NFL power rankings: Are Eagles the league's No. 1 team?

We now have 180 minutes of evidence pointing to the idea that the 2022 Eagles seem to be really, really good.

And guess what? Everyone else is starting to catch on.

Gone are the "It was only the Lions!" explanations, replaced by oohs and aahs admiring Jalen Hurts' deep balls, the defense's stifling performances, and a general cohesiveness in all three phases that has an entire city thinking Super Bowl before September's out.

RELATED: Why can't the Eagles score in the second half?

Is it all a little premature? Who cares? It's fun. So let's scour seven different national outlets to find out what they're saying about the Birds after a 3-0 start:

NFL.com

Last week: 3

This week: 1 (+2)

"Philadelphia's a big green wrecking machine right now. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense have been showing out since the season opener in Detroit, but now Nick Sirianni's defense has announced its arrival with a dominant nine-sack performance against the Commanders and old friend Carson Wentz. What's the most pressing "problem" for the undefeated Iggles? DeVonta Smith was so dominant on Sunday (156 yards in the first half alone), it calls into question whether A.J. Brown is the team's true No. 1 receiver. "By the eyes, he might be a little slight, but he plays like a big boy," Hurts said of Smith. "He's a guy, when his number's called, I know he'll answer the phone.""

USA Today

Last week: 3

This week: 1 (+2)

"During the offseason, they upgraded a playoff-caliber roster while concurrently creating an environment to test Jalen Hurts and determine whether or not he's a franchise quarterback. So far, appears he's precisely that – and Philadelphia has played like the class of the NFC, improving to 3-0 on the heels of two dominant performances and seemingly setting up to make a run at a No. 1 postseason seed."

ESPN

Last week: 8

This week: 3 (+5)

"Jalen Hurts is one of the early favorites to be league MVP. His production on the ground remains strong -- he ranks second among quarterbacks in rushing yards (167) and first in rushing touchdowns (three) -- but it's his improvement as a passer that has put the NFC on notice. Hurts is completing 67.3% of his passes, compared with his career average of 60%. He ranks third in passing yards (916) and is sixth in QBR (74.8). His standout play is the No. 1 reason the Eagles are 3-0."

Sports Illustrated

Last week: 9

This week: 3 (+6)

"We were turned on to the sinister mind of Shane Steichen, the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, last year. All he’s done since is refine the process. Teams are now trying to force Jalen Hurts to beat them with his arm. They are paying for it dearly."

The Athletic

Last week: 3

This week: 2 (+1)

"Jalen Hurts is coming off a 22-of-35 performance for 340 yards and three touchdowns, which somehow felt meh. Hurts ranks fourth in EPA per dropback among all quarterbacks and is the biggest reason why the Eagles’ ceiling has fans dreaming of a Super Bowl trip — the Eagles are listed as +350 to win the NFC, the lowest odds in the conference ahead of the Packers (+400) and Bucs (+400). But the defense has held its own, too. Sunday’s sack deluge skews the numbers a bit, but the Eagles top the league in EPA per play when rushing only four. Now if only they could figure out how to score in the second half."

Walter Football

Last week: 4

This week: 3 (+1) 

"The Eagles won 24-8, but the margin would've been much greater had they not taken their foot off the gas. They were up 24-0, sacking Carson Wentz six times. They got to Wentz on nine occasions overall."

Sporting News

Last week: 4

This week: 3 (+1)

"The Eagles have blasted through what will be a favorable schedule all season long as they want to go beyond dethroning the Cowboys in the NFC East and contend for the conference championship. Jalen Hurts and his receivers deserve plenty of credit, but now so does the loaded playmaking defense."

Multiple No. 1 overall spots? Philadelphia, are you ready for your football team to be... the best team in the league?

I still have outstanding questions about this team, including questions about why their second halves have been so underwhelming, but one question that doesn't need answering is whether they're legit. 

The Eagles are one of the best football teams in the entire league, no qualifiers needed. They're just great. They'll be in the playoffs, and they'll be actual Super Bowl contenders. It happened fast, but this is their reality now.

As far as power rankings are concerned it seems like there are two camps: in one we have those who are evaluating which teams have played the best so far, and in the other we have those who are trying to give a big picture evaluation on which teams will be the best by the end of the season. The former camp is where the Eagles are ranked No. 1 overall, because through three weeks no team has been better. The latter camp is where the Eagles fall at No. 3 or No. 4, because the Bills and Chiefs still exist. 

Both fair viewpoints, and frankly as long as you're in the Top 5 consistently it doesn't really matter. Get into the playoffs and then let's fight it out. 

This is going to be a fun season.

I'll be tracking the Eagles' average power rankings across these seven outlets all season long at the bottom of these posts.

Season-long tracker

Pre-Preseason: 12.86

Post-Preseason: 12.14 (+0.72)

Week 1: 7.57 (+4.57)

Week 2: 4.85 (+2.72)

Week 3: 2.28 (+2.57)