Eagles disrespect from ESPN reaches new, ridiculous heights

The Eagles walloped the AFC South-leading Titans on Sunday for his or her eleventh win in 12 video games, the lateset tour de pressure in a season that has seen the Birds set up themselves as a legit Tremendous Bowl contender time and time once more.

And whereas loads of folks on Monday are speaking in regards to the probability of the Eagles being one of the best workforce within the NFL, it appears ESPN would not assume the Birds are even one of the best workforce in their very own convention.

For some weird motive the Eagles are presently ranked fourth in ESPN’s Soccer Energy Index rankings, an analytics-based mannequin rating that the worldwide chief has concocted. The Dallas Cowboys are first after they ran away from the lowly Colts within the fourth quarter on Sunday Night time Soccer.

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And in terms of odds of profitable the Tremendous Bowl, ESPN strangely has the Eagles fourth and the Cowboys first.

1. Dallas (31.1%)
2. Kansas Metropolis (22.5%)
3. Buffalo (18.5%)
4. Philadelphia (12.8%)

I’ve a bone to choose right here.

ESPN says its FPI Projected outcomes are based mostly on 10,000 simulations of the remainder of the season utilizing outcomes so far and the remaining schedule.

And proper now, FPI thinks the Cowboys are the higher workforce. ESPN’s fashions presently give the Cowboys a whopping 71% likelihood to beat the Eagles on Christmas Eve, a staggering and admittedly inexplicable benefit. Do I believe Dallas is nice? Completely. I additionally assume they’re eminently beatable, as was evidenced by the primary three quarters final evening when Indianapolis stayed in lock-step with Dak Prescott & Co. on the street.

 

All that stated, advantageous: ESPN thinks the Cowboys will beat the Eagles in a head-to-head matchup in a number of weeks. No matter.

However ESPN’s fashions consider the Eagles will win the remainder of their video games and end 15-2, which might be good for the No. 1 seed even when the Vikings win out as a result of the Eagles have the head-to-head tiebreaker. Contemplating there is just one first-round bye per convention nowadays, I am struggling to determine how ESPN’s fashions determined the Cowboys have the next likelihood of profitable the Tremendous Bowl than the Eagles if Dallas must play an additional recreation within the postseason, inherently including extra variance into their equation. The Eagles get to advance to the divisional spherical with 100% certainty whereas the Cowboys need to beat one other soccer workforce to advance. So how on the planet might Dallas have a greater likelihood at profitable all of it? 

It is baffling.

A far more explicable model over at FiveThirtyEight provides the Eagles a 20% likelihood of profitable the Tremendous Bowl, tops within the NFL. Behind them are the Payments, Chiefs, and Cowboys in that order. That feels about proper. FiveThirtyEight’s mannequin runs 50,000 simulations and measures groups based mostly on head-to-head outcomes and high quality of opponent. Maybe it is these 40,000 additional simulations vs. ESPN’s mannequin that make the distinction.

Or possibly the Eagles, who personal the NFL’s finest report and regarded Sunday like a workforce nobody desires to face, nonetheless haven’t got the respect of the soccer world. I am undecided at this level what else they might do to earn it.

And actually, it would not matter. As soon as the postseason rolls round we’ll lastly get the solutions we have been ready for.