Eagles improve to 11-1: Comparing 2022 roster to 2017 Super Bowl team, position by position

The Eagles, more than perhaps any NFL team besides the Chiefs, are a freight train headed toward the playoffs. At 11-1, they don’t just have more wins than anyone else. They’re also off to their best start since 2004, when they advanced to 13-1 before making a Super Bowl bid. Which means they’re off to an even better start than in 2017, when they went 10-1 before dropping a second game, and went on to win their first Lombardi Trophy.

With that in mind, it’s fair to wonder: are the 2022 Eagles actually better than their title-winning predecessors? Of course we don’t mean it in the literal sense; until they hoist their own trophy, they are inferior. But what about talent-wise? Are the present-day Birds even more dangerous, with an even more balanced roster? Let’s run through the major positions and decide:

QB

2017: Carson Wentz/Nick Foles  
2022: Jalen Hurts

Before going down with a torn ACL, Wentz was a legitimate MVP candidate, thriving as a play-extender. Foles, meanwhile, was a historic injury replacement, lacking Wentz’s athleticism but offering clutch downfield touch. And yet Hurts, remarkably, has been even better thus far, taking the best attributes from each predecessor’s game. One of the toughest, most reliable runners at the position, his leaps as a passer this year cannot be overstated; he’s dishing the ball efficiently and accurately at every level. Only Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes has been a steadier example of playmaking poise.

Edge: 2022

RB

2017: Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount, Corey Clement
2022: Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott

Ajayi and Blount were a lightning-and-thunder combo, with the former excelling in space and Blount setting the tone with smashmouth size, while Clement chipped in as a feisty pass catcher. Sanders, meanwhile, has exploded as more of a featured back in 2022, ranking among league-leaders in 20+ yard carries. It’s truly a tossup here; the 2017 unit was more of a collective, but behind this year’s line, and in conjunction with Hurts, Sanders has arguably been more slippery overall.

Edge: Even