NFL power rankings roundup: Eagles climb after Week 3 win

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After a challenging Week 2 test against the Kansas City Chiefs and former Eagles head coach Andy Reid that resulted in a 27-20 loss, the Birds returned to Lincoln Financial Field for their home opener against the winless New York Giants in Week 3.  

After taking a 14-0 lead into the fourth quarter, the Giants rallied with two touchdowns from Odell Beckham Jr. and one from Sterling Shepard to seize control of the lead. The Eagles would respond with a Corey Clement touchdown run to tie the game at 21. After the teams exchanged field goals, Carson Wentz drove the Eagles 19 yards in three plays to set up the game-winning 61-yard field goal by rookie Jake Elliott.

A 27-24 victory over the Giants puts the Birds at 2-1 and they are locked at the top of the NFC East with the Redskins and Cowboys. 

Now the Eagles focus their attention on a 0-3 Chargers team, desperate for its first win to keep up in the very strong AFC West.

Before the Birds head out to Carson, California, here's a roundup of where the Eagles landed in this week's national power rankings:

ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio: Up three spots to No. 13
“Philly’s latest star athlete is nearly as popular as the city’s most famous fictional one," Florio wrote.

NFL.com's Elliot Harrison: Up eight spots to No. 6
Harrison wrote his few observations from the Eagles' thrilling win at the Linc:

• Jake Elliott's game-winning 61-yard field goal was the most rousing moment of Upset Weekend. 

• Sure would like coach Doug Pederson to get LeGarrette Blount (12 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown on Sunday) more involved. 

• While we're talking about the backfield, what a brutal development for Darren Sproles. A broken arm and torn ACL on the same play? Jeez. The 34-year-old has considered retirement in the past. If this is it, what a career. 

• More people should notice Carson Wentz's mobility. Vastly underrated aspect of his game. 

• Sticking by my prediction of Philadelphia being a playoff team.

USA TODAY: Up 10 spots at No. 6
“Jake Elliott picked a fine time — at the final gun — to drill a game-winning 61-yard field goal, the longest ever converted by a rookie," USA TODAY wrote.

Yahoo! Sports' Frank Schwab: Up one spot to No. 10
“Darren Sproles blew his ACL and broke his arm on the same play,” Schwab wrote. “If this is the end for Sproles’ career, he’ll go down as one of the most exciting players to ever take an NFL field.”

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco: Up 10 spots to No. 5
“They are 2-1 and their defensive front will be a problem for teams all year long,” Prisco wrote. “Carson Wentz is continuing to improve.”

The Washington Post's Mark Maske: Up nine spots to No. 8
“The Eagles just held on against the Giants thanks to the 61-yard FG by rookie kicker Jake Elliott as time expired,” Maske wrote. “That was the good. The bad was the defense crumbling late, and failing on an inexplicable fourth-and-eight gamble by Coach Doug Pederson near midfield in the first half. It was a completely misguided decision that would have been even more glaring in a loss.”

ESPN: Up two spots to No. 13
“Carson Wentz is coming through when it matters for the Eagles, posting the fourth-best Total QBR in the second half of games so far this season (74)," ESPN wrote. "Wentz has games against the Chargers and Cardinals before getting a chance to shine (or flicker) in a pair of prime-time affairs.”

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