David Murphy: No question Eagles are NFC's most talented team, at every position except one (or two)

PHILADELPHIA — There are only two question marks for the Eagles this postseason.

The first one is more a function of the opponents the Eagles could face this postseason. The Packers, the Bucs, the Lions — all have offensive lines that are better than average (Pro Football Focus ranked all three among their top eight units in the league heading into Week 18). The Eagles struggled to generate pressure in their Week 1 win over the Packers and their Week 4 loss to the Bucs. A lot of time has passed since then. Not enough for Bryce Huff to reappear. More than enough for Brandon Graham to get hurt. The Eagles defense is in a much better place since the first month of the season. Still, the pass rush will be an area of concern if the Eagles end up playing the NFC Championship Game in Detroit, where the top-seeded Lions are the only team in these playoffs with an offensive line that rivals their own.

The second question mark? It’s the story of the playoffs. I’d love for that not to be the case. The quarterback is an easy narrative, a tired narrative, maybe even an unfair narrative. Unfortunately, it is the only narrative, because the Eagles are so superiorly talented everywhere else.

Think about it. Go position by position. Look at the talent advantage.

Offensive line? Best in the NFL, with only the Lions in their class.

Pass-catchers? Probably the best in the NFL. The best of these playoffs for sure, given that the Bengals are sitting at home, content to waste another year with Zac Taylor as coach.

Running back? One of the best in the NFL, probably the best of these playoffs, definitely the best in an NFC field that includes neither Christian McCaffrey nor Bijan Robinson.

There is a little room for argument on the defensive side of the ball. But only a little. At safety, the Eagles’ talent level is something less than the Lions’ (Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch), and the Packers’ (Xavier McKinney), and in the AFC, the Ravens’ (Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington). Darius Slay is no longer a shutdown corner on the level of Jaire Alexander (Packers), or Trent McDuffie (Chiefs), and the Eagles’ dynamic rookies may not be on that level yet. So, sure, there’s an argument that there is a more talented secondary in this playoff field.

Same goes for linebacker, I suppose. You can argue that Zack Baun is not Edgerrin Cooper (Packers) or Jack Campbell (Lions). That would have been a funny sentence to write six months ago. No longer.

However you break down the talent differential on defense, the sum of the parts is where the Eagles’ strength lies. They finished the regular season ranked first in the NFC in fewest points allowed, first in yards, first in yards per play, first in net yards per pass attempt, and first in first downs. They allowed opponents to score on just 31.6% of their drives, which tied for first with the Vikings. All of this while spending the first two weeks of the season looking like one of the worst defenses in the league.

So, what’s left? Best running back, best receivers, best offensive line, best defense … we’re forgetting a position, aren’t we?

Right, kicker. If the Eagles don’t win the NFC, it will be Jake Elliott’s fault.

(Side note No. 1: That’s a joke, but it could turn out to be an ironic one given that Elliott was 1 for 7 from 50-plus yards this season.)

(Side note No. 2: Braden Mann only ranked 12th in the NFL in yards per punt, so it could be his fault, too.)

This isn’t about blame, though. I’m not playing the skeptic. I’m not setting up Jalen Hurts to take the fall. I’m just stating reality. If we acknowledge that quarterback is the most important position on the field, and if we acknowledge that the Eagles have a net talent advantage at every other position on the field and if we acknowledge that they are not overwhelming favorites to advance to the Super Bowl, then we have no choice but to acknowledge that Hurts is a large and legitimate question mark in this postseason.

Speaking of acknowledgments, I will acknowledge that the head coach is the other variable in play. Last I checked, the national NFL insiders weren’t reporting that teams were clamoring to trade for Nick Sirianni. The Eagles may have the best Jimmies and Joes, but this year’s playoff field will feature some of the best X’s and O’s in the game. Maybe the best.

In Sean McVay (Rams offense) and Todd Bowles (Bucs defense), you have the kings of the NFC offensive and defensive game-planning and play-calling (obligatory nod to Kyle Shanahan, who shares the crown with McVay). They could soon be joined by Kevin O’Connell (Vikings offense), who has turned Sam Darnold into someone who makes you question everything you think you know. Same goes for Ben Johnson (Lions offense), who has reached such a rarefied air that he no longer needs to schedule head coaching interviews (Don’t call me — I’ll call you).

The coaching matchups matter. But the Eagles coach is the same guy who was there that night Chris Stapleton made the world weep. Were we crediting Sirianni for coming this close to winning a Super Bowl against the Chiefs? Or did the Eagles get to where they got because of the quarterback they had that night?

The game-planning is a question. The play-calling is a question. The edge rush is a question. The young and old cornerbacks are a question. The bounce of the ball and whims of the officiating crew are questions. Elliott? Sure, mark him down as a question.

But real is real. Which, come to think of it, sounds like something Hurts might say. He was the question mark two years ago, and he answered it with authority. Maybe it’s a good thing that we are asking it again.

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