NFL Power Rankings: Eagles Outside Top 3?
The Philadelphia Eagles are still among the NFL's elite after a 2-0 start, but where do they rank after Week 2?
Sports Illustrated's power rankings had the Eagles at No. 4, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys (No. 1), San Francisco 49ers (No. 2) and the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 3). The Chiefs are the only team with a loss that's ranked ahead of Philadelphia.
It hasn't been a dominant start, but Philadelphia has gotten the job done in its first two games with a 25-20 win over the New England Patriots (0-2) on Sept. 10 at Gillette Stadium and a 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings (0-2) on Thursday Night Football at Lincoln Financial Field.
"We’re starting to notice a trend that a lot of teams look good against the Minnesota Vikings," SI writes. "The Eagles were no different. We’re still looking to see what Brian Johnson’s unique imprint on this offense is going to be for Jalen Hurts. Hurts is a perfectionist, so sometimes his mistakes seem magnified over the course of a game because he is so hard on himself."
Jalen Hurts hasn't gotten off to the same dominant start he had last season. Through Philadelphia's first two games this season, he's thrown for 363 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He's also had 21 rushing attempts for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season, Hurts threw for 576 yards, one touchdown and one interception while running for 147 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries in the Eagles' first two games.
A slower start can be attributed to having a new offensive coordinator in Brian Johnson. Hurts and Johnson are still finding their footing and working to be on the same page. At some point, one figures Hurts will find his stride as the season progresses and gets more comfortable in Johnson's offense.
One bright spot from the Eagles' win over Minnesota was the performance of running back D'Andre Swift. He had 28 carries for 175 yards and a touchdown. If Swift can continue to perform like he did on Thursday night, it'll make one of the best offenses in football even more dangerous.
"Minnesota’s willingness to hand over the middle of the field to an incredible Eagles offensive line—enabling new running back D’Andre Swift to gain 175 yards—was a scary harbinger of how dominant this Eagles team could be on the ground, and how deep this backfield is," SI writes.
Philadelphia faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) at Raymond James Stadium on Monday Night Football at 7:15 p.m. in a battle of unbeaten teams.
