What They’re Saying About the Eagles


Here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles this week.

In his MMQB column, Peter King says LeSean McCoy had the performance of the year by a running back:

The best rushing day by an Eagle ever—29 carries, 217 yards, two touchdowns—was the vital piece of the puzzle in a loony win over Detroit in eight inches of snow at Lincoln Financial Field. And in so doing, the invaluable McCoy moved closer to the rushing title. He has 1,305 yards, and an 84-yard lead over Adrian Peterson—who limped off Sunday in Baltimore with a mid-foot sprain—with three games to play.

King also has the Eagles eighth in his power rankings.

ESPN.com has the Eagles ninth in its power rankings:

Nick Foles had one completion past the line of scrimmage in the first half Sunday. However, Foles went 5-of-9 after halftime, with all five completions more than 10 yards downfield.

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com has the Eagles ninth:

OK, so Chip Kelly’s offense has never worked well in the Dagobah system, but don’t tell me the Eagles can’t make plays on Hoth. Nice to see LeSean McCoy give a quick shoutout to Steve Van Buren, whose single-game franchise record of 205 rushing yards was eclipsed by McCoy’s 217. Van Buren’s most famous outing also came in a blizzard: He scored the only touchdown in the 1948 NFL Championship Game, delivering the Eagles’ first ever NFL title.

Bill Barnwell of Grantland says the Eagles probably would have won regardless of conditions:

The Eagles would still probably have won their game with the Lions, even without the storm. But it probably wouldn’t have seen LeSean McCoy run for 217 yards against one of the league’s more underrated run defenses. There also might — might — have been more than one extra point attempted. Just a hunch.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Eagles ninth:

Sleet, snow, hail or rain can’t stop Chip Kelly’s offense. They are rolling on that side of the ball.

Robert Mays of Grantland has McCoy as one of his Week 14 winners:

This was the McCoy game that has seemed so close all year but has never quite happened. His 184-yard debut came on 31 carries, but since Nick Foles took over, there have been plenty of underwhelming outings. Apparently it took a blizzard to finally bring McCoy’s open-field advantage to an unfair place. McCoy has led the league the past two seasons in broken tackles, according to Football Outsiders, and I’m guessing he will again this year. His 1,305 rushing yards now lead the league, and if he somehow managed to string together a couple more big games and got to 1,600 for the year, I don’t know who would be surprised.

Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com has the Eagles 10th:

It should snow every week in Philly. LeSean McCoy was fantastic and the defense is improving. The last game of the year in Dallas should be for the division title.

Brian Billick of FoxSports.com has the Eagles ninth:

Nick Foles and the offense have been getting the majority of the attention, but very quietly, the Eagles defense has held opponents under 22 points for nine straight weeks and forced multiple turnovers in five straight games.

Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports has the Eagles ninth:

I still think this team’s roster needs a lot of work. But they’re a team nobody really wants to play in the first round of the playoffs.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the Eagles ninth:

On Sunday, the Iggles played like they live in igloos.

Football Outsiders ranks Nick Foles’ performance 15th among QBs last week:

First eight drives: 4-of-13 for 35 yards with two first downs, one fumbled snap, and one interception. Last six drives: 7-of-9 for 144 yards with a touchdown and five other first downs.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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