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Today we continue our weekly roundup of how various media outlets have ranked the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFL power rankings. It’s always interesting to see how the Birds stack up from an outside perspective. But first, let's start by revisiting mine.
Bleeding Green Nation
1 - Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles didn’t play a great game against the 49ers but still won 33 to 10 anyway. Credit to Jim Schwartz and the Philadelphia defense for picking up the slack on a day where Carson Wentz wasn’t at his best. The Eagles are still in sole possession of the NFL’s best record and best point differential. ALSO: the Eagles just traded for Jay Ajayi so that’s another big weapon for them. (LW: 1)
SB Nation
1 - No explanation (LW: 1)
ESPN
1 - The Eagles own the NFL's best record right now, but will that last once the schedule toughens up? The Eagles have played the third-easiest schedule and have big tests against the Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks and Rams coming up. (LW: 2)
NFL.com
1 - The Eagles stay perched in the top spot, Eagle-y. Thought at the beginning of the season that Philly had a real chance to be one of the wild-card teams, if not challenge for the NFC East title. Now fans are thinking home-field -- and why shouldn't they? Carson Wentz is a legit MVP candidate. The Eagles are playing solid ball on offense, defense and even made some hay on special teams Sunday. Perhaps most importantly, Philadelphia did what good teams are supposed to do against weak opponents, especially at home: win decisively. How many of the supposed contenders haven't done that this season? The Eagles are a top-flight team ... THE top-flight team. (LW: 1)
CBS Sports
1 - They have a quarterback and pass rushers. That's usually a good combination. They are rolling. (LW: 1)
Yahoo! Sports
1 - With how well Carson Wentz has played, it’s surprising Alshon Jeffery has been so quiet. His long touchdown catch against the 49ers was just one play, but maybe that’s the spark. If Jeffery plays like the true difference maker he has been in the past, the Eagles get a lot better. And they’re already pretty good. (LW: 1)
Washington Post
2 - Prevailing at home against the winless Niners was not exactly a major accomplishment. But beating the teams you should beat is part of the equation for being good in the NFL. It’s no longer early in the season and it must be acknowledged at this point: The Eagles are the NFC’s Super Bowl front-runner. (LW: 1)
Bleacher Report
1 - Philadelphia, plain and simple, is the best team in football. This wasn't the Eagles' best game. Wentz seemed a bit off. Yet, the Eagles ultimately got the job done against a team they were supposed to beat. The defense made some big plays to help take over the game. When the 49ers got a touchdown to bring the game within two scores, the offense did what it's done often this season and answered. The Eagles are hot right now, and they know what their winning formula is. They have a balanced offense, can get a few long plays from Wentz and can lean on a dominant front seven. Even when Philadelphia isn't playing at its best, it is hard to beat. (LW: 1)
USA Today
1 - Lost amid Carson Wentz hoopla is defense coming off its best performance of season and run game that features four players with 130-plus yards … and, now, Jay Ajayi. (LW: 1)
1 - It wasn't always pretty but it was effective enough to keep the Eagles win-streak alive and move to 7-1 on the year. Carson Wentz continues to amaze, leading the NFL in touchdowns this year with 19. Rookie Jake Elliott kicked through his 5th field goal of 50+ yards to set a franchise record. In bad news, he also managed to miss 2 extra points in the same game. (LW: 1)
Sporting News
1 - They've flown out of the aerie to be eerily dominant, screaming up to the top thanks to Carson Wentz, the running game and the defense. (LW: 1)
Pro Football Talk
1 - If the Dolphins were trying to send a message to Jay Ajayi by trading him to the best team in football, he’s probably not upset about receiving it. (LW: 1)
Rotoworld
1 - Already equipped with the league’s best record and arguably the league’s hottest quarterback in Carson Wentz, the Eagles bolstered their running game by acquiring Jay Ajayi from the Dolphins. The trade should come as a welcome change of scenery for Ajayi, who clashed with coach Adam Gase throughout his tenure in Miami. Meanwhile Zach Ertz will look to extend his touchdown streak to five games Sunday against Denver. (LW: 1)
Pro Football Focus
3 - Whew! The NFC’s best team got better Tuesday by acquiring 2016 PFF All Pro Jay Ajayi. While LeGarrette Blount (72.7) has been pretty good so far this season, Ajayi was running behind one of the worst offensive lines in football (30th in run blocking grades) and still earning 2.8 yards after contact per carry. If Alshon Jeffery (to whom Carson Wentz has an 89.4 passer rating on his throws) can improve his play, the combination of he, Blount, Ayaji and tight end Zach Ertz give Wentz one of the best supporting casts going right now. Look out for the Eagles. (LW: 3)
Sports Illustrated
1 - No explanation (LW: 3)
Football Outsiders
3 - No explanation (LW: 4)
numberFire
3 - No explanation (LW: 5)
Analysis
The rankings range from as high as 1 to as low as 3. The most common ranking is 1. The average ranking is 1.41, which is up a little from last week’s average of 1.76.
Most of all the subjective power rankings have the Eagles at No. 1. The Washington Post is the only exception, but even they have the Eagles ranked second. Some of the metric based rankings “only’ have the Eagles ranked third.
A win over the Broncos this week can cement Philly’s No. 1 status. This is a tough spot for Denver. The Broncos have been struggling to score. Now they have to try to save their season as they undergo a quarterback change and travel from west to east to play a 1:00 PM start time after having a short week because of Monday Night Football.
It’s time for the Eagles to assert their dominance and enter the bye with a 8-1 record.