NFL Power Rankings 2011: Eagles Won't Reign Supreme in NFC

I am not an Eagles basher in any way. They are a good team. Heck, I don't even hate the "Dream Team" label that Vince Young gave them.

But I am having a hard time labeling the Eagles as favorites in the NFL, or even the NFC.

For one, it's simplistic, but you are the champions until you're not. I know repeating is hard and I know that the Packers will get everyone's best efforts, but I can't place any team ahead of the Packers until I see something significant in the regular season.

Until that happens, the Packers are the top team in the NFC and the NFL.

But the next slot doesn't go to the Eagles.

I was a big fan of the Saints defense in 2009. Sure, they weren't a classically good shutdown defense, but they played every play like it was the last play of the Super Bowl. 

The NFC Championship game against the Vikings was one of the best strategies I have ever seen. The Saints attacked Brett Favre and didn't stop attacking him until the game was over.

More than anything, that's what caused this play when the Saints were driving to win. It's what caused this play two weeks later when the Colts were driving to tie the Super Bowl.

In other words, an aggressive defense got the Saints to the Super Bowl, and then won it for them.

After reverting from that in 2010, the Saints seem to be headed back that way in 2011. An aggressive defense that forces turnovers is a perfect compliment to their Drew Brees-led offense.

The Eagles fall in the No. 3 spot, although Atlanta could make that claim.

Now, that doesn’t always matter. The Packers weren’t the top team in the NFC last year and managed to do fine. No. 1 seeds rarely make the Super Bowl anymore.

But right now, the Eagles haven’t shown us enough to make them the favorites. How could they? They have only been together for a month.

Let’s see what happens when the season starts.

2011 NFL Power Rankings
1. Green Bay Packers
2. New England Patriots
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. New Orleans Saints
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Atlanta Falcons
8. San Diego Chargers
9. New York Jets
10. Kansas City Chiefs
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12. Houston Texans
13. Indianapolis Colts
14. New York Giants
15. Dallas Cowboys
16. Chicago Bears
17. Detroit Lions
18. St. Louis Rams
19. Minnesota Vikings
20. Arizona Cardinals
21. Denver Broncos
22. Seattle Seahawks
23. Miami Dolphins
24. Cleveland Browns
25. Jacksonville Jaguars
26. San Francisco 49ers
27. Tennessee Titans
28. Buffalo Bills
29. Oakland Raiders
30. Washington Redskins
31. Carolina Panthers
32. Cincinnati Bengals