Week 3 Power Rankings Roundup: Where do the Eagles sit following loss to Atlanta?

The Eagles fell to 1-1 on the young season following late-game heroics from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.

Philadelphia had the contest well in hand before a Saquon Barkley drop on third down forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal with 1:39 remaining. Cousins drove 70 yards in six plays to recapture the lead for good.

The collapse was eerily reminiscent of how last year ended, and the Eagles are quickly compiling a list of issues that need fixing — starting with their pass rush.

Here is where they stand in the Power Rankings ahead of Week 3:

NFL.com

This week: 6

Last week: 2

Everything appeared poised for a get-right finish on Monday night, with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith doing enough without A.J. Brown (hamstring), who said he’ll be out a few weeks.

And then Barkley dropped a wide-open third-down pass that could have iced the game. Was it the best-odds call throwing the ball in that spot? I might have run it twice with Hurts and kept the clock rolling. But Barkley simply must make that catch.

Hurts’ heroic night goes down as a loss. He showed emotion. He took over at times with his legs. There were clutch, on-schedule throws most of the evening. But Hurts’ final desperation ball was picked in the waning seconds, and Lincoln Financial Field was church quiet.

Philadelphia’s defense generally needs to clean things up — tackling, run fits, penalties wiping out negative plays. The late fourth-down stop was encouraging, but the lack of pressure or coverage on Atlanta’s final possession — when the Falcons marched 70 yards in just over a minute for the game-winning touchdown — was wild.

ESPN

This week: 6

Last week: 5

Most important backup/role player: DE Brandon Graham

The 36-year-old Graham has long been a tone-setter in the Eagles’ locker room, serving as a mentor for a few younger players. He continues to make an impact on the field as well.

In Week 1, he played 32 snaps — more than Nolan Smith Jr. (31) and Bryce Huff (30). Graham plans to retire after this season, but Philadelphia needs one more productive campaign out of him to bolster an edge rush group with some question marks.

“I’ve told him several times, he’s not on any ceremonial last-year retirement parade,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “He’s going to play. He’s still playing good.”

CBS Sports

This week: 18

Last week: 8

That was a big-time choke late by the Eagles and head coach Nick Sirianni. Why did he throw it late? Then they let Kirk Cousins go the distance in just under a minute for the game-winner?

Bleacher Report

This week: 9

Last week: 5

It’s déjà vu all over again.

After racing out to a 10-1 start last year, the Eagles collapsed, losing five of six before getting hammered in Tampa in the Wild Card round. The Philly team that somehow lost to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night looked a lot like that team.

There was questionable coaching, with Nick Sirianni eschewing what would have been an important field goal in the first half for a failed fourth-down conversion. There was poor execution—if Saquon Barkley catches a third-down pass in the flat with less than two minutes left the Eagles run out the clock.

Actually, not running the ball there was a puzzling decision, too.

ProFootballTalk

This week: 8

Last week: 5

The collapse could start a lot earlier than it did last year.

Sporting News

This week: 7

Last week: 4

The Eagles couldn’t finish off the Falcons on Monday as the defense is still trying to come together well for Vic Fangio. The offense kept humming but lost a little juice for Jalen Hurts without A.J. Brown.

KIRK FINDS DRAKE LONDON IN THE END ZONE WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT 😱

FALCONS TAKE A ONE-POINT LEAD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/47hDFw2RO1

— ESPN (@espn) September 17, 2024

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher | USA TODAY Sports