Eagles power ranking roundup: Week 5

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 4 of the regular season. Oh, and here's our version of these sellout rankings, too.

NFL.com: 1st

Philadelphia has developed a little bit of a habit of disappearing for half the game. Against the Rams, it was the first half (plus a little more). Against the Buccaneers, it was the second half. Somehow, the Eagles won both contests. You can't overlook their grit and late-game resilience, especially in the swampy Tampa heat, even if the Bucs pretty much shut down the Eagles after halftime. The one touchdown came after Bucky Irving's fumble deep in Tampa territory, and Philly had five three-and-outs in the second half. The defense made some plays in crunch time but also allowed touchdowns of 77 and 72 yards. The Eagles were plus-two in turnovers but in the red again on penalty yards, with a few particularly foolish flags in the first half. They're by no means a sure-footed No. 1, but then again, who else has won 20 of their past 21 games?

#JimmySays: As expected, the "tale of two halves" will be a theme in this week's power ranking roundup.

ESPN: 1st

Biggest issue on offense: Passing inconsistency

The Eagles have been prone to wild swings through four games. They had minus-1 passing yards in the first half against the Rams in Week 3, then erupted in the second half to mount a comeback win. Quarterback Jalen Hurts went 15-of-16 with two touchdowns in the first half against the Bucs, then went 0-for-8 in the second half as Philadelphia nearly blew a substantial lead. The fact that there's significant room for improvement is a scary thing for the league, given this team exited a very difficult portion of its schedule with a perfect record.

#JimmySays: If you combine the first half against the Rams and the second half against the Bucs, the Eagles would have -19 passing yards, lol. Of course, if you combine the second half against the Rams and the first half against the Bucs, they have 333 passing yards and 5 passing TDs.

My solution? The Eagles should play more like they did during the good halves, and less like they did during the bad halves. Boom.

USA Today: 1st

They've won 20 of 21 games − one loss over the past calendar year, when QB Jalen Hurts was concussed at Washington, incidentally. Just wait until they add second-half passing yards, more Tush Push variations and maybe even get more out of RB Saquon Barkley, whose 3.1 yards per carry are nearly half his 2024 rate (5.8).

#JimmySays: Yeah, and they very likely would have won that game in Washington if Hurts hadn't gone out, as they were absolutely destroying them with the run game prior to his exit.

Yahoo: 2nd

The Eagles didn’t complete a pass in the second half, but were so good in the first half that they still won. Philadelphia is a strange team so far. The Eagles are undefeated, yet have had long stretches in each game in which they did not look good. But they have three quality wins, with room to grow.

#JimmySays: I wonder what qualifies as a "quality win." My assumption is that the Week 1 win over the Cowboys isn't being deemed as one? And if so, I disagree. That was a hard game. The Cowboys came to play, and before that matchup Dak Prescott had a 9-4 record against the Birds for his career. They beat a team that has given them problems in the past, at least whenever Dak is healthy.

The Athletic: 1st

Rookie spotlight: Jihaad Campbell

Second-round safety Andrew Mukuba has been good, but Campbell, the first-round linebacker, is coming on fast. Campbell had a fourth-quarter interception, a pass deflection and four tackles Sunday. He was Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked defensive rookie in Week 3 and might be again this week. The Eagles got a steal with the 31st pick.

#JimmySays: Campbell has the second best odds of winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors at most sportsbooks.

Who is first? The Giants' Abdul Carter. I'm not sure what exactly Carter has done so far this season, to be honest.

But, whatever.

CBS: 1st

They made it interesting in Tampa, but the sign of a good team is winning games on the road against good teams. They do have to get the running game going with Saquon Barkley.

#JimmySays: CBS with the 🔥 analysis, as always.

Average power ranking of the six media outlets above

Week 1: 1.0

Week 2: 1.2 📉

Week 3: 1.7 📉

Week 4: 1.2 📈

Week 5: 1.2 😐

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