NFL Power Rankings Roundup: Eagles face a do-or-die game this week

Here is a weekly round-up of how various media outlets have ranked the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFL power rankings. The Eagles are coming off a blowout loss. Let's start by revisiting my rankings.

Bleeding Green Nation

16) Philadelphia's defense couldn't stop Arizona's offensive attack. The Eagles couldn't take of the ball on offense, either. Despite this, Philadelphia can actually still win the NFC East. They must beat Washington this week in order to have a chance. (LW: 13)

SB Nation

15) The Eagles got blown out by the Cardinals at home on Sunday Night Football, also dropping to 6-8 on the year, but by virtue of being in the NFC East, the team remains in the hunt for a playoff spot. Philly trails Washington by a game. I'd love to give you some analysis about why the Eagles should or should not be the favorites in that division, but it seems like a different team shows up every game. I got no clue. (LW: 13)

Football Outsiders

21) N/A (LW: 18)

Pro Football Focus

16) Safety Malcolm Jenkins has 36 stops for the season, fifth-best among safeties. (LW: 13)

numberFire

20) N/A (LW: 17)

The MMQB

13) Moral of the story from Sunday: Don’t invite Chip Kelly and Snoop Dogg to the same Super Bowl party. (LW: 12)

ESPN

19) The Eagles have allowed 40 points in three of their past five games. They've lost by 21 points each time, tied for the second-most losses by 21 or more points this season. (LW: 12)

NFL.com

17) The Eagles hung around for nearly a full half ... but then David Johnson decided to truck everyone and Sam Bradford engaged in some classic chuck-and-duck. Don't fret, however, as the NFC East is jussssst crummy enough for Philly to slide right back into first place. If the Eagles beat Washington at home on Sunday, they'll be in first place by virtue of the division-record tiebreaker. That's IF Philadelphia can contain Kirk Cousins. Imagine reading that last line in July. (LW: 15)

CBS (Prisco)

21) They still control their playoff fate. That's hard to believe after seeing them get destroyed by the Cardinals on Sunday night. (LW: 20)

CBS (Kirwan)

15) Remarkably, the Eagles still have a chance to win the NFC East if they can handle the Redskins at home this coming week. But when looking at Sam Bradford and this defense, he has to be concerned about the long-term view of his team. (LW: 15)

Yahoo!

15) I'm not sure why, all of a sudden, there's this disbelief over Chip Kelly not playing DeMarco Murray much the past couple weeks. Murray has 3.4 yards per carry. He hasn't made an impact for most of the season. If Kelly kept playing him just because of what he did last year or the contract he has, people would say he's a bad coach because of that. (LW: 13)

FOX Sports

18) The Eagles couldn’t generate the kind of pressure on Carson Palmer that helped them string together wins over the Patriots and Bills, and Sam Bradford was back to his careless ways with three turnovers in Week 15. (LW: 13)

Reddit

15) For the Eagles, the playoffs start Sunday with a must-win game against Washington, and in victory, a potential must-win against New York in week 17. But with the defense giving up 40 or more points 3 of the last 5 weeks, it's hard to imagine a scenario where the Eagles make the playoffs and are competitive enough to win once there. Time will tell, but Billy Davis is on incredibly short notice. (LW: 14)

PFT

15) DeMarco Murray is trying to figure out who he can complain to about the owner. (LW: 13)

USA Today

13) Fair to say -- with offense to blame -- that Philly D is officially cooked after allowing 456.6 yards over last five games. (LW: 13)

Business Insider

15) The Eagles' road to the NFC East is more complicated, but the easiest scenario is this: if they win out, they win the division. (LW: 12)

Newsday

19) The Eagles take a beating at home against Tampa Bay, and Chip Kelly's second-guessers are out in full force. In his first season with full authority over the entire football operation, the results leave much to be desired. (LW: 13)

Washington Post

17) The Eagles were no match Sunday night for the Cardinals. No matter. In the NFC East, there’s always another chance. Philadelphia wins the division if it prevails in its final two games, beginning Saturday night at home against the Redskins. (LW: 12)

Chicago Tribune

18) DeMarco Murray might have more fun sitting on the 76ers bench to watch games. (LW: 13)

Houston Chronicle

15) In their last three defeats, the Eagles have surrendered at least 40 points. Now they’re hoping for an 8-8 season. (LW: 11)

...

Analysis

The rankings range from as high as 13 to as low as 21. 15 was the most common ranking. 16.7 is the average ranking. That's nearly three spots down from last week's average ranking of 13.8.

The Eagles absolutely must win this week in order to keep their season alive. If the Birds lose, Washington will clinch the NFC East. But even if the Eagles do find a way to win the division, how far will they really make it in the 2016 NFL playoffs? The loss to the Cardinals proved they're clearly not on the same level as top tier teams.