FOX Sports ranks Eagles among the elite in the absolute worst way possible

FOX Sports put out their very first NFL power rankings of the season, and surprise, surprise, the reigning champs are sitting in the top spot. However, it was done so almost begrudgingly.

Eagles taking some heat despite being the number one ranked team

Each team receives only about a paragraph from the writers, and the Eagles section was spent attempting to poke holes in the Birds' legitimacy, calling their hold on the top spot "tenuous." After that, they listed the players the defense lost, ignoring the players they were able to keep around (seven of their 11 playoff starters are still on the roster). They also attempted to make the claim, although indirectly, that Saquon Barkley is too old to produce a similar season to last year. Barkley is 28.

Their praises were few and far between, but the fact that the network acknowledged the Eagles were the number one team headed into the year, despite their attempts to undermine them, shows that all around the league, there is a clear understanding: The Eagles are the team to beat.

This isn't something new to the Eagles; they were in the Super Bowl two years prior to their victory back in 2022, and they spent the next year getting everyone's best, because they'd earned the respect. The birds enter this year with the fourth toughest schedule based on 2024 win percentage, and every single team they face will be prepared to give them their best shot.

Fox Sports appears to be aligned with most when it comes to identifying the biggest threats to the Eagles, with the Ravens, Chiefs, and Bills ranking 2-4, respectively. It's likely that one of those three teams will be almost every analyst's pick to head to the Super Bowl from the AFC side, and if the Eagles are going to repeat, it's likely one of those three will be the opponent.

But to make it to the Super Bowl, you have to win the conference first. The FOX poll ranks the Packers (fifth) and Commanders (seventh) as the Eagles' two biggest challenges in the NFC.

FOX Sports also views the Eagles' schedule as a gauntlet, as the team plays nine games against teams ranked in the top 12 of those rankings.