Week 1 NFL Power Rankings: Where The Eagles Stand
The first week of the 2019 NFL season is upon us, with some teams loading up on new talent to make a push towards a Super Bowl title, while other teams are drifting into irrelevance.
After an active offseason full of movement, week one will give us our first look at which teams will truly become contenders. Teams such as the Eagles, Seahawks, and Browns made bold moves this offseason in an effort to rise to the team. On the other side of the picture, teams such as the Dolphins and Bengals could see their misfortune continue.
Here are the NFL Power Rankings for Week 1…
32. Miami Dolphins
31. Arizona Cardinals
30. Cincinnati Bengals
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
28. Washington Redskins
27. Denver Broncos
26. New York Giants
25. San Francisco 49ers
24. Oakland Raiders
23. Buffalo Bills
22. New York Jets
21. Tennessee Titans
20. Jacksonville Jaguars
19. Detroit Lions
18. Indianapolis Colts
17. Carolina Panthers
16. Minnesota Vikings
15. Green Bay Packers
14. Atlanta Falcons
13. Cleveland Browns
12. Pittsburgh Steelers
11. Baltimore Ravens
10. Houston Texans
9. Seattle Seahawks
8. Los Angeles Chargers
7. Dallas Cowboys
6. Chicago Bears
5. Los Angeles Rams
4. Philadelphia Eagles
3. New Orleans Saints
2. Kansas City Chiefs
1. New England Patriots
Why The Eagles Are Ranked Where They Are
There’s no question that the Eagles have one of, if not the best offense on paper heading into 2019. With major offseason acquisitions such as DeSean Jackson, Jordan Howard, and Miles Sanders, along with Carson Wentz returning to full health, the Eagles are shaping up to potentially have their best offense yet under head coach Doug Pederson. The Eagles also still have the top offensive line in the league, though they do need Brandon Brooks to come back ready to go following last seasons torn Achilles.
The firepower of the offense alone warrants the Eagles a top 10 ranking, but their defense, led by a strong front 7, is what gets the Eagles into the top 5, ranking 4th.
A debate can be had as to whether the Rams should be ahead of the Eagles or not since the Rams represented the NFC in last years Super Bowl, but Todd Gurley’s health, the Rams’ poor secondary, and their inability to beat the Eagles in Los Angeles is why the Rams are ranked 5th and behind the Eagles.
As for why the Eagles are ranked 4th and not higher having won a Super Bowl in February of 2018, it largely rests on the need for the defense to stay healthy, and Wentz to bring the team where it’s capable of going.
The defense has suffered from some serious injury troubles over the last few years, most notably last season, and losing key players such as Ronald Darby, Rodney McLeod, and Derek Barnett proved to be one of the biggest downfalls of the Eagles season in 2018.
The Eagles defense is also entering 2019 a little dinged up. Fletcher Cox, Nigel Bradham, and Darby are all still recovering from injuries dating back to last season and aren’t quite 100% yet. All three are expected to play Sunday against the Redskins, but it’s tough to expect them to return to form right away. The defense will also be without Kamu Gruger-Hill and Cre’Von LeBlanc, two young players who showed immense promise last season, for the foreseeable future.
For Wentz, there’s no question that he’s capable of being the best quarterback in the NFL. He showed that in 2017, and even mirrored some of those numbers in 2018, though he clearly wasn’t quite right last season. Eagles fans have every reason to be confident in Wentz heading into the new season, but we have to see Wentz show off his magical play once again before they can rise above the ranks of the likes of the Saints, Chiefs, and Patriots.
The Eagles have every ability to rise towards being the best team in football, now they just have to go out starting this Sunday and show it.
Photo: AP Images
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