What They’re Saying About the Eagles

From mock drafts to the Eagles’ rise in power rankings, here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Birds this week.

Brian Billick of FoxSports.com has the Eagles ninth in his power rankings:

Four of the five opponents the Eagles have left to play are very much in the playoff hunt. They can’t afford to have any slip-ups in the race for the NFC East.

ESPN.com has the Eagles 11th:

Nick Foles is 4-1 with a 63.6 completion percentage, 16 touchdowns and no interceptions. Michael Vick is 2-4 with a 54.6 completion percentage, five touchdowns and three picks. End of controversy.

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com has a mock draft out. He’s got the Eagles picking 20th and taking Oregon CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu:

Allowing an average of over 300 yards per game, the Eagles rank dead last in the NFL against the pass. While Chip Kelly was best known for his offense at Oregon, his Ducks could fly on defense, as well. Adding one of his former pupils in Ekpre-Olomu could improve Philadelphia’s coverage as well as toughness on the perimeter.

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com has the Eagles taking Ekpre-Olomu also:

The Eagles need to get bigger, faster and more talented on defense, especially in the secondary where Philadelphia ranks 31st in the league. Coach Chip Kelly recruited Ekpre-Olomu to Eugene, so he knows the player – and he knows Ekpre-Olomu is a day one starter in the NFL.

Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com on what each team should be thankful for:

Eagles: That management thought outside the box and doggedly pursued Chip Kelly, a refreshing change agent in a league too often stuck in the past.

Peter King of TheMMQB.com has the Eagles 10th in his power rankings:

Kudos to Mike Vick for saying the other day he couldn’t justify pulling Nick Foles to return himself to the starting lineup. Everybody can see that, and often the incumbent quarterback can’t.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Eagles 11th:

They come off the bye in first place but facing a tough game with the Cardinals. Can Nick Foles keep it going?

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com has the Eagles 13th:

Philadelphia was off in Week 12, leaving millions to lament the fact that they couldn’t play LeSean McCoy in fantasy. Your friendly writer took much grief for placing him on this list over C.J. Spiller. Hopefully someone will back us up on that now. McCoy this season: 1,009 rushing yards, 399 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He’s also fumbled once in nearly 250 touches.

Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com writes that the Eagles are facing an uphill battle for a playoff berth:

Philadelphia has emerged as the trendy favorite to take the NFC East because the Cowboys … are the Cowboys. But it’s worth noting that the Eagles probably will have to win the division outright to make the playoffs. The Cowboys just have to beat Washington in Week 16 and they will hold all division tiebreakers, regardless of who wins the season finale between the Eagles and Cowboys.

To put it another way: Dallas could clinch the division with a one game leading heading into the final week. And they have just three games left against teams with winning records. The Eagles have four.

Frank Schwab of Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner has the Eagles 10th:

The odds of Eagles at Cowboys in Week 17 being flexed to Sunday night are off the board. It’s too obvious.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the Eagles 11th:

Believe it or not, the Eagles may make the playoffs without winning the division.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
Become a fan of Birds 24/7 on Facebook.