The Philadelphia Eagles are two wins clear of their closest competitors. They’ve won the Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City, on the road no less. So how can they possible lose the No. 1 spot in the power rankings? There are a handful of reasons.
The Eagles, quite simply, don’t look like the best team in football right now. They certainly look like they have the ability to be, but so do five or six other teams. Philadelphia has been the beneficiary of two things that do not seem sustainable. The Eagles have had a ridiculous amount of help by the referee crews assigned to their games, and they’ve also had an unbelievable amount of fortunate bounces go their way.
Whether it be Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s hideous drop at the end of Week 11, or Gabe Davis making the wrong choice on a wide-open option route in overtime this week, the game-deciding moments have bounced the Eagles way all season. Without those plays, or the referees heavy-handed nature against their opponents while swallowing the whistle during Eagles’ infractions, they’ve been extremely blessed and highly favored. But those aren’t reasons to keep them ranked No. 1.
In reality, they are on par with the bundle of 8-3 teams that sit below them in the standing and right now two of those teams feel better equipped to march their way to the Super Bowl. They aren’t in the top five in EPA, DVOA, nor PFF team grades. They have the wins, but not the substance of a dominant team.
Others do, though and fortunately, one of those teams is next up on their schedule for a scintillating Sunday matchup for Week 13.
The San Francisco 49ers are healthy again on offense and will travel to The Linc in a rematch of the NFC Championship game. And after a SNF victory where their defense once again shone brightly, the Baltimore Ravens also have a claim to be the game’s best. Who sits atop the throne this week?
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