December 16, 2020
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 after Week 14 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
Offense: 31
Defense: 13
Special teams: 24
Carson Wentz declined dramatically in 2020, plummeting toward the bottom in most statistical categories for QBs before being replaced in the lineup by rookie Jalen Hurts. Although there is plenty of blame to spread around, the negative plays brought on by Wentz's turnovers (19) and sacks (50) put the Eagles on bad footing all too frequently.
#JimmySays: I thought Jalen Hurts was smart with the football on Sunday, and avoided the negative plays that Wentz might not have if he had started.
Doug Pederson turned to Jalen Hurts believing the rookie quarterback could spark an Eagles offense that had flatlined under Carson Wentz. The gamble paid off in a 24-21 upset win over the Saints. Hurts threw a pretty touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery and rushed for 106 yards against a stout New Orleans defense. Miles Sanders also crossed the century mark in a 246-yard rushing effort for Philly, the team's biggest day on the ground in six years. On Monday, Pederson made it official, announcing that Hurts would remain in the starting lineup for a Week 15 matchup against the Cardinals. The Eagles' 4-8-1 record is grisly, but they aren't out of the NFC East race yet. Hurts represents hope.
#JimmySays: The throw to Jeffery was better than just pretty. Hurts showed a lot of poise and toughness by standing in and taking a big hit as he threw.
Jalen Hurts’s debut as the starting QB exceeded expectations. He didn’t just provide the Eagles' offense a spark, he gave the unit an identity, to the tune of 246 rushing yards.
#JimmySays: I remember back in October, Doug Pederson was asked what the identity of his offense was, and after a long sigh and pause, he gave sort of a rambling answer.
"I would define the identity as using the strength -- number one, you've got to go off the strength, I think, of your quarterback, and then you build your plans around that," he said. "So obviously the identity, you want to be able to run the football, play action pass, the QB movements, and then... the screens, you've got to mix in the screens effectively in your system. You want to be physical up front. That goes without saying. You want to be dominant there, control the line of scrimmage, all of that, and that's where the run game comes in.
"But I think you're seeing that you've seen the identity a little bit kind of rear its head up in these games, and then it goes back down because we haven't been as successful on 1st down. Been in too many 2nd-and-long and 3rd-and-long situations, which gets you out of who you are a little bit as an offense.
"Those are the things that we have to focus on, continue to work at that, and go into each game with that mindset and that confidence level."
Anyway, the Eagles' offense didn't have an identity for the bulk of the season, and they sort of did on Sunday.
Rookie QB Jalen Hurts certainly provided a spark, perhaps most notably igniting a run game that exploded for a season-high 246 yards.
#JimmySays: Yes, thank you.
Whether they want it or not, the Philadelphia Eagles have a quarterback controversy on their hands after Jalen Hurts won the first start of his career Sunday.
This wasn't a win over some NFC East tomato can. This was taking down the 10-2 New Orleans Saints, who were the No. 1 seed in the NFC entering Week 14.
After the game, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson lauded Hurts' play against New Orleans, but he went out of his way to not give the young quarterback too much credit:
"It took everybody in uniform to win this game, not just one guy. And I'm going to repeat myself again that it takes a village to get this stuff done, and Jalen was a part of it, yes. But it took a team effort to win, honestly. Again, I talked about the defense earlier, the plays that they made just time and time again. Again, Jalen was a part of it."
Pederson initially wouldn't commit to Hurts as his starter for Week 15, but he announced Monday that the rookie will remain under center against the Arizona Cardinals.
Philly's massive financial commitment to Carson Wentz makes this the stickiest of wickets. The Eagles realistically can't move on from Wentz until 2022 at the earliest, and even that would result in a massive dead cap hit.
But while Pederson can hem and haw until the cows come home, he also has to start Hurts the rest of the season. He needs to see what he has in the youngster and give Wentz some time to clear his head and rebuild his shaken confidence.
It's the only course of action that makes an iota of sense.
#JimmySays: A trade of Wentz is possible this offseason, but unlikely, given the obstacles, as we noted in detail on Tuesday.
Doug Pederson’s lack of praise for Jalen Hurts got attention in Philadelphia (“He obviously was a part of the win, but my hat’s off to a lot of guys in this football game,” was among Pederson’s lukewarm statements). Why? It’s a guess, but it probably has to do with not wanting to put Carson Wentz in a worse place than he already is. The Eagles know they might not be able to move on from Wentz in 2021. His contract might preclude that. Fueling the hype on Hurts probably wouldn’t help Wentz’s confidence. Also, the Eagles know that while Wentz has struggled, it’s not all his fault.
#JimmySays: I hadn't chimed in on this yet, but I can understand Pederson's lukewarm praise for Hurts, not wanting to dance on Wentz's grave, and didn't think it was a big deal, at all.
Going to Jalen Hurts paid off with an upset victory over the Saints. He gave them some offensive life - and they are still alive.
#JimmySays: Eh. They're still a game and a half back of the Football Team, who are playing really well right now.
#JimmySays: I figured it might be fun to track how that changed each week over the course of the season. Obviously, the Eagles aren't winning the Super Bowl.
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