NFL Power Rankings Roundup Week 6: Eagles move a little higher ahead of true test

It’s time for our weekly roundup of how various media outlets view the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFL power rankings. It’s always interesting to see how the Birds stack up from an outside perspective. Even more so when the team is on a win streak.

Pro Football Focus

5 - The Eagles continue to rise in our power rankings following a 31-6 dismantling of the hapless Jets. Their top-five spot is given credence by just how well their quarterback — Carson Wentz — has played this season. His results don’t speak to just how good he has been, as evidenced by his league-high 207 air yards on dropped passes. Wentz currently trails only Russell Wilson in overall grade at the quarterback position. (LW: 8)

The Big Lead

5 - They did what good teams do at home -- beat a bad team without a shred of doubt. Carson Wentz is rounding into form, and the receivers are getting healthier. (LW: 5)

NFL.com

6 - The Eagles cruised to a second straight win because of their defense. This was a fever dream for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who watched his unit pile up 10 sacks, 16 QB hits and two touchdowns. Nate Gerry’s pick-six put the Eagles up 14-0 and extinguished any sense of drama in the proceedings. Orlando Scandrick tore the ball out of the hands of overmatched Jets third-stringer Luke Falk and took it to the house for the exclamation point. The Eagles were far less impressive on offense, managing just 265 yards against Gregg Williams’ stubborn Jets unit, but in the end, it didn’t really matter. This was the Eagles in cruise control against an opponent that could give the Dolphins a run for the No. 1 pick. We’ll learn a lot more about the Eagles over the next three weeks during a hellacious three-game road swing through Minnesota, Dallas and Buffalo. (LW: 6)

Washington Post

6 - The Eagles have reassembled their season quickly and now are on at least even footing with the Cowboys in the NFC East. (LW: 9)

Mile High Report

6 - Biggest concerns: 1) Carson Wentz. 2) Perpetually bad injury luck. (LW: 6)

MMQB

7 - Philly shellacked what is left of the Jets and continues to play like the team most thought they would be. Another winnable game awaits this week in Minnesota. (LW: 5)

Blogging The Boys

7 - They’re obviously a very good team, it’s just that they played a bad team this past week while others had more impressive wins. (LW: 6)

The Athletic

7 - Ten sacks. TEN SACKS. Did we mention that the Eagles recorded 10 sacks against the Jets on Sunday? Oh, and the Eagles’ defense also intercepted two Luke Falk passes and forced a fumble in one of most dominant defensive performances of the season. Combine that with a Cowboys loss, and this made for a very good Sunday for Philadelphia. (LW: 6)

USA Today

7 - They’ve earned share of first place atop NFC East, but it could be tough to keep with next three on road at Minnesota, Dallas and Buffalo. (LW: 9)

Scout

7 - With back-to-back wins the Eagles are back into the Top 10 in Power Ranking after being as low as #16 just a few weeks ago. Their rise corresponds with the Cowboys fall. Our projection recommends not betting on them to win it all. Their 3.1% chance is #7 in the league. Current Odds are 16/1, 5.9%. They are projected to win 10 games and live up to their pre-season futures line of 10. Their average wins per simulation puts them at #6 in the NFC. After 5 games, their expected win percentage is 64% based on the money line odds. At 3-2 they are in line with these expectations. They are much worse in our neutral power ranking where they are ranked just #11 in the league. (LW: 11)

CBS Sports

8 - They seem to be getting things right after a slow start. They just have to get through all the injuries to get where they will eventually be as a team. (LW: 11)

Yahoo! Sports

8 - I’m not going to dissect their win over the Jets too much. I suppose it could have been better but they led 14-0 before anyone had even gotten through their first order of crab fries at the Linc. Everyone knew the Jets could play for three weeks straight and not score 14 points. After the last two weeks, this looks like your eventual NFC East champion. (LW: 11)

Sporting News

8 - The Eagles’ offense faded to the background for the first time this season as the defense delivered its overdue statement with 10 sacks and two touchdowns of its own against the lowly Jets. That was the most 2017 the Eagles have looked in 2019. (LW: 8)

Bleacher Report

8 - There are no gimme games in the NFL—unless you’re playing the New York Jets with Luke Falk at quarterback. The Eagles pulverized a pitiful Jets team in Week 5 without really trying. This was a game where the Eagles racked up 31 points despite having fewer than 300 yards of total offense. Carson Wentz had just 17 completions. The Eagles had just 84 rushing yards and averaged fewer than three yards a carry. As efforts go, it certainly wasn’t Philly’s best—but it was more than enough against the Jets. ”Given how uneven the Eagles were to start the season,” Davenport said, “the team should probably feel pretty good about 3-2 and right in the mix in the NFC East. However, Philly’s gonna have to pick that effort level up—the team starts a brutal stretch next week of six games in a row against teams with winning records. We’ll know soon enough just how good these Eagles are.” (LW: 10)

Rick Gosselin

8 - The Eagles had three sacks on defense in the month of September. They had 10 the opening weekend of October against the Jets. End Brandon Graham had three of them and cornerback Orlando Scandrick two. (LW: 13)

Denver Post

8 - In rout of Jets, the Eagles became the first team in league history to have 10 sacks and two defensive TDs in the same game. (LW: 13)

Reddit

8 - The Eagles took care of business against the inept Jets and now look forward to a difficult six game stretch through the end of November - @Vikings, @Cowboys, @Bills, vs. Bears, vs. Patriots, vs. Seahawks. If the defense continues their Sunday productivity, Carson Wentz can remain mortal and playoff hopes can remain. (LW: 11)

ESPN

9 - Coming off a record-breaking season in which he had 116 catches and eight touchdowns, Ertz has had a quieter start to his 2019 campaign. His first touchdown came on Sunday against the Jets. Among tight ends, he ranks fourth in catches (29) and fifth in yards (312). Expect his production to pick up in the coming weeks, especially once field-stretcher DeSean Jackson returns from injury. (LW: 11)

Chicago Tribune

9 - After stifling the Jets and third quarterback Luke Falk, the Eagles will take the NFL’s No. 1 rushing defense to Minnesota in an intriguing matchup with Vikings running back Dalvin Cook. It’s the Eagles’ first game at U.S. Bank Stadium since the Super Bowl LII victory over the Patriots. They’re a little banged up in the secondary, and while the Vikings have a pair of dangerous receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, it’s not like they have been throwing the ball much. In fact, the Vikings’ hesitancy to throw has created plenty of storylines. (LW: 9)

Business Insider

9 - The Eagles defense dominated the Jets, racking up 10 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, plus a defensive touchdown. It’s a positive sign for a defense that had given up 20-plus points in each of the previous four games. (LW: 9)

Bleeding Green Nation

10 - The Eagles own the NFL’s seventh best point differential after notching a blowout win in Week 5. Just a dominant defensive performance, albeit against a terrible New York offense. (LW: 12)

Pro Football Talk

11 - Bad news — three straight road games. Worse news — they’re at Minnesota, Dallas, and Buffalo. (LW: 13)

Pride Of Detroit

11 - The Eagles absolutely steamrolled the New York Jets to get back above .500 and put themselves back into the driver’s seat in the NFC East. A matchup in Minnesota that can solidify them as an NFC contender looms. (LW: 11)

NJ.com

11 - Nothing cures what ails you like playing the Jets. (LW: 11)

Detroit Free Press

11 - 10 sacks, three takeaways — not a bad day of work for the Eagles’ defense last week, even if it was against the Jets. (LW: 12)

Houston Chronicle

12 - The victory over the pitiful Jets wasn’t impressive. If the Eagles win at Minnesota, they’ll earn some more respect. (LW: 11

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ANALYSIS

The rankings range from as high as 5 to as low as 12. The most common ranking is 8. The average ranking is 8.2, which is up from last week’s average of 9.4.

The Eagles predictably didn’t earn much respect by beating the Jets. The Birds will be able to solidify themselves as an unquestioned top 10 team if they can beat the Vikings in Minnesota this weekend.