What are the “experts” saying about Philadelphia?

It’s time for our weekly roundup of how various media outlets view the Philadelphia Eagles in their NFL power rankings. It’s always interesting to see how the Birds stack up from an outside perspective.

Mile High Report

2) My brother is an Eagles fan. He went through four of the five stages of grief in this game. At one point, he was telling me he was done with the NFL this year, and I had to tell him how Derrius Guice was averaging less than two yards a carry. They were going to struggle to ice the game, which meant Case Keenum had to keep scoring. He shrugged it off. I looked like a prophet. (LW: 2)

Pro Football Talk

3) DeSean Jackson‘s return underscores just how stupid it was to get rid of him. (LW: 3)

Detroit Free Press

3) Carson Wentz finally has a deep threat in DeSean Jackson.

Bleeding Green Nation

4) The Eagles overcame a slow start by exploding for 25 points in the second half of their win over Washington. Concerns about Philly’s defense might not matter so much if the offense can pick up the slack. Carson Wentz looking like the 2017 version of himself is very encouraging for the Eagles’ outlook. The Wentz to DeSean Jackson connection is going to cause some real problems for opponents. (LW: 4)

The Athletic

4) Welcome home, DeSean. We probably shouldn’t expect 10 targets every week (and multiple 50-plus-yard touchdowns) for 32-year-old DeSean Jackson, but how nice is it if you’re the Eagles to know Carson Wentz has Jackson as a deep option? The Eagles’ second-half rally against Washington was enough to convince our panel not just to keep Philly in the top five but to move it up. (LW: 5)

PennLive

4) The Eagles trailed by 17 in the second quarter and 13 at halftime. Then, the offense clicked into gear. Carson Wentz is good, DeSean Jackson is still dangerous and there are so many other options. Plus, the defense kicked into gear in the second half. Philadelphia should be a team to be reckoned with this season. (LW: 4)

Rick Gosselin

4) DeSean Jackson is 32 years of age but is showing no signs of slowing down. Back in Philadelphia after a five-year absence, Jackson caught touchdown passes of 51 and 53 yards in a season-opening victory over Washington. His presence on the flank automatically makes Carson Wentz a much better quarterback. (LW: 4)

The Big Lead

4) Similar to the Rams, it was a slow start in Philly before Carson Wentz starting connecting with DeSean Jackson. After that? Curtains. The defense might be a bigger problem than anyone anticipated, but the offense looks dangerous enough to compensate.

ESPN

5) Rookie who flashed: Miles Sanders, RB. How the newcomer starred: His stat line (11 carries, 25 yards) doesn’t tell the whole story. Sanders saw a touchdown run called back because of a holding penalty and broke off a 19-yarder that showed off the burst and wiggle that coaches and teammates have been talking up all summer. He’s sharing a backfield with Jordan Howard, Darren Sproles and Corey Clement, and snap distribution will change from week to week, but look for Sanders to be featured more and more as the season goes along. (LW: 5)

NFL.com

5) I imagine there was a wave of sweet nostalgia washing over Philly fans as they watched DeSean Jackson blow the top off an opposing defense in an Eagles uniform again. Now 32, DJax is a decade removed from his NFL debut with the Eagles under Andy Reid, but he looked like pretty much exactly the same guy against the Redskins on Sunday. Carson Wentz greatly benefits from Jackson’s playmaking presence, and the wideout adds a dimension to the offense that already has proven playmakers in Zach Ertz and Alshon Jeffery. Speaking of sweet Iggles nostalgia, Wentz looked a lot like the guy who tore the NFL apart in 2017 once Philly’s offense shook off the rust in the second half. Wentz is a legit MVP candidate and the Eagles are primed for a fierce battle with the Cowboys for the NFC East crown. (LW: 5)

Pro Football Focus

5) The Eagles maintain their ranking following a surprisingly close come-from-behind victory over the Redskins. Week 1 saw the return of Eagles clutch plays on third down, with the second-highest EPA per play (1.18) while performing much worse on early downs (23rd, -0.20 EPA per play). The defense struggled, especially in coverage (49.5 grade, 24th), giving up a handful of big plays to Washington’s receivers. (LW: 5)

MMQB

5) For one game, at least, it’s like DeSean Jackson never left—eight catches for 154 yards and two long TDs. Carson Wentz has a deep threat. (LW: 5)

Yahoo! Sports

5) I’m willing to excuse the slow start to not playing anyone in the preseason. It was scary, but by the end Carson Wentz had 313 yards and three touchdowns and the Eagles got a win. They’re fine. (LW: 5)

Bleacher Report

5) Who says you can’t go home again? In a game where the Philadelphia Eagles fell into a 17-0 hole and faced a 20-7 halftime deficit, their star was a familiar face. Veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson had a huge game in his return to the Eagles after a five-year hiatus. He reeled in eight catches for 154 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a 53-yarder that gave the Eagles their first lead of the game. The reunion was nice. The comeback win was that much better. But no one in Philly was smiling about one thing in Sunday’s win. Veteran journeyman Case Keenum and a Washington receiving corps that’s among the worst in the NFL roasted the Eagles’ young secondary for 380 passing yards. For the Eagles to be taken seriously as a threat to teams like the Rams and Saints in the NFC, they’ll need to vastly improve their pass defense. (LW: 5)

Washington Post

5) The early struggles against the Redskins were a bit baffling, but the Eagles turned things around. The big plays to wide receiver DeSean Jackson were exactly what was envisioned when the Eagles brought him back. (LW: 5)

NJ.com

5) What an impressive comeback for Carson Wentz and Co. in Week 1. Resilient group. Dangerous group, too.

The Score

5) The Eagles were the biggest favorite in Week 1 but a late touchdown by Washington gave the Redskins a 32-27 backdoor cover. The betting market is still high on Philadelphia. The Eagles are favored on the road in Atlanta this week and are the fourth betting favorite to win the Super Bowl at 12-1.

Blogging The Boys

6) Honestly it was very impressive how the Eagles battled back from falling down 17-0. They’re for real and need to be taken seriously. (LW: 6)

Houston Chronicle

6) Carson Wentz rallied the Eagles to a victory over Washington. They’ll try to make it 2-0 with a game on the road against the Falcons. (LW: 7)

Chicago Tribune

6) It took the Eagles a while to get going as they fell behind the Redskins 17-0, but when Carson Wentz got the offense rolling, they soared in a home win. Wide receiver Desean Jackson, in his first game back with the Eagles since he was unceremoniously dumped by former coach Chip Kelly after the 2013 season, caught touchdown passes of 51 and 53 yards. Jackson has 31 touchdown catches of 50 or more yards in his career, trailing only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (36). Alshon Jeffery had a touchdown catch and a touchdown run. (LW: 7)

Business Insider

6) Carson Wentz and the newly returned DeSean Jackson showed a nice connection in their first game, connecting on eight passes for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Eagles needed all of it to overcome an early 17-point deficit against their division rivals.

CBS Sports

7) They started slowly against the Redskins, but Carson Wentz got it going in the second half. That’s the Eagles team we expect to see.

USA Today

10) Took a half to knock rust off, but then QB Carson Wentz showed form everyone expects. Foot injury to DT Malik Jackson a tough setback. (LW: 4)

Sporting News

10) The Eagles didn’t fly out of the gate until they decided to let DeSean Jackson take over on the deep ball from Carson Wentz. Their running game and defense need work to get to championship level again, but Wentz is back in MVP candidate form with Jackson, Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz. (LW: 6)

ANALYSIS

The rankings range from as high as 2 to as low as 10. The most common ranking is 5. The average ranking is 5.2, which is actually down slightly from last week’s average of 4.8.

I’m not sure how outlets are dropping the Eagles down to 10 after previously thinking so highly of them. I realize the Eagles have some issues but they also have some pretty good things going for them ... things that led them to a Week 1 win!

An Eagles win over the Falcons in Atlanta should get them some more respect in these rankings.