The Super Bowl contender hiding in plain sight

For three straight seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the NFL’s best teams nearing the middle of November.

In 2022, the Eagles were 8-0 heading into Week 10 and eventually made the Super Bowl.

Last year, they were 8-1 before they lost six of their last seven games, including a loss in the divisional playoffs.

This season, Philadelphia is 6-2 as it heads into a Week 10 battle with the Dallas Cowboys.

And there are reasons to believe this Eagles team is closer to the one that made a deep postseason run, as opposed to the one that faltered down the stretch.

Philadelphia's season started with some issues — a turnover-filled performance by quarterback Jalen Hurts in the Brazil opener, head coach Nick Sirianni jawing with home fans after a lackluster effort against the Cleveland Browns — but it has since settled into a groove. After a 2-2 start, the Eagles have won four in a row.

Through the first four weeks of this season, Philadelphia had a negative point differential. In their last four games, the Eagles have won by a combined 54 points, including multiple wins by at least 20.The biggest reason for the turnaround has been the mistake-free play of Hurts. He has been criticized for his limits as a passer in the past, but his effectiveness has pulled Philly out of its early season malaise.

In the first four games of the season, Hurts threw only four touchdowns with three interceptions while running for two more touchdowns. During that span, he never had a passer rating above 88.8.

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In his last four games, Hurts has thrown six scores with no picks and has run for six more touchdowns. And he hasn’t had a passer rating below 119.3.

Hurts is on pace to throw for more yards than last season but with fewer interceptions. He’s also posting career highs in passer rating (102.4) and yards per attempt (8.3), with the second-best quarterback rating (65.4) of his career.

And while he hasn’t reached the heights of his 2022 campaign on the ground, he’s running more often than he did last season — while fumbling at a lower rate.

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Picking up the slack in Philadelphia's rushing attack has been Saquon Barkley. Signed over from the divisional rival New York Giants in the offseason, Barkley has paid massive dividends in the backfield.

Through eight games, Barkley has run for 925 yards (on a robust 5.9 yards per carry) with six touchdowns. He has eight runs of at least 20 yards or more — two more than last season’s leading rusher, D’Andre Swift, had all year. Barkley is also running for 115.6 yards per game, 50 more than Swift a season ago.

With Barkley in the mix, the Eagles have the second-best rushing attack in the NFL, while Hurts’ life as a passer has been made easier — and more efficient. Meanwhile, the defense has taken a stingy turn under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Philadelphia is allowing only 290.1 yards per game, the third best mark in the NFL. (A year ago, the defense allowed 356.1, the seventh worst.) The defensive line continues to be a menace, ranking 10th and second, respectively, in pass rush win rate and run stop win rate for the second season in a row.

Put it all together, and on paper the Eagles have all the traits of a bona fide Super Bowl contender. Or at least all the clichés.

They run the ball well. They stop the run. The quarterback doesn’t make mistakes and can still hit big plays to talented receivers.

After how poorly last season ended — and how uninspiring the first month of this one was — it’s fair to be a little reserved in praise of Philadelphia. (The team, not the city.)

But if the Eagles of the last month are the same version the rest of the NFL will see moving forward? That’s the kind of team that’s usually still one of the best headed into February.