2023 NFL Power Rankings: Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts is coming off arguably his best performance of the season in which he completed 76.3% of his throws and tossed four touchdown passes to push the Eagles past the Washington Commanders. It hasn't been the smoothest of rides to this point -- he is playing through left knee pain and has thrown eight interceptions already on the year after being picked off just six times last season. But he has made a number of dazzling plays and tends to come up big in crucial moments, guiding the Eagles to the best record in football. -- Tim McManus

If Tyreek Hill is an MVP candidate in Miami, then A.J. Brown absolutely should be in that discussion, too. Brown has been on a six-week tear, logging 125-plus receiving yards in every game over that span, adding another two TDs in Sunday's heroic performance. The Eagles don't beat the Commanders without the greatness of Brown and Jalen Hurts, both of whom were in peak form. It was once again a rough day in the red zone (Philly went 3-for-5, but lost two fumbles inside the 5-yard line), which has been a lingering issue, and the defense really had few answers for Sam Howell. The Eagles won in spite of those factors. Of course, expecting to do the same in Week 9's massive showdown with the Cowboys would be foolish.

It wasn't always pretty against the Commanders, but they got it done in the second half. Now they face a big one with Dallas this week.

The NFL's only seven-win team will arguably take its biggest test to date Sunday when division rival Dallas comes calling to Lincoln Financial Field. Defensively, Philly has some issues, surviving a 31-point barrage from Washington for the second time this season. Offensively, you'd like to see QB Jalen Hurts quit dragging his leg around ... but at least the Eagles are developing offshoots of the "Tush Push" that spare him. With his record six consecutive games with 125+ receiving yards, WR A.J. Brown is on pace for 1,995 yards.

Something scary (for others): A.J. Brown

The 6-foot-1, 226-pound wide receiver/cyborg is playing at a historic level. He had eight catches for 130 yards Sunday against Washington and now has topped 125 receiving yards in six consecutive games, becoming the first NFL player in history to do that. He is second in the league in receiving yards (939) behind only Tyreek Hill.

You never know exactly how they're going to do it, or how stressful it's going to be, but you can count on the Eagles to finish the job. In a league where 31 teams have multiple losses, the Eagles have found a way to win often than anyone else. Like we keep saying, they have still yet to play their best game — but that hasn't exactly mattered to this point. They're the most consistent team in an inconsistent league, and now another statement opportunity presents itself with the Cowboys coming to town.

Giving up 472 yards to the Commanders isn't what the Eagles wanted with the Cowboys coming to town for a massive NFC East game on Sunday. The Eagles' defense hadn't allowed more than 250 yards in a game for three straight before that, so let's assume letting the Commanders go up and down the field was the outlier.

A.J. Brown is making a case for MVP.

Tweets by @EDSFootball