4)  Mark Sanchez gets a perfect opportunity on Sunday to show Pete Carroll that the quarterback was indeed ready for the NFL.

Last week: 5

Yahoo!

4) I'm glad the Seattle defense has looked like its usual self the past couple weeks, because it makes Sunday's matchup very interesting.

Last week: 5

USA Today

5) The most impressive takeaway from their Dallas demolition? Both Philly lines dominated the Cowboys in the trenches.

Last week: 7

Business Insider

5) Mark Sanchez has conquered the Butt Fumble.

Last week: 6

Washington Post

6) They are the NFC East’s best team. That was clear on Thanksgiving in Dallas. It’s how it was supposed to be all season, and it’s how it has turned out to be. But the Eagles cannot afford to be too self-satisfied, with the Seahawks visiting Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

Last week: 7

Newsday

4) As Mark Sanchez’s old team limps to the finish line in New York, the Eagles’ new quarterback continues his terrific run in Philly with another strong performance against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. The NFC East is now the Eagles’ division to lose.

Last week: 6

DONOVAN MCNABB

4) Mark Sanchez playing mistake-free gives them a great chance against anyone.

Last week: N/A

Analysis

The rankings range from as high as 2 to as low as 6. 4 was the most common ranking. 4.06 is the average ranking. That's nearly up 1.7 spots from last week's average ranking of 5.78.

A number of outlets moved the Eagles up over the Cowboys, which was deserved. Philadelphia down to Dallas and proved they're the best team in the NFC East. The Eagles also benefited from the Cardinals losing in Atlanta. Only one outlet had the Eagles not in their top five. That outlet was the Washington Post, who for some reason had the Cincinnati Bengals above Philly.

The Eagles will have another chance to cement their top status by beat the Seattle Seahawks this week. It will be hard to move up until some of the teams in front of them start to lose (or win in an unimpressive fashion). Life is crowded at the top.

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