Eagles top AP Pro32 Poll For 1st Time
By SIMMI BUTTAR, AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Fly, Eagles, Fly.
For the first time, the Philadelphia Eagles top the AP Pro 32 poll .
The Eagles moved up two spots to No. 1 after last Thursday's win over Carolina. The Eagles are 5-1 and have the best record in the NFC.
Philadelphia received five of 12 first-place votes for 376 points Tuesday in balloting by media members who regularly cover the NFL.
"Carson Wentz has quickly come into his own, and the Eagles' hyper-aggressive defense has suddenly made Philly the team to beat in the NFC East ... and maybe even the NFL," Newsday's Bob Glauber said.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. New England Patriots
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Carolina Panthers
6. Minnesota Vikings
7. Seattle Seahawks
8. L.A. Rams
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Denver Broncos
11. Green Bay Packers
12. Washington Redskins
13. Houston Texans
14. New Orleans Saints
15. Buffalo Bills
16. Detroit Lions
17. Dallas Cowboys
18. Jacksonville Jaguars
19. Miami Dolphins
20. Tennessee Titans
21. Arizona Cardinals
22. New York Jets
23. Baltimore Ravens
24. Oakland Raiders
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
25. Cincinnati Bengals
27. L.A. Chargers
28. New York Giants
29. Chicago Bears
30. Indianapolis Colts
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Cleveland Browns
The Kansas City Chiefs slipped a spot to No. 2 after their first setback of the season, a 19-13 loss to Pittsburgh at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The Chiefs received six first-place votes and finished with 373 points.
The Chiefs (5-1) get a chance to rebound when they open Week 7 with a visit to AFC West rival Oakland on Thursday night.
The New England Patriots (4-2), back on top of the AFC East after beating the New York Jets, moved up four spots to No. 3. They received the remaining first-place vote and have 354 points.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) climbed six spots to No. 4 after handling the Chiefs and host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday with a chance to take a firm grip of the AFC North.
"(Le'Veon) Bell & (Antonio) Brown hitting stride," Fox Sports' John Czarnecki said.
The Minnesota Vikings (4-2) also jumped six spots to No. 6 after beating the Green Bay Packers 23-10 and knocking out quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a broken collarbone.
Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers remained at No. 5.
NFC West rivals the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams followed at Nos. 7 and 8. The Rams moved up three spots and now lead their division after finishing 4-12 last season.
"They're 3-0 on the road and averaging an NFL-high 30 points per game. In other words, they're for real," SB Nation Radio's Ira Kaufman said.
The Atlanta Falcons dropped five spots to No. 9 after blowing a 17-0 halftime lead at home against Miami. The Falcons' schedule doesn't get any easier as they have to travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Sunday night for a rematch of their Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. The Falcons blew a 28-3 second-half lead and lost 34-28 in overtime in the title game in February.
The Denver Broncos fell four spots to round out the top 10 after losing 23-10 to the then-winless Giants.
The Packers plummeted nine places to No. 11 after losing Rodgers for possibly the rest of the season.
"The Packers were able to overcome their early injury problems," Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams said. "It's going to be hard for them to overcome the loss of Aaron Rodgers."
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