The Philadelphia Eagles have entered the chat.

Through the first two months of the 2024 NFL season, the Eagles haven’t been mentioned much as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, which is understandable after how they completely fell apart during last season. Additionally, the first month of the current campaign has been a mixed bag for Philadelphia, with two wins and two losses, including an extremely ugly loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But since their bye in Week 5, the Eagles have been playing and playing arguably as well as any team in the league. The Birds have won six straight games, including an impressive 26-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football in Week 11 to take command of the NFC East.

Now at 8-2, the Eagles have officially entered the Super Bowl contender conversation. Right now, it’s impossible to have this conversation without mentioning them. They have the second-best record in the NFC behind the 8-1 Detroit Lions, and they are currently one of four teams in the league with a winning percentage of .800 or better.

The most promising part of the way the Eagles have been playing is that they’re getting it done on both sides of the ball. The defense has been downright dominant since the bye and is currently allowing the fewest yards per game in the entire NFL.

They have been good against the run and the pass, as they are top five in both categories. The pass rush has improved since the start of the season, and rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have completely transformed a secondary that was a major problem area last season. It took a little while, but it certainly seems like the team has completely bought into Vic Fangio’s project.

On the other side of the ball, the Eagles have Saquon Barkley playing MVP-level football in an offense that is averaging the fourth-most yards per game in the league. He’s revolutionized Philadelphia’s offensive attack, and his mere presence in the backfield makes them infinitely more difficult to plan for.

In his first 10 games in an Eagles uniform, Barkley compiled 1,347 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. Additionally, it can do things like this:

In addition to Barkley, quarterback Jalen Hurts has played very solid football over the last month and a half, despite what some keypad quarterbacks have said on social media. Hurts did a great job taking care of the ball.

Turnovers can be his fatal flaw, and he’s done well to reduce them considerably during Philadelphia’s current winning streak, and he continues to make big plays for Philadelphia – both with his arm and with his legs. In the process, Hurts became the league MVP. He seems more and more comfortable with Kellen Moore’s offense.

After changing both coordinators over the offseason, Philadelphia’s slow start to the season was understandable, maybe even expected. But since Week 6, the Eagles have been firing on all cylinders and have established themselves in the competition conversation.