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The Eagles suffered their second straight loss on Sunday, and the power ranking gods were actually fairly kind.
SB Nation - 11th (last week: 10th)
No write up.
The Redskins might have been the first to realize you don't need to blitz Carson Wentz to beat him, sending four or fewer pass-rushers on 82 percent of his dropbacks. Wentz has completed an NFL-best 80 percent of his passes when blitzed this season, so watch for teams to take their cue from the Redskins.
NFL.com - 13th (last week: 9th)
Much to study about the Eagles' loss in Washington. The offensive line was beaten repeatedly by the Redskins' pass rush, with Carson Wentz sacked five times. The Philly defense was simply flattened on third down, allowing Washington a conversion rate of over 50 percent on pro football's most important down. Yet, after all that, Doug Pederson's squad was still in it, down 27-17, deep in Redskins territory. Zach Ertz simply can't drop that ball on third down. Ugh.
Don’t be confused by the Eagles losing by only 7 points on Sunday. They were dominated by the Redskins. Washington more than doubled Philadelphia’s yardage total, 493-239. The Eagles were flustered by Washington’s pass rush (the offensive line was bad without Lane Johnson, who is now one game into a 10-game suspension) and the defense was gashed by the run and pass. And now the Eagles get the undefeated Vikings at home next week. That will be a very interesting game for Philadelphia.
The Carson Wentzwagon has emptied out a big in recent weeks as he’s been less than stellar. The Eagles have dropped two straight and look nothing like the dominant team they were for the first three games. The defense is solid, but the absence of a consistent running game will hurt them going forward.
The bye week was the equivalent of Samson getting a flattop.
Not every rookie in the Eagles' 2016 class is a gem.
You have your Carson Wentzes—pro-ready and as impressive as any young passer in football. And then you have your Halapoulivaati Vaitais.
It's no slight on the first-year tackle out of TCU. He was thrust into the starting lineup because of lineman Lane Johnson's mistakes. But his entry into the Eagles O-line gives opponents a weak point to exploit. Vaitai surrendered three sacks, and it should have been more.
Philadelphia's defense isn't in huge trouble. The Eagles front is just a little too banged up right now. Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan weren't their normal run-stuffing selves. The Eagles need to heal up to stop scooting down these rankings.
The Eagles deserved to drop, and the power rankers were pretty consistent in their punishment. Nearly every one dropped the Eagles five spaces, dropping from 9th to 14th on average. That’s fair for the Eagles, who next face the Vikings, the #1 or #2 ranked team depending on who you ask.