It's official. We're obsessed with the NFL. We guess we always knew that, but now, there's really no denying it. The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl not even a month ago, and we're already sifting through next season's opponents to identify the wins and losses on the schedule.
We have them finishing 13-4 by the way.
March Madness is underway. Spring has sprung. The Phillies are back, and the 76ers are still awful. Despite their being so much to talk about, we keep daydreaming about the Birds throwing 'the dagger' with that beautiful bomb from Jalen Hurts' arm into the waiting hands of DeVonta Smith.
As expected, players and coaches left shortly thereafter. Brandon Graham retired, but most of the team's core is intact. There are stars or 'stars in the making' at just about every position on the roster.
We'll see what transpires with the Dallas Goedert trade rumors, but even if he moves on, we see no reason to believe Philly won't compete for the Lombardi Trophy again next season.
Must read: 7 fantastic stops on Brandon Graham's ride through a legendary Eagles career
Eagles finish 2nd in PFF's most recent NFL Power Ranking.
So, we mentioned that football obsession earlier, right? If you're wondering what it looks like, picture this. Three TVs... Two have a basketball game on them. The other features spring training baseball (Phils and the Atlanta Braves). Neither game can command our attention past five minutes. We're stuck on a recent Pro Football Focus power ranking.
From one football platform to another, we absolutely love the work PFF does, but how are the defending world champs ranked behind an AFC team that didn't even qualify for its conference championship game?
Mason Cameron cooked this one up. The Baltimore Ravens top his list. Philly ranks second. The Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs round out the top five.
Here's what Cameron states as his reasoning for ranking the Ravens first.
"Bringing back Defensive Player of the Year candidate Zack Baun was pivotal for the Eagles, but they lost several key contributors in free agency — Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson — from what was the highest-graded defense in the NFL. If left unaddressed, those losses will be felt in 2025.
However, Philadelphia has a proven track record of elevating under-the-radar signings, and if they manage to repeat that success, the drop-off should be marginal. After all… to be the best, you have to beat the best."
While much of what he says makes sense, Baltimore didn't "beat the best". They didn't even beat the second-best team in their conference. We love Lamar Jackson and all, but when do we grade him and his team differently for the way it continues to falter during the postseason?
Oh well... Give them credit. PFF did what they do just about as well as anyone. They created the narrative and convinced us to talk about it. It's going to be an interesting season as it always it. With one week of the league's new year behind us, we're already picking apart power rankings.