NFC East Preview:
The NFC East was one of the, if not, the weakest division in football last year. In this upcoming season, that reputation could easily change. The Eagles finally have a healthy team, Washington may be playing Alex Smith, and the Cowboys had a huge draft class that will help in the future. Here are my rankings for the NFC East. This preview has a couple of bold predictions, but nothing that will impact the playoffs.
- Dallas Cowboys
Well, it seems as if the Cowboys may have the best receiving trio in CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup, and Dak should have one of his best seasons yet. Although Dallas lost veteran Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin should be a nice replacement for them. They landed Everson Griffen this offseason, and also may end up getting elite safety Earl Thomas. The main problem last year defensively for the Cowboys was forcing turnovers. If they are able to land someone like Thomas, he should help with this, and give the Cowboys a tremendous boost. Something that Dak and the offense need to do is bring consistency every week. Now that they have CeeDee Lamb, Prescott will have yet another target to throw to. Zeke will need to be fed like he does every game, and Mike McCarthy may be on the road to success with this team. The ‘Boys may meet some dead ends this year, but that’s where they need to learn from their mistakes, and correct them in future years. This season will be very important for many people throughout this organization, as getting to the Super Bowl is something Dallas needs to do in order to prove themselves.
Record Prediction: 11-5
- Washington Football Team
The Washington Football Team finished as the second worst team in the league last season. With the second pick, they drafted edge rusher Chase Young out of Ohio State, with hopes of him becoming one of the more dominant defensive players in the league. Young had a great debut with the Football Team, recording 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and 4 tackles. Washington scored 27 unanswered points in a comeback victory over the Eagles, and hope that this is a sign for the future. As for the quarterback situation, they decided to start the young Dwayne Haskins over Alex Smith, and Haskins had a decent day. My prediction is that this year will set Washington up for the future, but they will fall short of their playoff hopes.
Record Prediction: 8-8
- Philadelphia Eagles
After an average 9-7 season last year, the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to have a bounce back year, with key additions on both sides of the ball. Darius Slay came over from Detroit, and should give them a nice presence with the cornerbacks. The Eagles drafted Wideout Jalen Reagor in the first round of the draft, and he seems like a promising target for Carson Wentz. As for the coaching staff, Doug Pederson is the only head coach that will be returning from the 2019-2020 campaign for the NFC East. Pederson now has zero excuses for not making a run in the playoffs, as he now has a team that is as healthy as they have ever been. One thing that this squad needs to do is win the games that they are supposed to. They can’t be losing to teams like the Giants, and then needing to beat teams like the Ravens and Seahawks to keep playoff hopes alive. Some key questions for this season are: Can Carson Wentz have a breakout year with a healthy team? How consistent can this Eagles defense be down the stretch? Could Doug Pederson be on the hot seat with another mediocre season?
Record Prediction: 7-9
- New York Giants
The Giants replaced head coach Pat Shurmur with Joe Judge, and also added former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett as their offensive coordinator this past offseason. I don’t think that these moves will put the Giants in the place that they need to be in this year, as they don’t have a leader who can take them to unexpected territory. Sure, Saquon Barkley is a tremendous athlete, but in his first two years, he has played great, but as a team, New York has made no progress. This year can be used as improvement for New York, giving Daniel Jones the confidence he needs to be a trusted quarterback. Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard will be returning after being injured some of last year, which should give Jones another good wide receiver along with veteran Golden Tate. This year just doesn’t seem like one where the Giants can take over, especially due to the strength of their schedule.
Record Prediction: 5-11
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