Week 10 NFL power rankings roundup: Eagles move up (a lot) despite not playing a game

The Eagles climbed several NFL power rankings this week … despite not playing.

While Philadelphia was off on its bye, many other top-ranked teams around the league lost. In the AFC, the formerly 7-1 Indianapolis Colts lost 27-20 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Buffalo Bills for their fourth loss of the season. Meanwhile, two strong NFC North contenders in the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers also dropped games in which they were favored.

In other words, all the Eagles had to do was sit back and watch themselves move up the rankings — in some cases all the way to the top. Here’s a look at where the Birds stand in the latest batch of NFL power rankings …

The Eagles climbed two spots to take the No. 1 ranking on The Athletic’s list. The Colts and Lions, who both lost last week, previously held the Nos. 1 and 2 positions on the list, respectively.

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Despite earning the top spot, they note that the Eagles have not had a perfect season.

“It hasn’t always looked pretty, and drama continues to swirl, but it’s hard to be too nitpicky about a 6-2 start after winning the Super Bowl,” Chad Graff and Josh Kendall wrote.

While in a three-way tie for the NFC’s number one seed, the Eagles only have a point differential of +23, which ranks 11th leaguewide.

The Eagles made the jump from No. 4 last week to take the top spot this week. Yahoo Sports reasoned that while Philly hasn’t been at the top of its game, not many teams have.

“The Eagles haven’t played their best game every week, but we know their best is really good. And presumably that will happen more often as the season goes on,” Frank Schwab wrote. “This is still a championship-level roster, during this season in which it’s hard to trust any team.”

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ESPN moved the Eagles up three spots in their ranking from last week, placing them second behind only the Bills and attributing their busy trade deadline giving them significant help on the defensive side of the ball.

“Philadelphia should get a boost from new defensive acquisitions Jaelan Phillips, Jaire Alexander, and Michael Carter II, as well as the potential return of edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr.,” ESPN’s Tim McManus wrote.

ESPN also noted that a major factor in the Bird’s rank going forward will be their performance in this week’s Monday Night game against the Packers. Many believe that Philadelphia and Green Bay are two of the top contenders in the NFC.

“[T]he Eagles’ plans go well beyond a divisional crown. They are involved in a tight race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and can gain the upper hand against one of their top competitors at Lambeau Field,” McManus added. “A win over Green Bay could help propel Philly through a challenging closing stretch, as the Eagles have the eighth-most difficult remaining schedule.”

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The Eagles moved up six spots at Sports Illustrated, who came away impressed with general manager Howie Roseman’s intentionality at the trading deadline.

“Already active, scooping up high-potential edge talent before the deadline, the Eagles are entering Howie Roseman Super Bowl territory,” Conor Orr wrote. “Imagine being a fan of a team whose general manager actually makes consequential moves at the deadline instead of making a circus out of entertaining the idea.”

Sports Illustrated has the Bills in second — and a surprise team atop its rankings: the 6-2 Seattle Seahawks.

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The Eagles landed in the same fourth position as last week at The Ringer. Diante Lee took an optimistic tone toward Philadelphia’s increased amount of options defensively, especially at cornerback after

“Each move gives the defense flexibility and should limit the snaps of players like Adoree’ Jackson, who was a liability in the first half of the season,” Lee wrote. “Now that the 2025 roster is set, it’s time to see if this team can put it all together in pursuit of its third championship since 2017.”

The Eagles also held steady in NFL.com’s rankings. Like many other outlets, they touched on the potential impact of their newly-acquired pass rusher.

“Phillips played one year with Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in Miami, logging 6.5 sacks in eight games before getting hurt. If Phillips can match that production down the stretch, the Eagles will be thrilled,” Eric Edholm wrote.

Before playing under Fangio, Phillips was the 18th overall pick by the Dolphins in 2021, and registered 8.5 sacks in his first season in Miami. In his sophomore season, the former UCLA Bruin and Miami Hurricane put up a repeat performance, recording seven sacks. He was off to an even better start in Year 3 before tearing his Achilles.

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The Eagles jumped up five spots on CBS’s list, who were similarly encouraged by the team’s deadline moves.

“Making the move to get edge rusher Jaelan Phillips was a smart one,” Pete Prisco wrote.

Phillips has had some brutal injury luck recently. The Southern California native only played in 12 of 34 possible games the last two seasons while coming back from a torn Achilles and a torn ACL. This season, however, Phillips has started in all nine games for Miami, and has three sacks to date.