By David Weinberg
When it comes to NFL power rankings, sometimes things just don’t add up.
The Eagles (12-1) rolled to a 48-22 victory over the New York Giants (7-5-1) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday while the Cowboys (10-3) needed a fourth-quarter comeback to squeeze out a 27-23 win over the hapless Texans (1-11-1).
ESPN’s Power Football Index (FPI) still has Dallas as the top team in the NFL with a 10.3 PFI, followed by the Chiefs at 8.9 and Eagles at 8.1.
There must be a glitch in the algorithm.
Or the Eagles’ Agholor-thm.
Whatever the reason, it makes absolutely no sense for any team to be favored over the Eagles, at least in the NFC.
“It’s pretty evident to me that the Eagles are a great football team from head to bottom,” former Eagles linebacker and current analyst Seth Joyner told 94.1 WIP.
To be sure, they are not the only team capable of winning the conference. The Cowboys, Vikings (10-3) have shown they are capable of playing well at times. The 49ers (9-4) might be the Eagles’ biggest threats behind third-string quarterback Brock Purdy and a tenacious defense that is guided by former Eagles’ linebacker DeMeco Ryans.
Purdy, the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was far from irrelevant in Sunday’s 35-7 rout over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
But the road to the Super Bowl is still Broad Street.
And Jalen Hurts is driving the bus.
Hurts has emerged as the odds-on favorite to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award. He’s put together an amazing season as a dual-threat quarterback who has beaten teams with his arm and legs. Perhaps more importantly, his teammates respect him as the unquestioned leader.
That’s an underrated trait. Although Carson Wentz was supremely talented, he had difficulty winning over the locker room. That was not the case with Nick Foles, who exuded leadership during the 2017 Super Bowl run and over the next two seasons as well.
Hurts has that “it” factor. He’s not a vocal leader – his postgame outfits are much louder – but teammates gravitate toward him.
The entire team has followed his lead. The Eagles had a muted reaction after clinching a playoff berth for the fifth time in the last six seasons by beating the Giants Sunday. Perhaps because they have higher expectations. They can clinch the No. 1 seed and first-round bye in the NFC by beating Chicago next Sunday and Dallas on Christmas Eve.
“Of course you want to get in the playoffs, but we’re not really thinking about the playoffs right now,” Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said after the game. “We are trying to make sure our car is all gassed up before we get to the playoffs.”
As of now it appears as if the Eagles have more than enough gas in their band wagon to drive all the way to Arizona.
I made that drive a few years ago.
My son was starting his sophomore year at Arizona State University and we rode together from Cape May to Tempe. It was a three-day trek that took us through Indianapolis, St. Louis, Oklahoma City and Albuquerque en route to the desert.
His 2000 Mazda actually broke down once at a rest stop in Ohio, but all it needed was a jump to get us back on the road.
The 2022 Eagles’ bandwagon is running smoothly.
Brown and fellow wide receiver DeVonta Smith are among the league’s best tandems. Brown is the first Eagles wide receiver with over 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. Running back Miles Sanders is the first Eagles running back to surpass 1,000 rushing yards since LeSean McCoy in 2014.
They all operate next to the league’s best offensive line.
The defense also seems to be hitting its stride. The Eagles collected seven sacks against the Giants to push their season total to a league-best 49 and they also lead the league with 15 interceptions.
Of course, even the smoothest-running Mercedes can get a flat tire, but there’s no way the Eagles will run out of gas.
Hopefully, they won’t need jumper cables.
Across the street from Lincoln Financial Field, the Phillies have been doing everything in their power to get back to the World Series in 2023.
Those of us who live at the Jersey Shore can appreciate the Phils making a giant splash in free agency by signing top shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year contract for $300 million.
Turner, considered the best shortstop in the game, actually turned down more money from the Padres, who reportedly offered $341 million in order to get a chance to be reunited with Bryce Harper.
The pair played together with the Washington Nationals before Harper came to Philly and Turner joined the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It also helped that Turner and his wife, Kristen, preferred to return to the East Coast. Kristen is a Hunterdon Central High School graduate who met Trea at North Carolina State.
“Money was not number one,” Turner said. “We just pictured ourselves here. I pictured myself in this uniform. I wanted a lot of the playoff games and (Citizens Bank Park) was rocking.”
The Phils also bolstered their pitching staff by signing right-handed starter Taijuan Walker and left-handed reliever Matt Strahm.
Millville-based Rising Star Promotions was forced to cancel its December 17 card at Showboat Hotel due to unforeseen circumstances.
There were still be fights in town, however.
Vineland-based Cage Fury Fighting Championships will be returning to its roots with CFFC 116 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City on December 16.
The highly respected MMA organization got its start in Atlantic City on June 30, 2006. This will be its 45th show here.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points. He can also be heard on 97.3 ESPN as part of Weinberg Wednesday’s with Josh Hennig and on Newstalk 1400 and 92.3 WOND on Monday’s and Thursday’s as part of Off the Press with Scott Cronick.
David who is a member of the Atlantic City Boxing, New Jersey Boxing, and New Jersey MMA Halls of Fame, is a Cape May native who spends his spare time on the golf course, riding his SUP in the Cape May Harbor, sitting on the beach with his wife, Karen, and playing with his three grandsons Hampton (6), Graham (4) and Nixon (1). Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
