Copyright phillyvoice
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 8 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too. NFL.com: 5th We finally saw 2024 shades of Saquon Barkley, as the reigning Offensive Player of the Year racked up 174 scrimmage yards with a touchdown on the ground and through the air in a blowout of the Giants. That said, Barkley left the game late with a groin injury and didn't return, so there's a little hesitation with the Eagles because of that. But that's now two straight games where they flexed their muscles and looked like heavyweight contenders again. If Barkley is sidelined, it's good to know that someone else can have success running in this offense. Tank Bigsby had one carry for Philadelphia entering Sunday but ran for 104 yards on just nine totes against New York. Considering all of that came in a game without A.J. Brown (hamstring), the Eagles should feel pretty good about where they're headed after this week's bye. #JimmySays: When Brown doesn't play, the Eagles' offense typically just looks different, as in, nowhere near as potent. And certainly, they're going to need him playing at his best if they're going to do special things this season. But for one week, the Eagles' offense played very well without him. Of course, it probably didn't hurt that the Giants were down their CB1, CB2, and their best safety. Best offseason addition: LB Jihaad CampbellThe first-round pick out of Alabama has been a contributor in Vic Fangio's defense from the jump. Campbell has played 87% of the snaps with 45 tackles, eight QB pressures and an interception. His role shifted when Nakobe Dean recently returned from a knee injury, moving from starting inside linebacker to more of a hybrid edge player. That has come with a learning curve, but Campbell's versatility is already proving valuable. #JimmySays: Campbell is a pretty easy choice for best offseason addition. In addition to the stats noted above, he also has a forced fumble and he's been surprisingly good in coverage, especially for a rookie. USA Today: 8th Their bye comes at a terrible time after the offense put up 59 points and nearly 800 yards over the past two weeks. Their bye also comes at an ideal time given RB Saquon Barkley left Sunday's win hobbled by a groin injury. #JimmySays: It comes at a good time, in my opinion. Nolan Smith could be back after the bye, as could other guys like Brandon Graham and Jakorian Bennett. A.J. Brown can heal up, as can Cam Jurgens, and the aforementioned Barkley. And the offensive line in general has had all kinds of bumps and bruises this season. They pretty badly need this bye week. But also, the trade deadline is next Tuesday. By having the bye this week, that won't be a distraction for the coaching staff. And if the team makes a trade this week, they can get that player into the building and he'll have more time to get ready for the next game. Seeing Saquon Barkley break off a 65-yard run was huge. Those explosive Barkley runs hadn’t happened all season after being a staple of Philly’s Super Bowl run last season. Barkley’s groin injury doesn’t seem serious, and the Eagles need him to gain momentum. #JimmySays: Yep, the Eagles are 6-2 even though their rushing offense hasn't lived up to its potential in 7 of their 8 games. If they can get that going, they're the best team in football. The Athletic: 3rd Something scary: A fully operational Death StarSaquon Barkley: 150 yards. Jalen Hurts: four passing touchdowns, no interceptions. DeVonta Smith: six catches for 84 yards. The problem for the rest of the league is that the Eagles can be a hot mess for a month and then immediately turn back into the team that dominated the Super Bowl a year ago. That, and the fact that referees refuse to officiate the Tush Push at all. #JimmySays: I don't know what "(The) referees refuse to officiate the Tush Push at all" is supposed to mean. If there's a complaint to be made from Sunday's game, it's that they over-officiated it, by saying that Hurts' "forward progress" had stopped instead of letting it play out. It's amazing what happens when Saquon Barkley gets the ball. The offense has to be able to run the ball, even if Jalen Hurts has had some nice moments throwing it. #JimmySays: CBS with the 🔥 analysis, as always. (Also, it's not like Saquon hasn't gotten the ball. He's third in the NFL in carries. That was just the first game the rushing attack looked good.) Also also... 11th? 🤔. There aren't 10 teams better than the Eagles. Average power ranking of the six media outlets above Week 1: 1.0Week 2: 1.2 📉Week 3: 1.7 📉Week 4: 1.2 📈Week 5: 1.2 😐Week 6: 2.7 📉Week 7: 7.5 📉Week 8: 6.2 📈Week 9: 5.7 📈 Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
