November 09, 2021
Are power rankings completely dumb and meaningless? Yes. Yes, they are. However, personally speaking, whenever I see them, I click. And now that I've sucked you in with promises of many power rankings, you'll read it and like it.
Here's where people around the country have the Eagles ranked heading into Week 10 of the 2021 regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
Bold second-half prediction: The Eagles will lead the league in rushing.
Philadelphia currently ranks fifth with 1,229 rushing yards despite minimal carries by the running backs over the first quarter of the season or so. Coach Nick Sirianni has since shifted his offensive approach to more of a ground-based attack. The result? The Eagles have rumbled for 412 rush yards with six touchdowns over the last two weeks. Granted, that was against a pair of bad run defenses in the Lions and Chargers, but combine the newfound commitment to the run with quarterback Jalen Hurts' production as a rusher (494 yards, five TDs) and you have a group capable of challenging the top-ranked Browns (1,442 rushing yards).
#JimmySays: I wonder if after the first half-ish part of the season, the Eagles' brass determined that Jalen Hurts cannot run the type of pass-heavy offense that they would ultimately like to run, decided that he is not the answer in 2022 and beyond, and just said, "OK, Nick, run whatever offense it is that you think can win games this season."
So I'm on board with the bold prediction here that they'll rack up a ton of rushing yards down the stretch.
Nick Sirianni cannot buy a win at home. The rookie head coach fell to 0-4 at Lincoln Financial Field -- and received an unwelcome bouquet of flowers for his team's efforts -- following a 27-24 loss to the Chargers. Philadelphia showed progress on offense. The running game thrived, while Jalen Hurts and rookie wideout DeVonta Smith showed some welcome chemistry in the second half, but the defense continued to struggle, especially against the pass. Chargers star Justin Herbert became the fifth opposing quarterback to complete at least 80 percent of his pass attempts in a game against the Eagles this season. It's a brutal trend, tying an NFL record held by the 2015 Bucs. Lots of season left.
#JimmySays: There are a lot of bad quarterbacks left on the Eagles' schedule, so they may be safe from having another one join the 80 percent club.
Nick Sirianni’s team has been hard to predict, but generally capable and better than we thought at this point. They are still one of the more capable offenses in the NFL, and Jalen Hurts should finish the season with a puncher’s chance of remaining the starter in Philadelphia beyond 2021. He is playing at roughly a Baker Mayfield level statistically right now, which is not bad for a first-year starter.
#JimmySays: I'll respectfully disagree that they've been unpredictable.
No analysis given specifically for the Eagles here, but they remain at the very edge of "the muddled middle."
The only team with a 3-6 record or worse that's outscored its opposition (by nine points) overall this season.
#JimmySays: Blowing out a couple of bad teams and scoring a bunch of garbage time points against the good ones will do that.
With the Philadelphia Eagles' struggles, there has been grumbling about benching quarterback Jalen Hurts for backup Gardner Minshew.
The Eagles lost a heartbreaker at home Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9 and attempted just 17 passes. But after the game, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni didn't sound like a man who was considering a change under center.
"[Hurts] was a stud," Sirianni told reporters. "He was a big-time stud. I mean, I've got a lot of respect for [Chargers head coach] Brandon Staley, they knew we were moving the ball really well on offense, and he didn't leave anything—I'm pretty confident he didn't leave anything on his call sheet."
Hurts posted more yards per attempt in this game than Justin Herbert and connected five times with DeVonta Smith for 116 yards and a score. This isn't to say he is the long-term answer under center in Philadelphia. But after 20 starts with the Jacksonville Jaguars, we rather know what Minshew is.
With just 13 starts, the same can't be said about Hurts.
#JimmySays: I agree that we know what Minshew is. Pretty sure we have a very good idea of what Hurts is, too.
Jalen Reagor has played all nine games this season, starting eight. He has 159 yards. He has games of 5, 9, 0, 0, and -6 yards this season. Third-year breakouts happen, but it's looking more and more like the Eagles won't get much out of this 2020 first-round pick.
#JimmySays: The Eagles drafted Reagor to be a deep threat, and he's averaging 7.6 yards per catch this season. They thought Justin Jefferson was a high-volume slot receiver. He's averaging 15.2 yards per catch for his career.
They played a solid game against the Chargers, but at 3-6 their playoff hopes are slipping away. The defense was shredded in that game.
#JimmySays: CBS with the 🔥 analysis as always.
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