Power Rankings Roundup: Where do the Eagles stand heading into the playoffs?

5 days ago 2

The Philadelphia Eagles are getting healthy at the right time as they prepare to ascend the proverbial mountain once again.

Linebacker Nakobe Dean and right tackle Lane Johnson returned to practice in a limited capacity, but both are expected to play in Sunday's Wild Card matchup against the 49ers. Left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Ricky Pearsall didn't practice today for San Francisco, putting their game status in doubt.

While Philadelphia's offense has been inconsistent, its championship-caliber defense can carry it on a deep playoff run. How does the nation view its Super Bowl chances? Let's take a look.

NFL.com | This week: 10 | Last week: 10

The Eagles opted to punt on Week 18 to rest up for the playoffs, missing a chance to move up from the No. 3 seed to No. 2. That indifference could be viewed a number of ways, but it did give the Philly offense a chance to breathe a bit before the action gets thick. The defense should be championship-worthy, having shown it can dismantle quality opponents (SEE: wins over the Packers, Lions, and Bills).

It'll be strength on strength against a Niners offense that can fill it up quickly, but San Francisco's Week 18 loss to Seattle is proof that the Eagles can prevail with elite defense. But can they score? Can they generate explosive plays and a consistently good run game? That might be the difference between playing one game and making a run at defending their title.

CBS Sports | Last week: 10 | This week: 10

They struggled on offense all season long, but the defense is one of the best. Can that formula get them to another Super Bowl? I doubt it. The offense has to be better.

FOX Sports | Last week: 8 | This week: 10

They will second-guess Nick Sirianni forever for not playing his starters when they had a shot at the No. 2 seed. This team probably could've used a little momentum heading into the playoffs, too.

Yahoo! | Last week: 9 | This week: 9

Should the Eagles have played for the No. 2 seed? The Eagles didn't know the Bears would get upset in Week 18, opening up the possibility of taking the second seed. But a road of facing the Packers, rather than the 49ers, and then hosting a potential wild-card game against the Bears instead of going to Chicago, would have been much easier.

The Eagles played backups and lost to the Commanders, when a win would have gotten them the second seed. We'll see if the rest is more valuable than the difference in seed, but it's worth keeping an eye on.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Power Rankings Roundup: Where do the Eagles stand heading into the playoffs?

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