Before the season began, there were expectations of each team in the NFC East. Now in week 11, those expectations have been turned completely upside down. The Washington Redskins and the New York Giants will play this Sunday for the top spot in the division. Those two teams were supposed to be in the basement looking up at the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. It’s not hard to see why the NFC East is the worst in football, but it’s crazy to believe how it happen.
Let’s start with the Washington Redskins.
Coming into this year, the Redskins were faced with an assortment of problems. Their franchise QB Robert Griffin III was supposed to return to his old form from two seasons ago, and the defense was filled with hole after hole. Instead, back-up quarterback Kirk Cousins is leading the team on offense, and the defense is 22nd in the league. Somehow, the Skins after this Sunday could be on top of the division. That can be attributed to being 4-1 at home even though they don’t have a win on the road. The Redskins could have the title of division champs, and get to host a playoff game at FedEx Field. Unbelievable.
Then, there’s the New York Giants.
The Giants are the top dogs in the division right now, even though they were supposed to be in the cellar. For the G-Men, coming into the season, it was crystal clear their defense would be their downfall. Ranked as the second worst defense in the NFL, it’s their offense that somehow has kept them competitive. Sitting in the middle of the pack, Eli Manning and Odell Beckham, Jr. are the only reason that the Giants have five wins. New York controls their own destiny, and a win this Sunday can propel them to a division title, something that no one thought could happen.
Now we get to why this division has become an embarrassment—the fall of the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys. These two teams were supposed to be fighting tooth and nail to represent the NFC East in the postseason. Now both are fighting to stay out of last place as the season comes down the final stretch.
The Philadelphia Eagles season is hanging by a thread. In the off-season, they loaded up on offense with the acquisitions of star running back DeMarco Murray and quarterback Sam Bradford, while on defense they traded for Kiko Alonso. Those acquisitions have not turned out well, with Murray not being utilized effectively and Bradford being injured. Now with Mark Sanchez at the helm of the 11th best-ranked offense, it might be difficult for the Eagles to keep that status and be competitive at all. Having the 25th overall defense also doesn’t bode well for a team that was supposed to win the division. A sweep by both South Florida teams in the past few weeks and losing easy-win games are the reason the Eagles have become a joke.
It’s hard not to blame injuries for everything. It started early this season, losing star wide-out Dez Bryant. They then lost QB Tony Romo, only to end up out for the season a game and a half into his return. The Cowboys had the best offensive line in football a year ago. Now they are one of the worst, and the entire offense has followed in that trend. Dallas’ offense is the fourth worst throughout the league. Even with top 10 defense, their were times this year where they have been exposed at the worst times. It’s tough to see how far the Cowboys have fallen from the team who was supposed to win the division, to a team that is looking at the number one pick in next year’s draft.
Both the Eagles and Cowboys lost yesterday on the national stage. Philadelphia was pasted by the Detroit Lions 45-14, while the Cowboys were thumped by the undefeated Carolina Panthers 33-14. The losses dropped the Eagles record to 4-7 and the Cowboys to 3-8 respectively. Yesterday was the defining moment in how NFC East has become an laughingstock. As they say, it’s a division no one wants to win.