NFL writer says the quiet part out loud about Eagles' placing in power rankings
One week of football is not enough to determine if a team is for real or not in any sport, but the Philadelphia Eagles have more than earned the right to be the top dogs of the NFL.
FanSided writer Lou Scataglia shared NFL Spin Zone's latest power rankings going into Week 2, with no movement at the top, with the Eagles number one. Scataglia did suggest that the spot may not be there long for the Birds, though.
"It’s hard to argue that there’s another better team in the NFL than the defending Super Bowl champions, as they start out the 2025 NFL Season 1-0 and earn a crucial divisional win against the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles did lose some key players in the offseason, and I have actually predicted them to lose the NFC East this year, but we have 16 more games of action, so a lot is going to change.
This honestly might be a place-holder for the time being, as Philly isn’t going to be the best team in the NFL in 2025. For now, they’re first in our power rankings, as there really isn’t much of a reason to knock them off."
Are the Eagles truly the top team in the NFL after one week of play?
People might be quick to discredit the Cowboys game, but in the NFL, division rival games are never easy. The Eagles overcame some self-inflicted wounds with Jalen Carter's ejection from the game and multiple penalties. Champions always figure out how to win, even if it's ugly, though.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts made the plays he needed to, and the defense stepped up in the second half with a crucial takeaway in the third quarter. That same unit also held the Cowboys to zero points in the second half.
Sure, some other teams might have had looked more impressive like the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers with wins against solid teams, but the Eagles showed guts to weather the weather delay and win the game.
A win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 should be enough to have people bought into the Eagles the rest of the season.
Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson Gets Stern Warning After Packers Loss
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is getting warned after his season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
The Detroit Lions had a very difficult start to their 2025-26 season, and hopefully it’s not a sign of things to come. While those in the Motor City were hoping that the Lions would pick up where they left off last season, that didn’t quite happen, and instead, the team fell in a big loss to the Green Bay Packers, with a final tally of 27-13.
It wasn’t a good look, but hopefully the team got the wake-up call that it needed and will forge ahead with some wins. While there was a lot of finger-pointing after the game by spectators, the players gave it their all, but something was just off. It was easy to feel the absence of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn during that game.
Following the game, one of the Lions’ biggest stars, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, is getting some harsh words thrown at him about his debut. Hutchinson, of course, is coming back from a season-ending injury last season, so people were excited to see him back on the field. But, even he had a difficult start to the season, which is uncharacteristic for him.
Detroit Lions Star Aidan Hutchinson Gets Put on Notice
Hutchinson is raising some eyebrows following the Packers loss. He’s an elite player and one of the best in his position in the NFL, so hopefully he doesn’t get too discouraged by the talk, but it’s worth pointing out.
In a piece published on Monday, September 8, Chris Schad of Detroit Jock City calls Hutchinson out on his season debut. He basically said that Hutchinson did himself “zero favors” in that game and also didn’t help his case to land a blockbuster contract with Holmes and the Lions.
“Hutchinson didn’t show up often in the game against the Packers, finishing without a tackle or a sack in Sunday’s loss,” Schad noted. “His presence didn’t free up things for his teammates, either, as Jordan Love was sacked just once.”
Schad added, “Hutchinson also was embroiled in a controversy when he knocked over Love on a personal foul call, which resulted in Packers lineman Zach Tom getting injured as he tried to avoid his quarterback on the ground.”
Packers’ Micah Parsons Did a Number on the Detroit Lions
What made it worse was the dichotomy of the Packers having defensive end Micah Parsons on the team, which they obtained through a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.
“While Hutchinson wasn’t showing Brad Holmes to throw the bag at him as soon as possible, his cause was made worse by the debut of Micah Parsons,” Schad adds. “The star edge rusher played just 30 snaps in the win over the Lions but he was noticed immediately, swimming past All-Pro tackle Penei Sewell in his first snap as a Packer.” Later, Parsons also “picked up a sack in addition to the pressure he created all afternoon,” making that contract with the Packers worth it right away.
It was not a good look for Hutchinson. But, hopefully this was just an anomaly and that a better game is on the way.
Meanwhile, former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had a great game to start his season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that “Matthew Stafford set an NFL record Sunday for most career opening-day starts for a quarterback with 17.” He adds that, “Until this year, Stafford had started his team’s season opener in all 16 seasons, which tied him with John Elway for the longest streak to being a quarterback’s career. Now it’s his record.”
