Thanks to their 27-17 win over the Giants, the Eagles are now in first place in the NFC East with a 7-3 record after 10 games. This was a big game for them against one of the top teams in the league, so the Birds can confidently say they’re one of the best teams in the NFC.
At this point in the season, there’s not an NFC team which is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the conference. That means the door is open for the Eagles. If they can continue to improve and increase their consistency, there’ no doubt that they have a good chance to go deep in the playoffs and possibly to the Super Bowl.
Yes, it’s still very early to start talking Super Bowl, but the fact that two teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, who were supposed to be on top of the conference are out of the playoff picture, opens up opportunities for other teams like the Eagles.
Yes, the defending Super Bowl champion, New Orleans Saints are still in the middle of the hunt with a 7-3 record, so at some point the Birds will have to beat the Drew Brees-led squad in order to play in Dallas at the beginning of February. Still, I don’t think the Saints are as complete and dominant a team as the Cowboys and Vikings had the chance to be.
The are still one-dimensional offensively with Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas due to come back soon off of injuries. If they get back into the swing of things and start running the football effectively, it will make them a very difficult offense to stop. There defense isn’t outstanding.
It’s a given that you must be able to put points on the board, if you’re going to beat the Saints and that’s one thing the Eagles have proven they can do. The Birds offense can score against the best of defenses , so they should have no trouble getting things going against New Orleans.
The key will be the play of the Eagles defense and I thought they took a step up last night and showed the ability to shut down a powerful running game and force them to turn the ball over. Ultimately, turnovers will decide which team wins in big games with good football teams going head-to-head.
The Eagles will meet the Giants again in New York and could possibly battle them in the playoffs. It might benefit the Birds, if New York didn’t make the playoffs and was beaten out by what I think are inferior teams like Tampa Bay or Chicago.
I don’t take the Buccaneers seriously or the Eagles next opponent, the Bears. I consider their 7-3 records as being suspect. I believe Tampa Bay is too young for a deep playoff journey with second-year quarterback Josh Freeman and an inexperienced receiver corps. Jay Cutler is a walking, talking turnover machine and he may not be able to walk after getting battered with that mad man Mike Martz calling the plays and not ever thinking about protecting his quarterback.
Other teams which may have to be dealt with are two teams the Birds have already played the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons.
The Packers have a one-dimensional offense, which is dependent solely on the right arm of Aaron Rodgers. Their running game was lost when Ryan Grant went down with a season-ending injury. They can score and they have quality playmakers on their defense with Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson leading the way. Still the injuries have diminished them, so I think they’re beatable.
The Falcons have a 8-2 record which is the best in the conference and could give them home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They seem to be a very good team at home but a mediocre one away from it. We all saw how the Eagles took them apart and dominated them when they paid a visit to Lincoln Financial Field.
Atlanta would be quite a challenge in the Georgia Dome with Matt Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner on their turf. If the Birds bought their A-game I think they could take them, but playing them down there wouldn’t be easy.
Right now I would make the New Orleans Saints the favorite to represent the NFC this year with the Eagles and Falcons coming next. I could see the Giants being very tough if they get healthy and qualify.
What I love about this win was the character.
We had the opportunity to put them away early. I’ll attribute the lack of execution to the short work week. It’s got to be very difficult to play this type of game after a Monday appearance.
During the game-day chat, I was encouraging others to stay cool. I really believed that the Eagles would comeback, and they did!!
We’re in the running, that’s for sure. As always, injuries could largely determine who gets there.
HUH ??…..Right now I would make the New Orleans Saints the favorite to represent the NFC this year
Every team they put in front of us that was supposed to be the class of the division WE BEAT
WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO TO GET SOME RESPECT AROUND HERE
Paulman’s Top Rankings of the NFC after Week #11
#1) Atlanta Falcons (8-2) – Only 2 losses were on the road vs the Steelers & Eagles
#2) Green Bay Packers (7-3) – QB A Rodgers having MVP type of year, LB Matthews Jr having a Def
Player of the Year Season.
#3) Eagles (7-3) – Whole new team with Vick at QB, playing with confidence and have an improving Defense. If they continue to play as they have recently, can take over #1 spot by year’s end..
#4) Saints (7-3) – Getting heathier and have too much talent on Offense not to be in most games they play, tough atmosphere playing at their Dome,but their Defense is not what it was last season when they forced so many turnovers and don’t have much of a rushing game..
#5) Bears (7-3) – They are getting better as their O/Line improves and as Cutler/Martz worked together more, still have good RB’s,TE’s and a Solid Defense to stay in most games. Really lack big-time WR’s to make the Martz Pass System really work and Cutler still can be turnover prone when pressured
#6) TB Bucs (7-3) – Team and franchise on the rise, besides the Eagles, have the most young talent
at the skills position (QB/RB/WR) also have a young and developing D/L with an experienced Secondary, this Team is poised to be good for the next 4-5 years and a real competitor vs the Eagles
though I don’t expect them to make noise this season
#7) NY Giants (6-4) – I am not so sold on this Giant Team as others are see some issues coming down the stretch, QB Manning is turning the ball over way to much, O/Line is aging and banged up, RB Jacobs is a shell of himself and Bradshaw leads the NFL in Fumbles, add this to being among the league leaders in penalties and I think this Team will struggle down the stretch and not be a playoff team though their Defense is improved, their Secondary and LB play is still average to me..
Redskins,Seahawks,Rams,49ers are not a threat to be playoff winning teams win but are learning how to win with new Coaches,QB’s and new programs as they move forward
Cowboys & Lions will not be an easy out for anyone down the stretch..
Vikings, Panthers,Cardinals have appeared to pack it in and will probably be playing young players down the stretch as they figure out who their next leaders,QB’s and even coaches will be
This is my take of the NFC with 6 weeks left, which is still a lot of season and games for things to change
Wouldn’t it be awesome to represent the NFC in the superbowl on one of the the most hated divisional rival’s home turff? I can see the look on Jerry’s face if we made it and won the big game on his field, but I’m getting a little ahead of myself. The Eagles bandwagon is now accepting applications!!!
No SB talk. NO SB TALK!! just beat the bears. We do this to ourselves every year. I along with many of you put this team at 8-8 this season. The FO said we wouldnt miss a beat. we had our hopes up and crash it came down with game 1. lets just enjoy the ride. They are getting better each week…. dont put the “best team” thing on their shoulders. Just beat the bears. i am reminding myself eachday of the weaknesses on this team (not cause im a hater but because i dont want to get ahaid of myself). Just beat the bears!! We still have to play alot of talented teams…. just beat the bears.
Everyone needs to settle down. lets enjoy the ride. Pleasae…. no expectations.
clearly we are contenders
and if i were a playoff team i wouldnt want to play the eagles but God forbid u should have to go to the linc and play the eagles.
Home field advantage for the Falcons IF it turns out that we should have to travel there, COULD blow up right in there faces..This offense, with THAT speed on TURF?!..I would love to see that!..BTW, Much love and quick healing goes out to Ellis Hobbs..that’s why these guys need to be taken care of out there, it’s a dangerous job and they deserve all the money they make…except for Albert Haynesworth.
Steveo
Somebody’s got to go to the superbowl. Why not us? I think we all know that things can change in the blink of any eye. It’s okay to dream, right?
dream yes but lets just slow down. we got jimmy talking about playing ATl in ATl 2 months from now. Slow down yall. Lets beat the bears.
We still have a lot of games left but at this point, there’s nothing wrong with talking about being one of the teams for a deep playoff run. Even though there is no clear favorite this year in the NFC like it was last year with the Vikings and Saints, I think you have several teams that can represent the NFC very well. We need to end up with the same record or better than the Falcons. Wouldn’t it be sweet for Vick to knock his old team out the playoffs and then lead us to the Super Bowl in Cowboys Stadium? Seriously!?
Right now I have us ranked at a very close 2 in the NFC behind the Packers. I’m sorry I cannot put the Falcons ahead of us with the way we smoked them. Just can’t. I don’t care that they are one game ahead of us. They can’t beat us. I much rather them win the south than New Orleans. Clearly the top 4 are the Packers, Eagles, Falcons and Saints and without major injuries, these are probably the teams we will see in the divisional round going head to head.
stevo..I’m with ya
To Scorp,
I agree with you about the Top 4 in the NFC, but I really think the Bucs are this years Dark Horse in the NFC, no expecations,playing loose,no real injuries and having fun, similar to the KC Chiefs in the AFC. Every year, there is a team that comes out of nowhere that makes a deep run into the playoffs and sometimes even into the Super Bowl..(like the Cardinals or Seahawks from a few years back)
After seeing how the defense played yesterday…now the contender talk is warranted!
Listen dickhead, we are #1. Fuck what the shows and the news said! 5-0 with Vick under center! We probably would be undefeated had he played the whole season. But it is what is. I dont want to jinx ourselves and put us in the Super Bowl already. But we are sure playing like the best team in the NFL. How dare you say the Falcons? We beat them with Kevin Kolb! LOL. How dare you say the Packers? They lost to the Redskins, as we did, but we didn’t have Vick that game. When we did have Vick, we blew them the fuck out! The Packers also lost to the Dolphins at Lambeau field!!! The same Dolphins that got shut out by the Bears 16-0! How dare you say the Patriots? They lost to the fuckin Cleveland Browns! Ladies and Gentleman, Fellas and Pussies…..Our Philadelphia Eagles are the best team in the NFL! PERIOD.
AND say whatever kind of fuckin excuse you want….But had Vick had started the game against Green Bay, WE WOULD HAVE WON! Thats almost a fact. We were down 20-3! Vick Brung us back as far as possible with the timeouts and time available. Final score 27-20. So I believe we would be undefeated if Vick played every game. Dont you? If not, you’re probably a Kolb Lover that hasnt gotten over the fact your boy is not starting anymore LOL
Yeah I don’t care too much about the Bucs. The Seahawks had 1st round bye (13-3 record) the year they went to the Super Bowl. Don’t think that qualifies them as a “dark horse” or a team that came out of nowhere.
Anyhow, the Bucs have beaten:
Cleveland
Carolina x 2
Bengals
Rams
Cardinals
San Fran
Not exactly an impressive group of teams. They are playing ok right now given the teams they are playing against but they have Baltimore, Atlanta, Washington, Detroit, Seattle and New Orleans left. That’s at least 4 more losses. They are improved but they aren’t doing anything.
Dizzy, surely an argument can be made as better than the Packers, but using the fact they lost to other teams just doesn’t make sense. By the same token we can say the Redskins beat the Titans and we got blown out. That doesn’t make the redskins better than us. Just means they match up against the Titans better than we do. And we also can’t go on what MAY have happened. I agree in that I think we would have beaten the Packers if Vick plays the entire game but the Packers are playing just as good of football that we are playing. They dismantled the Cowboys and Vikings and went shut the Jets out who are one of the best teams in the AFC. So while there are legitimate cases than can be made for both, but you can’t compare like a opponents. This is the NFL not college football and the BCS standings. I think we can beat any team in the league right now. In my opinion I don’t care who thinks who is number one right now. All that matters is who is number one come playoff time and the end of the whole thing.
dizzy… take your meds…. your doing that terrets thing again. Who cares whos named #1. Just beat the bears. We are better as the underdogs anyway.
im not sold on tampa
i think they have a lucky combination of incredibly easily scheduling and a lil luck in some games
they wont get incredibly easy scheduling for a playoff game if they dont fizzle down the stretch
same can be said about atl i wish we could play atl or tampa in playoffs thats like a bye
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If you like mafia movies, it’s must-see TV. All episodes can be downloaded from either Pirate Bay or Kickass torrents.
https://
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Man, you guys are crazy!
who cares about a ranking 10 weeks into the season….we want our team to be playing it’s best ball at the end of the season and through the playoffs. Why waste the energy to argue now…now doesn’t matter.
Dizzy, bring a down a notch big fella. Take a deep breath.
Paulman post’s the Top 10 Rankings every week so Football fans can be informed on how the competition around the NFC Conference is doing and moving and how the Eagles compare…
Itr’s an unbiased look and how the Teams Stack up week after week, who has momentum, who is rising and who is falling…. besides, I have nothing better to do… Happy Thanksgiving …
Paulman, remember when I used to hate you? You’ve really grown on me over the years.
for what its worth…. Paulman.. your top 10 means as much as troys, mooses and Mike Irvins….. Birds are in 1st in the NFC east with lots of football left to be played. Giants, falcons, Pack, Bears, Tampa all look good. Should be a good stretch. PLEASE WORLD>>>>>> GIVE US NO RESPECT>>>>>>>lets TAKE that respect later. BEAT THE BEARS!!
btw paulman…. i come in peace. i poke at you but i come in peace.
How CRAZY would it be if we have to go to ATL for the NFC Championship? The Mike Vick story would definitely be made into a story….especially if we win…..the media will have a field day that week if it were to happen. But yes, I’m getting ahead of myself, but just think about it. Mike Vick and the Eagles vs. Matt Ryan and the Falcons — the COMING vs. the SECOND COMING…..and imagine if we won WITH Vick at the helm to go to the Superbowl…..wow, getting chills just thinking about it.
I feel like karma would certainly prevent Vick from beating the Falcons in a playoff game.
1st place in the NFC East Standings…..nice place to be.
Too many games ahead to start planning, but we control our own destiny.
Thanks for the rankings Pman, but for me it matters who wins the games, not who is theoretically better on paper in November.
Paulman, here’s one thing you seem to be missing; WE ALL have the same information that you do. Nothing you bring to us is news. You do add your opinions and many of them are great and add a lot to our discussions, that is good stuff. But you act like you are the only one with access to news and internet often. That’s were it gets silly.
schiller…you are taking Pman too serious….more serious than he takes himself.
Take him for what he provides..lots of opinion sprinkled with a few facts and off the wall predictions.
Don’t be so literal
Preach it Greenfan.thats what im tring to say. q;s i have….. can our O-Line hold up? we had a couple of nice plays from shady but the giants shut him down on most plays. can Bradley cover a TE without stealing his wallet before the ball gets there. can this Oline hold up? can mike vick throw while moving to his right? can he get the ball out before getting killed on blitzs from his left? Will the NOT SO special teams return? I think it CAN all happen but we have to play the games to see. Lets beat the Bears and worry about Jan in Jan. We are a very good team… we are a very young team…… Beat the Bears.
You’ve got to be kidding me? Barring a major injury, this is the year we win it all. We are stacked!
BTC24 — or Vick’s redemption can lead us PAST the Falcons. They turned their back on him (with good reason), we scooped him up when no one else would…….it’s just a “cinderella” type story.
Birdo, I hope you’re right. However, they gave Vick countless opportunities and Vick blatantly lied to Arthur Blank’s face. The Falcons were screwed by Vick; not the other way around.
all im saying is….. year in and year out we say…. This is our year…. we deserve it. This year…. i was ready for 8-8. i WILL NOT start talking about SB. Can we do it? Sure…… but lets enjoy overachieving for once.
Alot of Organizations screw players as well….. Not defending for Vick but this is the game we all love……NFL….. Not for long to some people……. So what if the man lies….. We lie on a sick day when where not sick……… Its just we see there job on television…… We all do things in our personal lives that others might not agree on…… Thats why its called personal!!!!!! When Vick got hurt one season and Matt Schabb was the Qb……. They were praising him for a few games…… Its the business…….. And there are still a bunch of Vick fans still in Atlanta…….
That may be the most logical statement I’ve heard all year Stevo — you’re right. Let’s just enjoy the ride so far.
i was ready for 8-8 too until they said #7 then i became ready for anything
Stevos 3 stars for last nights game…
#1-Asam. Great great game. One of his best as a bird. He played with touch and with the hammer.
#2-McCoy-he struggled to run it but made a few really smart plays and kept pushing.
#3-Dixon-He set the tone early. He is a monstor!!!!!
Unsung heros of last nights game-
#1-Vick- Bottom line….. No mistakes thrown to the Giants. He and Jackson were not insinc but in the end… vick got the W.
#2-Justice- didnt hear his name all night. Well done Justice!!
#3FB (name is escaping me).. made a few nice catches and a few nice blocks.
who am i missing?? i thought Brent played weel last night too.
BTC, Karma would help win that game brother, I say WIN. I’m building a Karma lab forthe playoffs, your more than welcome to indulge. Look something is happening.
I’ll say they are contenders when they are 12-4 and fighting for home field advantage in the playoffs. Maybe even after they win a playoff game. Until that time, I am going one week at a time, Bears up next.
Hey Dizzy….you wrote….”We were down 20-3! Vick Brung us back as far as possible with the timeouts and time available. Final score 27-20. So I believe we would be undefeated if Vick played every game. Dont you?”
Vick outscored the Pack 17-7 and so we would have won if he had started right?
Ok so then..by your logic…..when Kolb came in to the Redskins game down 14-0 and proceeded to outscore the Redskins 12-3…We would have won that game if Kolb had played all game too right? I mean its the exact same scenario isn’t it?…..of course not in your world.
That kind of “if so and so had played” logic is for 4 yr olds.
Jroc…perhaps you lie about being sick at your job, and you accept doing that. That goes to your character. Not mine. Try to avoid using the terms “we.
We all do things in our personal lives……have you:
-had 2 friends arrested for drug trafficing in a truck you owned
-lied to a women about not having herpes, for which you were being treated, and had to settle a lawsuit with said women
-given the middle finger salute to home fans after losing a game and being booed
-tortured and killed dogs
-failed a drug test while on bail
-been sold and used steroids while with the Falcons (allegedly)
‘Cause frankly I haven’t done those things…..though I understand…..its just like calling your boss for a sick day…….
Okay Vinnie now list the things you’ve done wrong in your life, unless you’ve never ever done anything wrong in your life why are you judging this man? Michael Vick plays football period he’s doesn’t work for NASA he’s not a doctor he plays a kids game that we all love and enjoy. If you’re having such a hard time rooting for this man or this team, feel free to root for another, and by the way if Vick blows this opportunity and does something wrong again how exactly is that going to make your life better?
Sorry for the rant but man this negative shit gets old. Damn!!!!
Wow, you are going to rip him for being negative? That does not begin to approach negative here on GCobb.com. Wait until a play doesn’t work, people who do not even know what is going on will call Andy a fat pig, comment on his kids issues, etc. even though he has brought us the most sustained sucess in Eagles history. Vinnie is just expressing his opinion, you may not think he is right, but it is still his opinion. Let Vick throw 2 picks and have a fumble in one game that the BIrds lose.You will see negative for sure.
Nah Anderson I’m ripping him for listing all the things Michael Vick has done wrong in his past, I know it’s his opinion but the same rhetoric over and over gets tiresome. Trust me the day will come when Vick throws an interception or two and the Birds lose I guess I’d better skip GCobb.com the day after that huh? LOL