For the second straight week, the Detroit Lions unanimously hold the No. 1 spot in NFL power rankings across the web. And while we love reading good things about our own team, I decided to treat this week’s power rankings a little differently. I wanted to look at a team that some are calling Detroit’s biggest threat on their road to the Super Bowl: the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles are riding a seven-game winning streak, and—like the Lions—they’ve had some blowout wins along the way: they beat the Giants 28-3, the Bengals 37-17, the Cowboys 34-6 and the Rams 37-20—and all four of those games came on the road.

Much of the focus on the Eagles has been on running back Saquon Barkley, who is working his way into the MVP conversation with a league-leading 1,392 rushing yards. However, don’t sleep on their defense, which currently ranks fifth in DVOA and sixth in points allowed. They’re a well-rounded team, but they do have three challenging games remaining (at Ravens, vs. Steelers and at Commanders).

As a result, the Eagles have been shooting up NFL power rankings in recent weeks, with several even choosing them as the No. 2 team in the league. Let’s take a closer look at Philly and what analysts are saying about them in this week’s power rankings roundup.

MMQB:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)|
Eagles: 2

From Conor Orr:

I found this note from the great Aaron Schatz interesting. Saquon Barkley and the Eagles have yet to play one of the top 10 rushing defenses in the NFL (in terms of Schatz’s excellent hallmark defense adjusted value over average–DVOA–statistic). Meanwhile, Derrick Henry has played half of the 10 best rushing defenses in the NFL. While I’m as blown away as anyone, I am placing the Eagles here to recognize their recent streak but hedging that I am glad I can revisit this column once a week.

Yahoo Sports:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)
Eagles: 2

From Frank Schwab:

Saquon Barkley got all the headlines, and rightfully so. That means the Eagles’ defense keeps playing under the radar. It’s probably a top-five defense at this point. That’s a big reason the Eagles, on a seven-game winning streak, move up to No. 2. This is an elite team.

The Athletic:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)
Eagles: 2

From Josh Kendall:

Philadelphia established itself as the second-best team in the NFC on Sunday night, and Saquon Barkley put himself into the MVP conversation. Barkley rushed for a franchise-record 255 yards and took over the league rushing lead with 1,392 for the season. He outgained the Rams by himself (302-290). The Eagles haven’t lost with A.J. Brown in the lineup and haven’t lost at all since September.

USA Today:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)
Eagles: 2

From Nate Davis:

RB Saquon Barkley showed Sunday night he might be the league’s best player. Per OptaSTATS, he’s the first to have more than 500 yards from scrimmage over consecutive games since Hall of Famer Walter Payton in 1977. He’s also the first since Maurice Jones-Drew 15 years ago to break two TD runs of 70-plus yards in the same game. But is Barkley the most valuable player in the NFL? Not ready to go there yet … though maybe Sunday’s game at Baltimore – against MVP candidates Lamar Jackson and (maybe) Derrick Henry – will shed further light on Barkley’s case.

The Ringer:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)
Eagles: 4

From Diante Lee:

The Eagles started their hot streak right as their schedule softened up, so it’s been hard to suss out whether this team was just a product of its explosive playmakers or was building a legitimate identity that could dictate the terms of engagement against the NFL’s best. Sunday night proved that Philadelphia can smother you on both sides of the ball, as it crushed the Rams in the trenches. You could feel the explosive runs lurking from the beginning of the game, and the second half opened with a near-perfect 70-yard touchdown from Saquon Barkley. Barkley’s MVP candidacy received a major boost this week; he finished with over 300 yards of total offense and cemented himself as the best non-quarterback in the league this season. With this level of dominance between the tackles, Philadelphia will be a nightmare in the postseason.

Sporting News:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)
Eagles: 4

From Vinnie Iyer:

The Eagles rode Saquon Barkley to big things in Los Angeles, and their defense keeps improving under Vic Fangio to make sure the NFC stays at least a two-team race with the Lions.

CBS Sports:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)
Eagles: 4

From Pete Prisco:

Saquon Barkley is keying their offense right now, and the offensive line is mauling people. The defense has really come on over the past five games.

The 33rd team:

Lions: 1 (Last week: 1)
Eagles: 5

From Marcus Mosher:

Saquon Barkley was unreal on Sunday Night Football, totaling more than 300 yards from scrimmage. But the real story is that the Philadelphia Eagles have the look of a real Super Bowl contender.

Still to come:

NFL.com: (Last week: 1)

From Eric Edholm: