September 21, 2021
Kate Frese/PhillyVoice
Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, and Jordan Mailata come to the harsh realization during their loss to the 49ers that they might fall a bit in a bunch of nerds' 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 heading into Week 3 of the 2021 regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.
Fantasy surprise: WR Quez Watkins
He entered training camp as a reserve but earned playing time with one electrifying play after another this summer. We're now seeing that translate to the regular season, as Watkins hauled in a 91-yard reception against the 49ers on Sunday and finished with two catches for 117 yards. He'll likely be boom or bust week to week, but if you catch him at the right time, Watkins might just go off for you.
#JimmySays: Jalen Reagor got 42 snaps on Sunday, while Watkins got 29. They should probably be flip-flopped.
The Eagles dominated the 49ers for most of the first half on Sunday and still found themselves trailing as they headed to the tunnel. When the dust cleared on a 17-11 loss, Philadelphia was left to make peace with the opportunities wasted: Jalen Reagor stepping out of bounds prior to a long touchdown catch, a Quez Watkins 91-yard reception somehow producing zero points, a Derek Barnett unnecessary roughness penalty that whittled away precious time in the fourth quarter. The Eagles deserve credit for hanging tough with a talented San Francisco team, but that was also a winnable game they let slip away. The challenge to bounce back will be greater with Brandon Graham lost for the season with an Achilles injury.
#JimmySays: I feel like there are folks both locally and nationally who are sort of letting the Eagles off the hook because they played some great team. I don't see it that way. For the better part of the first half, Jimmy Garoppolo stunk, and the Niners were missing a slew of players due to injury. They were without their top two corners, a starting LB, their top two running backs, and a handful of other starters were playing banged up. That was not some great team that they played on Sunday.
The Eagles were among the biggest surprises of Week 1, but scoring just 11 points in the follow-up game against the 49ers takes some of the shine off a 32-point effort in Atlanta. The Eagles have plenty of veterans, but at the start of a new era with a first-year coach and young quarterback, more ups and downs should be expected.
#JimmySays: The Eagles do appear to be a somewhat better team than anticipated.
No analysis given on the Eagles, but they were lumped into the "Muddled Middle" bucket of teams, along with the Saints, Steelers, Football Team, Dolphins, Bears, Colts, and Texans.
#JimmySays: I'd probably have the Steelers in the next group up, and the Texans in the next group down. Otherwise, yes, I think the Eagles are about on par with those other teams.
No team in the NFC is running the ball better, but Philly couldn't finish Sunday. Among its nine drives were four punts, a blocked field goal, a failed fourth-and-goal and a kneeldown before halftime. Still, Eagles may have ingredients to be NFC East's dark horse.
#JimmySays: The Eagles didn't run the ball well on Sunday. They just piled up a bunch of rushing yards in the stat sheet on a bunch of Hurts scrambles.
In Week 1, the Philadelphia Eagles got the Jalen Hurts they hoped the young quarterback would become in his second season.
In Week 2, the Eagles got the Jalen Hurts who was equal parts electrifying and maddening as a rookie.
Hurts once again picked up yards with his legs Sunday against the Niners; his 82 yards on 10 carries led the team. But his passing line wasn't nearly as good as the week before: 12 completions on 23 attempts for 190 yards.
#JimmySays: In Week 1, the Eagles had a great game plan that accentuated Hurts' skill set. In Week 2, they did not.
The Eagles had three plays of more than 10 yards, not including Jalen Hurts runs: Quez Watkins' 91-yard gain in which he didn't score, a 14-yard catch by Dallas Goedert and an 11-yard catch by DeVonta Smith. The Eagles' playmakers around Hurts are better than this, and they'll need to be going forward (as will Hurts).
#JimmySays: Yeah, that's not correct. Without even looking, I know that Watkins had an additional 26-yard reception. I think the point is fine, though, especially if directed at Jalen Reagor, who left a huge play on the field because he ran a route too close to the sideline.
They did some good things against the 49ers, but blew early chances to take a grasp of the game. You can't do that against good teams, and they paid for it.
#JimmySays: Thanks as always for banger analysis, CBS.
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