NFL Power Rankings: Where Eagles stand ahead of preseason finale

The NFL preseason is wrapping up this week, meaning we’re that much closer to real, meaningful football being played.

The Philadelphia Eagles have started Year 2 under Nick Sirianni with a 1-1 record. The Birds take the field against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 of the 2022 NFL preseason. The practice week down in South Florida has been anything but normal.

Elsewhere, Tom Brady returned from his training camp sabbatical to an even dodgier offensive line situation in front of him, the Chargers lost a key defensive player for some time, and the Cowboys are trending in the wrong direction after losing their starting left tackle for at least the first half of the 2022 season.

So, here’s our still-too-early Power Rankings with the preseason finales on deck.

32. Seattle Seahawks: I got eyes on the Seahawks live and it’s ugly. I wonder how Bryce Young feels about the Pacific Northwest.

31. Houston Texans: Get comfortable with losing, Houston. This rebuild will take a while.

30. New York Giants: Giants fans can breathe a sigh of relief after Kayvon Thibodeaux’s scare. Based on their roster, it might be the only good news they get for some time.

29. Chicago Bears: The Bears have a laundry list of holes and a lot of players currently dealing with injuries. The H.I.T.S principle has taken hold, but that can only get you so far. Eventually, you need talent.

28. Atlanta Falcons: Marcus Mariota got to spend two seasons getting healthy on the bench in Las Vegas. He looks to finally be back to the player who burst onto the scene for the Titans from 2015-2017.  

27. New York Jets: I like a lot of the Jets’ offseason moves. But an early-season gauntlet and questions about Zach Wilson make it hard for me to see them making a massive jump into playoff contention this season.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars: Doug Pederson hasn’t left the Jags to go spend time at his own personal chop house yet. That’s progress from last season in Duval.

25. Detroit Lions: The Lions are going about the rebuild the right way, filling roster holes with talent with a veteran place-holder quarterback. If Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams hit and the Lions end the season in position to draft a top quarterback, Dan Campbell will be in business.

24. Cleveland Browns: If Deshaun Watson was only going to be suspended 11 games and then be allowed to say he “stands on his innocence” and only apologized because some people “were triggered,” why did the NFL even bother appealing? Despicable.  

23. Carolina Panthers: Baker Mayfield beat out Sam Darnold for the starting quarterback job. Now he has to swim upstream against the brain trust of Matt Rhule and Ben McAdoo.

22. Washington Commanders: Carson Wentz, Dan Snyder, and the Washington Football Franchise are a perfect match for each other. Ron Rivera deserves better.

21. Tennessee Titans: The Titans are a prime regression candidate. A.J. Brown is gone and the miles are eventually going to wear on Derrick Henry.

20. New England Patriots: In shocking news, the Matt Patricia-Joe Judge offense doesn’t seem to be clicking in New England. The Hoodie should have brought in a real offensive coordinator to replace Josh McDaniels.

19. Dallas Cowboys: Tyron Smith’s hamstring injury means the Cowboys have now lost their LT, LG, and RT from last season. But hey, at least they have Ezekiel Elliott.

18. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are convinced they have all the pieces to win as long as they get serviceable quarterback play. Can Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett deliver that? Don’t bet on it.

17. New Orleans Saints: If you’re looking to make a little money on the side, Chris Olave might be a nice bet to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Expecting big things from him in NOLA.

16. Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins reportedly are interested in trading franchise-tagged tight Mike Gesicki. Doesn’t make sense to take a weapon away from Tua before a prove-it season. He stays.

15. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals’ offense scored more points with Kyler Murray calling plays than Kliff Kingsbury. Maybe it’s not that hard, eh, Kliff?

14. Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota has slowly climbed these rankings from the offseason until now. I can’t trust Kirk Cousins to win the big games, but he can put up some good numbers en route to a primetime playoff loss.

13. Indianapolis Colts: After a year of the Carson Wentz experience, the Colts went and got a reliable veteran in Matt Ryan to orchestrate Frank Reich’s offense. They’ll be much better for it.

12. Denver Broncos: After fighting through the lean years with Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, and Teddy Bridgewater, the Broncos finally got their quarterback. But can Russell Wilson deliver?

11. Las Vegas Raiders: It has been two years since Tom Brady was a free agent, and Derek Carr is still catching stray arrows over what could have been. Cold world.

10. Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson is betting on himself by not signing an extension going into his fifth year. The last time a Ravens quarterback chose to do that, Joe Flacco won a Super Bowl. The Ravens will be happy if history repeats itself.

9. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have all the pieces to contend for a Super Bowl title. It all comes down to how much Jalen Hurts improved in the offseason.

8. San Francisco 49ers: Interior offensive line concerns and a young quarterback with accuracy concerns? Maybe the Bears are getting the 49ers at the best time.

7. Cincinnati Bengals: As long as the Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase connection is intact, it should be another fun year in The Jungle.

6. Los Angeles Chargers: In classic Chargers fashion, preseason hype has been met with an important injury as star cornerback J.C. Jackson will be out two to four weeks after having ankle surgery. Maybe the Bolts are cursed.

5. Green Bay Packers: I need to go on one of Aaron Rodgers’ cleanses after watching all these preseason games.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tom Brady returned after a tropical vacation with his family (Masked Singer?) and is ready to get back to work. Twenty-plus years of elite play and seven Super Bowl rings mean you get to take 10 days off from training camp.

3. Buffalo Bills: As long as Sean McDermott lets Ken Dorsey and Josh Allen cook, the Bills will be among the final teams standing.

2. Los Angeles Rams: Did the all-in Rams find another draft gem in tight end Brycen Hopkins? It’s starting to look that way.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Has any elite quarterback ever got as much shade in one offseason as Patrick Mahomes? Some people need their heads checked.