Carson Wentz Leads The Eagles to 6-1

The Philadelphia Eagles may be the best team in the NFL. Or maybe not. Seven games is less than half a season and much can change.

But after Monday night’s 34-24 victory over the Washington Redskins and a sweep of the season series with their NFC East rivals, it’s clear the Eagles have moved to the upper echelon of their conference.

First, their 6-1 record says they are the best. And they are 5-0 in the conference, 3-0 in the division. They’ve won five in a row.

Their second-year quarterback, Carson Wentz, shows great mobility in and out of the pocket, a fine understanding of where to go with the football and the ability to lead. His 17 touchdown passes lead the NFL and he has thrown three in a game in each of the last three games.

In 12 possessions against the Redskins – and it really should be 11 as the last was a 12-second series to end the game – the Eagles punted only three times. They scored on six drives and missed a field goal on another. They scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives and four of five.

It’s clear the Atlanta Falcons (3-3, losers of three straight) have deteriorated from their position as the NFC’s best team. You could make an argument for the Minnesota Vikings (5-2, mostly with backup QB Case Keenum) and the Los Angeles Rams (5-2 and coming off a 33-0 shutout of the Arizona Cardinals). The Kansas City Chiefs wore that “best team” tag for five weeks but they’re 5-2 after consecutive losses.

The Vikings have an outstanding defense, the Rams show great balance and the Eagles also show a nice mix.

Not ready to say any of these are dominant teams, or really which one is best. But this blog is leaning toward the Eagles and the indomitable Wentz.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman