September 22, 2026
Steve Roberts/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Saquon Barkley injury "is one to watch closely," per CBS' 🔥 analysis.
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 before Week 3 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too. (Note: My commentary will be a little more brief this week, as I have a flight to catch back to Philly.)
The Eagles found themselves in a four-quarter battle with a scrappy Titans team that gave them everything they could handle. Philadelphia’s championship culture prevailed, though. Outside of a couple of interceptions (one ugly, the other unfortunate), Jalen Hurts was excellent as a playmaker, propelling an offense that needed him and DeVonta Smith to carry the squad to a road win. There are no freebies in this league, and a lesser team loses in Nashville on Sunday.
#JimmySays:Â That Titans team isn't very good, as we laid out in our preview of the game. But I will say that it is dead on that they were "scrappy." For what they are talent-wise, that team played its ass off.
One thing we know about the QB1: Jalen Hurts is carrying this team.
The thought heading into the season was Hurts and the passing offense would need time to acclimate to coordinator Sean Mannion's system, meaning the Eagles would have to rely on their defense and ground game early. The defense did not dominate as expected against Washington and Tennessee, while the running game has been spotty behind an offensive line still trying to find its footing. Meanwhile, Hurts led the team to a Week 1 win with three touchdowns and another victory Sunday via a go-ahead touchdown drive in the closing seconds. He is tied for second in touchdown passes (five) and ahead of schedule in this new scheme.
#JimmySays: Through the first two games, Hurts' play has to be the biggest reason for optimism about the Eagles' chances for Super Bowl contention this season.
It's hardly been pretty, QB Jalen Hurts under relentless fire from a seemingly inferior opponent Sunday. But give him credit − Philly is 2-0 nevertheless and in its customary perch atop the NFC East.
#JimmySays: Lol 16th. Also, "Give him credit" feels like begrudging praise.
The Eagles needed to stop a 2-point conversion to beat the Commanders and a last-minute drive with a touchdown in the final seconds to beat the Titans. Those are two of the worst teams in the NFL so far. Life is better at 2-0 but it still has been an uneven start for the Eagles. It's not just an offense learning a new scheme either. The defense is just 22nd in EPA per play allowed and 14th in success rate allowed. The offense is 14th in EPA per play and 27th in success rate. It has been a very mediocre team that made the plays it needed to win two close games. It's early in the season and 2-0 is obviously fine, but don't ignore these warning signs.
#JimmySays: I'll quibble somewhat with the notion that the Eagles needed to stop a two-point conversion to beat the Commanders. If successful, that two-point conversion would've tied the game, and then the Eagles would have had a little more than a minute to try to win it in regulation. The win probability wouldn't have flipped the Commanders' way if they had converted.
Of course, they didn't need that final drive because Moro Ojomo made a big-time play. But, even if they didn't play as well as you would expect of a contender, the Eagles were in the driver's seat all evening in that matchup.
Now, it is certainly true that they had a big scare in Tennessee.
I do agree with the overall point that they look mediocre.
Of course, they look mediocre to start every season, and yet they somehow find ways to bank wins anyway. Here are their records after their first four games of the season since they became contenders in 2022:
• 2025: 4-0
• 2024: 2-2
• 2023: 4-0
• 2022: 4-0
The only season where they looked genuinely impressive was 2022, and part of that was because expectations hadn't been heightened yet. So, we'll see. But it's not like we haven't seen this before, even during a Super Bowl-winning season.
Rookie spotlight: Makai Lemon
The first-round wide receiver has played 83 snaps through two games and has five touches for a total of 4 yards. If this team wasn’t eking out wins, Philly fans would be all over Lemon. Third-round offensive tackle Markel Bell is the only other member of the eight-man rookie class who is contributing — and just barely.
#JimmySays: Get out of here with that nonsense. Eagles fans are the best multitaskers in the NFL. They can feel OK about the record while being unhappy about whatever issues the team has, and usually the latter is the focus of discussion. And really, although Lemon has surely had a disappointing start, he's probably not among the top five things to bitch about.
It wasn't always pretty against the Titans, but they found a way. The Saquon Barkley injury is one to watch closely.
#JimmySays: CBS with the 🔥 analysis, as always.
On a side note, I actually think that for now the offensive staff should lean into the passing offense's surprising early success instead of running into brick walls all day.Â
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