NFL Power Rankings Roundup Week 14

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 we’ll start by revisiting mine.

Bleeding Green Nation

3 - After blowing out a bunch of bad teams, the Eagles went to Seattle and made too many mistakes against a good team. It was an uncharacteristic performance from the Eagles. Doug Pederson lacked aggression and Carson Wentz wasn’t as sharp as he needed to be. Wentz’s fumble at the goal line for a touchback ended up being a 14-point swing. That’s how much the Eagles ended up losing by. (LW: 1)

SB Nation

4 - A 24-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks really doesn’t mean anything for the Eagles’ playoff chances with the NFC East all but clinched. But the defeat does mean a couple of things: The Eagles are no longer the No. 1 seed in the NFC. A familiar face is back on top of the power rankings. (LW: 1)

ESPN

2 - First-round pick Derek Barnett has 5.0 sacks this season, but the Eagles are getting big production from rookies they didn't even draft. Undrafted rookie Corey Clement has six touchdowns and Jake Elliott, who was drafted by the Bengals, has gone 19-of-23 on field goals, including a game-winning 61-yarder in Week 3. (LW: 1)

NFL.com

2 - The first dip in these here rankings since Week 3 for the Eagles -- and the first time not in the top spot since Week 8. The Eagles have been perched atop the league's hierarchy because of their balance on offense and defense, as well as the MVP play of the quarterback. All three factions were marginalized by the Seahawks on Sunday night. Russell Wilson reintroduced himself into the MVP race. Seattle's offense paid off drives in the red zone. Most noticeably, though, the Seahawks changed things up defensively more than the Eagles, who got pressure with their front four but didn't dedicate extra numbers to contain Wilson. Interestingly enough, it was this very franchise that made spying a thing. From 1988 through 1990, Randall Cunningham terrorized so many defenses with his legs that the DCs were forced to react. Next up for these Eagles: at Rams. Wow. (LW: 1)

CBS Sports

4 - They would be the second seed now in the conference after losing to Seattle and they face a tough road game against the Rams. That's a tough turnaround. (LW: 1)

Yahoo! Sports

2 - This is how quick the NFL can turn: The Eagles were on top of the world before they kicked off against the Seahawks on Sunday night. In an eight-day stretch, they could go from leading the NFL to needing help over the last three weeks to get a bye. If the Eagles lose to the Rams on Sunday, the Vikings win and the Saints lose (avoiding a three-team tie), Philadelphia would be the No. 3 seed in the NFC after 14 weeks. It would be crushing to start 10-1 and not even end up with a first-round bye. (LW: 1)

Washington Post

4 - The Eagles are still a very good team, even after the defeat in Seattle. They still have a chance to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. But they might not be the conference’s Super Bowl favorite any longer. The Vikings have, at the very least, achieved co-favorite status. (LW: 1)

Bleacher Report

2 - This was the worst Carson Wentz has played all year, and this was the worst the Eagles defense has looked all season. Yet, it was still a seven-point game on the road in Seattle in the fourth quarter. That's how good Philadelphia is. I'd actually blame a lot of this loss on coaching. The defense was too aggressive and played too much man coverage. It's risky to do that against Wilson because no one is better at buying time and allowing his receivers to win their individual matchups. Of course, this will be a learning experience for the Eagles if they have to play Seattle in the playoffs. Practice cannot emulate what Wilson does. The offensive game plan was too conservative, and Wentz was off. Several of his throws were low, and his fumble while in scoring position was a game-changer. That's not like him, and one bad game shouldn't cause Eagles fans to panic. Philadelphia is still awesome and still the best team in the NFC. (LW: 2)

USA Today

5 - They're lucky NFL doesn't use college football playoff system. Philly's resume highly suspect with just one win against team currently above .500. (LW: 1)

Reddit

2 - Beyond challenge flags, injuries, and Russell Wilson's magic feet, Doug Pederson's game plan going into Sunday was flawed from the beginning and corrected too late. Carson Wentz flashed his brilliance when allowed, but the run first strategy left the Eagles in a 14 point hole in the third which they were never able to recover. There's no time for excuses as the Eagles travel to sunny Los Angeles and a date with Jared Goff and the Rams for control of the NFC. (LW: 1)

Sporting News

4 - Their weak schedule didn't prepare them well for what happened in Seattle, and now they have to bounce back in another tough NFC West road game. (LW: 1)

Pro Football Talk

4 - Fly, Eagles, fly. Right in to a Wolf Grey window. (LW: 1)

Rotoworld

2 - Carson Wentz threw for a season-high 348 yards Sunday against Seattle but it wasn’t enough as the Eagles waved goodbye to their nine-game winning streak. Nelson Agholor scored Philadelphia’s lone touchdown in the game while finishing with a career-high 141 yards. That’s more yards than Agholor had in his previous five games combined. LeGarrette Blount’s eight carries Sunday were his fewest since Week 2. (LW: 1)

Sports Illustrated

4 - No explanation (LW: 1)

Pro Football Focus

3 - The winning streak had to end at some point for the Eagles. Against the Seahawks on Sunday night, Carson Wentz was actually better when pressured (93.1 rating) than when kept clean (75.4 rating). He was under constant duress behind a left side of an offensive line that allowed two sacks, seven quarterback hits and 10 hurries to a good Seattle defense. Their lack of an ability to run the ball certainly didn’t help matters, with their backs producing only 68 yards on 20 carries (only 17 of which occurred before contact). This week’s matchup in Los Angeles will go a long way towards telling us whether the 10-1 start was due to a soft schedule (the easiest by our metrics) or signs that Philadelphia is a legitimate contender in the NFC moving forward. (LW: 2)

Football Outsiders

2 - No explanation (LW: 1)

numberFire

2 - No explanation (LW: 1)

Analysis

The rankings range from as high as 2 to as low as 5. The most common ranking is 2. The average ranking is 3.0, which is down from last week’s average of 1.18.

No surprise to see the Eagles taking a hit after losing to the Seahawks. You just know everyone was dying to put the Patriots at No. 1.

The Eagles will drop even further if they lose to the Rams this week. If they win, however, they might be able to make up some ground. It’s a tough test for Philly.