Ready for another year of NFL power rankings? Me either! Let’s do it anyway! Our top two teams are a bit of a surprise, although many people, including me (I’ll just pat myself on the back for a second here) thought the Eagles would be good. Philadelphia is taking advantage of the strengths of its scrambling quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Specifically, they’re doing a Baltimore impression by just running the ball down the opponent’s throat. Then they’re passing off the run, and it’s working. Philly is averaging 28.7 points per game, 5th best overall, and maybe should be scoring a little more (they are averaging a league best 447.0 yards per game).
Miami, like the Eagles, has an ex-Alabama QB drafted in 2020 in Tua Tagovailoa. He supplanted Hurts as a starter on the Crimson Tide and was drafted quite a bit ahead of his former teammate at #5. Hurts, after transferring to Oklahoma, was taken in the second round at #53, and as a result has avoided a lot of the pressure Tua has experienced as a lottery pick quarterback. Coming into the year, people were divided about whether Miami should give up on Tua already. His dislocated hip during his junior year (the Bo Jackson injury) has robbed him of some mobility and many doubted he could get by on arm talent alone. Well, so far, so good, because Tua is near the top of the leader board in most major categories (2nd in QB rating, T-3rd in TD passes, 2nd in passing yards, and #1 in ESPN’s QBR). I think the Eagles are the likelier serious contender of the two, but we’ll keep our eye on the Dolphins as well.
Detroit has been a roller coaster, losing a barn-burner to the Eagles in week 1 (that 38-35 loss is looking better all the time), handling the Commanders in week 2, and then blowing a big lead late to the Vikings in the Lions-iest game of the year so far. The positives include what looks to be a top 5 offensive line, a very good rushing attack, and Amon-ra St. Brown’s continued emergence as a Pro Bowl level wide receive (RIP to the Pro Bowl, to be replaced by a week-long skills competition in Las Vegas. Can’t say I’ll miss the worst all-star game in all of pro sports). Negatives include an extremely streaky offense, which has at times dominated, but has had long fallow stretches in every game this year, and a mediocre defense that has only really had two good halves this year (first half against Washington and first half against Minnesota). At least the win monkey is off their back early this year. Lets see how they fare against what is looking like a pretty garbage Seattle team on Sunday.
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