Eagles stock watch: Statement win shows Birds are undeniable contenders

The Eagles weren't perfect in Week 12, but they were perfect enough to stomp the Rams 37-20 under the lights of Sunday Night Football.

The wins are stacking up as Philadelphia also took advantage of a Commanders loss to seize a 2.5-game lead in the NFC East with a convincing win on both sides of the ball over a solid squad from Los Angeles.

As we do after each and every game, here's a look at some rising stock and an area of concern as the calendar turns to Week 13:

Stock up: The Eagles are Super Bowl contenders ????

We'll see what the Vegas odds say later in the week, but the Eagles have to be among the top 3 or 4 Super Bowl contenders after their primetime dismantling of the Rams. 

The offense is too good to be stopped for an entire 60 minutes, as they've broken through game after game this season, including Sunday's effort without DeVonta Smith. Saquon Barkley ran for a ridiculous 255 yards (and had over 300 if you include receiving) and two scores while Jalen Hurts threw for 179 — with 109 of those going to A.J. Brown. 

On defense, they're even better. The Rams moved the ball reasonably well, but still only mustered 290 yards while the Eagles forced four fumbles (recovering two). They also sacked Matt Stafford five times.

The win moves the Eagles to 9-2 and is their seventh in a row. They're firmly in the conversation for the 1-seed, just a game behind the high-powered Lions and they have some breathing room over the teams chasing them for home-field advantage in the 2-seed (since the Lions and Vikings each play in the NFC North, the second place finisher in that division will be a Wild card team.

A look at the updated NFC playoff picture:

The Eagles will be tested in three of their next four games, facing the Ravens, Steelers and Commanders — with the Panthers smushed in the middle. 

Stock down: Jalen Hurts' time to throw????

It could be called nitpicking. Jalen Hurts has been excellent this season, for the most, part, as Eagles quarterback.

His accuracy is up. He is scoring on the ground at a breakneck rate. And he's minimizing turnovers — an issue that plagued him last season and early in this one.

But this is Philadelphia. When we love someone, we make sure they're held to a high standard. And Hurts holds on the the ball too long. It's hurting the Eagles and it hurt them (at least early) in Sunday's win.

During a first-half sack on a key third down (as well as at other times during the season), Hurts seemed oblivious to defenders at times, waiting for plays to develop way too long. And often fans no doubt notice he misses out on open targets, trying to be patient for a home run swing.

On the second to last play in the first half — following some very questionable play-calling from Kellen Moore and game management from Nick Sirianni, Philly had the ball near midfield on a fourth and 7 with seven seconds to play. The Eagles needed 10 yards to get in field goal range, and also could have taken a shot at the end zone. Instead, Hurts held the ball and got tackled to end the scoring chance. The turnover on downs gave the Rams an opportunity for a last-second hurl. Luckily, Philly was bailed out by a Josh Sweat sack.

Hurts takes the second longest time to throw of any quarterback in the league this year (via NFL's NexGen stats), waiting 3.09 seconds — behind only Lamar Jackson. He's tied with Sam Darnold and just a hair slower than Justin Fields.

With one of the most consistently solid offensive lines in the NFL, Hurts understandably has a ton of trust in his teammates to protect him. Even though Hurts was only sacked one time against the Rams, the offensive line hasn't mitigated his slow release this year, as he's been taken down 29 times this season, a top-five total among NFL quarterbacks this season. 

There is a give and take with a quarterback like Hurts, and the running ability and the fits he gives opposing defenses are certainly more than worth the downside. But Hurts could do a better job of eliminating negative plays with some quicker decisions with the football when he's in the pocket.

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