The Eagles Are Flying High, But Just How Good Are They?

No doubt, one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season has been the emergence of the Philadelphia Eagles as one of the truly elite teams in the league. As of Week 8, the Eagles have the best record in all of football sitting at 7-1, scoring some impressive wins over the Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals. But are they truly the NFL’s best team? That, I am not so sure about. Now, do not get me wrong, this Eagles team is very good, and I have been a firm believer in them as a playoff caliber team since before the season, (I picked them as a wild card team), but they just have not shown me enough to consider them as the best team in the NFL, or even the NFC for that matter.

First of all, the Eagles own the best record in football largely because they have beaten up on mediocre or bad teams. Of their 7 wins, 6 of them have come against teams currently owning a record of .500 or lower. I understand that they can only play the teams in front of them, but when you beat the 3-5 Chargers by just 2 points and need a miraculous 61-yard field goal to put away the 1-6 Giants, I have to question whether this team is truly elite.

Another question I have about this team is just how good is their defense? Right now, they are ranked 10th in the league in points allowed per game, allowing just 19.5 per game. However, they have had to face just TWO top 20 offenses all season, and one of them was in their sole loss of the season to the Kansas City Chiefs. They are also allowing the 26th most passing yards per game this season, making them susceptible against some of the high powered, pass happy, offenses in the league. The Eagles front seven is legit though, as they allow just 70 rushing yards per game, good for number one in the league. With guys like Vinny Curry, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Chris Long, and Mychal Kendricks, this unit is not only skilled, but also very deep. I am just not sure if this team’s secondary can compete with the likes of Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Big Ben, or even Dak Prescott. Could this weak Eagles secondary slow down those elite quarterbacks, especially in a playoff game? So far they have shown me nothing to suggest they can.

Another thing that could cause this Eagles team to come crashing down is something that all teams are forced to deal with as the season goes on. That is, injuries to key players. Last week, the Eagles lost one of their most valuable players in veteran Left Tackle, Jason Peters. Now, it will be up to Halapoulivaati Vaitai to protect the blind side of Carson Wentz. This could be a major development for the Eagles, who no doubt have Super Bowl aspirations, as protecting their young QB will be the key to their success. Last season when Lane Johnson missed 10 games due to a suspension, Vaitai struggled mightily to hold down the right side, and the Eagles ended up going 2-8 in that time. With games against Denver, Seattle, Oakland, and the Giants still on schedule, a shaky offensive line could once again lead to a late season tumble. In addition to that, the Eagles also lost starting MLB, Jordan Hicks, for the season with an achilles injury. This is another key loss that will probably hurt their ability to stuff the run.

Despite everything i have said, i do believe this Eagles team is very good and will hold on to win the NFC East over the Dallas Cowboys. However, i expect this team to struggle a bit down the stretch of the season and lose 3 or 4 more games. Wentz has played at an MVP level so far this season, but with his beat up offensive line and much tougher defenses ahead, I expect he too will see his production take a hit. Until they show me that they can beat some elite teams and win tough road games, i cannot pick the Eagles as the best team in the NFL, or even the NFC. The Eagles are a good team, but they are overrated and will end the year with a 12-4 record.

Written by Ryan Scimone