What They’re Saying About the Eagles

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

Following the loss to the Cardinals, the Birds drop one spot to fourth in NFL.com‘s power rankings. Dallas dropped from second to fifth:

Close deal there with Jordan Matthews at the end, but I don’t think he would have been able to drag that other foot inside the white line, even if he hadn’t been pushed. Penalties and turnovers ruined the day for the Eagles, ultimately undermining a suddenly-one-dimensional offense that featured 411 yards from Nick Foles.

In his midseason report, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com picks Nick Foles as one of his losers from the first half of the season:

Nick Foles’ long-term viability: Chip Kelly says he judges quarterbacks on wins and losses, but Foles has not played well in plenty of Philadelphia’s wins. Watching the Eagles often feels like Foles battling himself. Another half-season like this, and Philadelphia will have to consider bringing in stronger competition for him in 2015.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com lists Cody Parkey as one of the top undrafted rookies so far this season:

Philadelphia Eagles K Cody Parkey (Auburn)
I liked Parkey coming out of Auburn. He has a good leg, and nothing seems to bother him. He was originally signed by the Colts, but had little chance of beating out Adam Vinatieri. However, he was able to showcase his talents in training camp and was dealt to the Eagles in a player-for-player trade. Philadelphia was looking to upgrade the position held by Alex Henery, a disappointment as a fourth-round pick in 2011. Parkey has been more than an upgrade. He has converted 14 of 15 field-goal tries (including two game-winners) and all 23 of his extra points. He also has shown a strong leg with a long field goal of 54 yards.

In the ESPN.com power rankings, the Eagles drop two spots to fifth, one spot behind Dallas:

Sunday was a missed opportunity for the Eagles, the kind they should take advantage of now before a Week 13-15 stretch against the Cowboys, Seahawks and Cowboys again.

Peter King of The MMQB ranks the Birds fifth in his Fine Fifteen:

5. Philadelphia (5-2). If the field is 12 inches wider, Jordan Matthews catches that touchdown inbounds on the last play at Arizona and it’s the Eagles who leave the desert dancing. Philly has agonizing losses to the Niners (26-21) and Cardinals (24-20).

Andy Benoit of The MMQB puts together his midseason All-Pro teams with three Eagles making the cut:

Jason Peters, Offensive Tackle, Second Team

Connor Barwin, Outside Linebacker, Second Team

Darren Sproles, Return Specialist, Second Team

SI.com keeps the Birds fourth in its power rankings, while Dallas drops from second to sixth:

Can’t punish the Eagles too much for a late loss at Arizona. (Also, can’t reward any other teams that heavily, so Philadelphia sticks at No. 4.) However, they won’t stay this high for much longer if Chip Kelly’s team cannot solve its turnover issues. With three more miscues Sunday, the Eagles now have committed 17 turnovers this season, worse than everyone but Jacksonville.

FoxSports.com swaps the Cardinals and Eagles to second and third respectively, while Dallas drops to fifth:

The turnovers on offense and big plays allowed on defense finally caught up to the Eagles in a game where they bested their opponent by a significant amount of yards and first downs. Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce are on their way and they will revive the offensive line.

Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com hands out his midseason grades for each team:

Philadelphia (6-2): B. The Eagles haven’t fired on all cylinders this season yet still hold a share of the NFC East lead, which bodes well for the future.

Donovan McNabb (via FoxSports.com) drops the Birds three spots to seventh in his power rankings:

Too many passing attempts for Nick Foles. They need to run LeSean McCoy!

CBSSports.com drops the Eagles one spot to fifth in its power rankings:

If not for the mistakes against the Cardinals, they’d be the top NFC team. Those turnovers were killers.

The Birds stand pat at fourth in Pro Football Talk‘s power rankings:

4. Philadelphia Eagles (No. 4; 5-2): Last year, Nick Foles carried the Eagles. This year, he could be holding them back.

Nate Davis of USA Today gives the Eagles a B+ on his midseason report card:

Eagles (5-2): They’re right in the thick of the NFC East race, seemingly doing it with mirrors (and non-offensive TDs) amid issues on both sides of the ball. If the offensive line returns intact next month, RB LeSean McCoy should explode.

Greg Gabriel of the National Football Post reviews the NFC by division at the halfway point:

Going into the season, my feeling was that Philadelphia would walk away with the division mainly because the other three teams were weak. Philly is sitting at 5-2, but they are currently a half game behind the 6-2 Dallas Cowboys.

Early in the season, the Eagles were hit by an overwhelming amount of injuries, especially to their offensive line, but they have been able to survive. The Eagles are as healthy now as at any point during the season and I still feel they will be the division winners.

Quarterback Nick Foles isn’t playing the mistake-free football he did last year, but he’s still having an outstanding season. The player to watch during the second half of the season is rookie receiver Jordan Matthews. He seems to play better every week and Foles is throwing to him more often.

Matt Cassidy is a journalism student at Temple and an intern at Birds 24/7.