December 27, 2023
Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts check the Jumbotron to see if they moved up in the power rankings.
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 16. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
The Cowboys lost and the Eagles won, ending their three-game slide, so the bottom line is that it was a productive weekend. The division title moved closer to landing in Philadelphia, with two winnable games remaining (vs. Cardinals, at Giants). But Monday's victory over the Giants was fairly unimpressive on the whole. The Eagles nearly coughed up a 20-3 lead to a team that benched its quarterback midgame because the offense was struggling. Philly's special teams turnover was a bit fluky, and while Dallas Goedert fell down on Jalen Hurts' pick-six, Hurts was lucky he didn't throw an interception on the play just before it, too. The Eagles outgained the Giants by nearly 200 yards, but all the mistakes made it a close game that came down to the final play. They'll want to knock those off as much as possible before the playoffs, one could safely assume.
#JimmySays: I do suppose that most fans would sign up for the overall results of Week 16, especially if we're also including the 49ers' bad loss in that mix.
ESPN has not yet published power rankings this week.
#JimmySays: Maybe they still will? Maybe they won't? Maybe I'll add them in later if they do, maybe I won't. But I have to move on.
MVP: A.J. Brown
The Eagles haven’t been what they wanted to be on offense this season, but throwing the ball to Brown when all else fails has worked pretty well. Brown is fifth in the league in receiving yards per game (92.9). He’s been targeted at least nine times in Philadelphia’s last five games. On Monday, he got 11 targets and caught six passes for 80 yards against the Giants, and he’s under contract for three more years.
#JimmySays: Brown basically was the Eagles' offense during the first half of the season. However, over the last 7 games, he has 41 catches for 455 yards and 2 TDs. Those numbers are fine, but his torrid pace has subsided. He's still likely going to break the Eagles' single season receiving record, which he also broke last year, when he had 1496 receiving yards.
Take a collective breath, Philly fans. The NFC East leaders dominated everywhere but the scoreboard while defeating the Giants on Monday, when Jalen Hurts also set a single-season quarterback record with his 15th rushing TD. Yes, last year's team was probably better – but this season's squad still has a very reasonable chance to go further.
#JimmySays: I mean, they had a 10-point lead at halftime of the Super Bowl last year. If by "further" they mean, "win the Super Bowl," I'm not sure that that feels "very reasonable" at the moment. And yet, they're tied for the third-best odds to win the Super Bowl right now.
Who will end the season hoisting the Lombardi 🏆? pic.twitter.com/tWYnImDdR8
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) December 26, 2023
I'm not sure there have been more unsatisfying 11-4 teams than the Eagles. They refuse to do anything easy, and not being able to put away the Giants on Monday was another example.
#JimmySays: Last year the Eagles won 6 games by 3 scores or more. This year, none.
They just don't look right, even when they win a game like they did against the Giants. They seem to be laboring at times.
#JimmySays: CBS with the fire🔥 analysis as always.
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