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NFL Power Rankings Roundup Week 3: Eagles fall back towards the middle of the pack

A look at what the experts are saying about the Birds.

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NFL: Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

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

12 - Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles were very competitive for most of their game against the Chiefs in Kansas City on Sunday. Philadelphia clearly has some flaws (see: the run game) but there’s a number of positives with this team as well. Carson Wentz and the pass rush have played well so far. Though it’s early, the Eagles are playing like the best team in the NFC East so far. (LW: 11)

SB Nation

16 - No explanation (LW: 7)

ESPN

15 - How many Eagles quarterbacks have thrown for 300 yards and multiple touchdowns in each of the first two games of the season? Four. Ron Jaworski (1982), Randall Cunningham (1994), Donovan McNabb (2006) and Carson Wentz (2017). Wentz does not appear to be primed for a "sophomore slump." (LW: 9)

NFL.com

14 - The Eagles let it rip most of the day in Kansas City, continuing the same defensive mojo they carried in Washington in Week 1. Carson Wentz used his mobility where appropriate, made a few intermediate throws and even received a gift to keep Philly in a tight contest. Everything unraveled late in the fourth quarter, right around the time the Chiefs' front seven decided not to let up. Wentz's protection broke down repeatedly, ultimately allowing six sacks. Then the real turning point came on the Chris Jones pick off a batted pass. Look, Doug Pederson's guys showed they will be a pesky bunch this year, but Wentz is not good enough to pull rabbits out of a hat. He needs help. (LW: 10)

CBS Sports

15 - The defense has impressed in the first two weeks. The front four is nasty. (LW: 13)

Yahoo! Sports

11 - A lot of teams are going to lose at Kansas City this season. The Eagles played them tough. Carson Wentz was good on third downs against the Chiefs; the next step is becoming more consistent on first and second down. (LW: 12)

Washington Post

17 - Why, exactly, did the Eagles sign RB LeGarrette Blount if his second game with the team was going to be a zero-carry outing? That’s what happened Sunday in Kansas City, when Coach Doug Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich dialed up 46 passing attempts by QB Carson Wentz. That’s just misguided, pass-happy offensive play-calling. The Eagles did manage to get WRs Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith more involved in the offense. But they need to utilize Blount or get rid of him. (LW: 10)

BLG Note: The TEXANS are ahead of the Eagles in these WP rankings. Lol wtf?

Bleacher Report

18 - The Philadelphia Eagles did a good job of walking into Arrowhead and keeping pace with the Kansas City Chiefs. They dominated a good offensive line throughout the contest, but in the end, the explosive weapons on Kansas City's roster proved too much to keep pace with. The problem for Philadelphia is that it doesn't have enough offensive weapons to hang with upper-echelon teams. The Eagles don't do themselves any favors by often ignoring the running game. They ran the ball relatively well against the Chiefs, but quarterback Carson Wentz still finished as the team's leading rusher. Too much of Philadelphia's offense right now is Wentz making off-schedule plays. The Eagles need to come up with a scheme that helps him more because this team cannot depend on him to do it all every week. (LW: 16)

BLG Note: Somehow the Giants are two spots ahead of the Eagles in these BR rankings. What’s going on?

USA Today

16 - Few pills are more bitter than dropping to 0-2 against former coach Andy Reid. Maybe you shoulda treated Big Red a little nicer, Philly Fan. (LW: 16)

Reddit

15 - Carson Wentz is currently the Eagles leading rusher going into week 3 with 61 total yards... and 92 pass attempts. The offensive balance is as horrendous as it's ever been under Doug Pederson, yet somehow the Eagles managed to keep the score close against arguably a top-3 team in the league. The schedule looks more manageable for the next several weeks so the coaching staff will have some time to adjust and hopefully find a running game that is so desperately needed. (LW: 15)

Sporting News

15 - Carson Wentz is balling and dealing, but eventually the lack of a legitimate running game will mean he's going to take a lot of licks in the pocket dropping back so often. He can't be expected to be the team's best runner every week as well as passing on fire downfield. (LW: 13)

Pro Football Talk

16 - They’ve got a chance to make it a two-team race in the NFC East, if they can manhandle the Giants. (LW: 10)

Football Outsiders

16 - No explanation (LW: 12)

numberFire

8 - No explanation (LW: 7)


Analysis

The rankings range from as high as 8 to as low as 18. The most common rankings are 15 and 16. The average ranking is 14.6, which is a little over three spots down from last week’s average of 11.5.

The Eagles dropped a little after losing to the Chiefs in Kansas City. Some outlets dropped them way too much. A lot of these rankings have the Chiefs as their No. 1 team overall. There shouldn’t be much shame in the Eagles playing on the road and keeping it close.

Philadelphia has a chance to move back up a little with a win over the Giants. New York is going to be desperate, so this won’t just be a free win for the Birds. With that said, the G-Men are bad and the Eagles need to take care of business.

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