Eagles barely earn top-15 mention in Week 1 NFL power ranking

Despite being named by lifelong rival Michael Irvin as one of the potential NFL dynasties in waiting and their sudden emergence as the odds-on favorite of everyone with an opinion we care about to win the NFC East, it appears that the Philadelphia Eagles still have work to do before the sway everyone.

With attention fixated on the coming regular season (and after a fantastic holiday weekend of college football that intensified the appetite) NFL Power Rankings are aplenty. As you might imagine, it’s been hard to avoid the urge to point the mouse and click on a few in an attempt to see where the guys in midnight green land.

Dan Hanzus names the Eagles as the NFL’s 14th-best team ahead of Week 1’s slate of games.

When we mention some of the trusted voices in the media, Around The NFL Writer Dan Hanzus most certainly qualifies. In his Week 1 power rankings, he slots the Eagles at 14, barely cracking the top ten and ahead of their rivals the Dallas Cowboys.

That still places them atop the NFC East if you’re keeping score. It also lands them behind the following teams:

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Los Angeles Rams
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Kansas City Chiefs
8. Denver Broncos
9. Los Angeles Chargers
10. Baltimore Ravens
11. Las Vegas Raiders
12. Indianapolis Colts
13. New Orleans Saints

Here’s some of Hanzus’ reasoning on why he places the Eagles where he does.

"Can anyone put a dent in the offensive line? Eagles GM Howie Roseman has built a deep and promising roster that should put quarterback Jalen Hurts in the best possible position to thrive in Year 3. But Roseman outdid himself up front, where the starting five of LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Jason Kelce, RG Isaac Seumalo, and RT Lane Johnson stand above any blocking group in football. Mailata has been the greatest revelation of all, a product of the International Pathway Program who went from spot starter to one of the most dominant blockers in the game seemingly overnight."

Perhaps one of the more noticeable things about this list is the New Orleans Saints are ranked 13th. Some may argue that after beating them twice in as many seasons, Jameis Winston may not be enough to warrant them being ahead of the Birds, especially now that Sean Payton is no longer their head coach, but these two proud franchises meet on the field in Week 17. Grievances can be settled then.

For now, the ranking seems fair. If it proved accurate, the Eagles would wind up as division champions and host their first playoff game in the Wild Card. That’s what most of us are forecasting, correct?

The New York Giants and Washington Commanders landed at 28th and 30th respectively. It appears that Hanzus agrees with the rest of us when we make statements that the race for superiority in the NFL’s Glamour Division is one being run by two teams.