SOLVING THE NFC EAST

 

Going into the halfway point of the NFL season, the NFC East is a jumble of injury-ridden, inconsistent, maddening teams full of potential. All four teams have a legitimate shot at the division crown: but who will claim it? Here’s a quick handicap of where things stand:

New York Giants

 

Somehow—incredibly—the Giants lead the NFC East with a 4-3 record. After star Defensive End Jason Pierre-Paul’s off-season firework mishap left him with a severely injured hand and wide receiver Victor Cruz suffered a calf injury in addition to recovering from ACL surgery, it looked like the Giants were dead in the water after back-to-back 4^th quarter leads melted away into a 0-2 hole to start the season. But since then, aside from a Monday night stumble against the Eagles, the Giants play has been consistent, with a strong sophomore campaign from former rookie sensation Odell Beckham Jr. and a solid effort from Giant stalwart Ruben Randle. A running back by committee approach has been augmented with the shifty former Patriot Shane Vereen, who as proved an excellent pass catcher when utilized.The defense has been porous against the run and generated little-to-no pass rush, but has forced (or been handed) timely turnovers in key situations. Pierre-Paul’s return could potentially be a boost, but nobody is sure what (if any) production he will have on his return.

Take away those two losses to start the season, and this team is 6-1. Tilts with the Eagles and Redskins remain, as well as tough match-ups at home verses the Patriots and Panthers, but the Giants have to like their position in the driver’s seat headed into the back half of the schedule.

 

Washington Redskins

 

Despite boasting perhaps the most dysfunctional situation in football, the Redskins find themselves in 2^nd place at 3-4, ahead of the Eagles by dint of a last minute Week 4 drive that threw a wrench into the NFC East race. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, starting over former #2 overall pick Robert Griffin III, has been up and down all year, throwing interceptions at an alarming rate. Deep threat DeSean Jackson has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Week 1, former rookie sensation Alfred Morris has regressed notably, and the defense simply cannot stop the run when it’s needed to most. On the bright side, the Redskins have run the ball surprisingly well with the additions of Matt Jones and Jamison Crowder picking up the slack, and when Kirk Cousins isn’t throwing interceptions, he’s leading his teams to wins. Tight End Jordan Reed, when healthy, is an offensive weapon that few defenses can match up with easily. Washington has lost some heart breakers (think the pick-six verses Atlanta) and won some heart breakers (last week’s one point snatch of victory from the jaws of defeat verses Tampa Bay). They seem to be in every game; perhaps the return of Jackson opens up options for Cousins, and he can cut down on the turnovers.

Three more divisional games (one apiece) and two tough road games at the Patriots and Panthers loom, but after defying the odds so far, the Redskins will have a shot to leapfrog the Giants and take the division crown.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

 

As head coach Chip Kelly took control of personnel this off-season, a flurry of perplexing moves followed, trading seemingly promising quarterback Nick Foles for the oft-injured and expensive Sam Bradford, as well as trading Lesean McCoy to Buffalo for an outside linebacker coming off of ACL surgery. They replaced him, however, by stealing away DeMarco Murray from the Cowboys, and signing former San Diego starter Ryan Matthews to go with their return dynamo/ screen catcher extraordinaire Darren Sproles. The receiving core took a hit by losing Jeremy Maclin, but that opened the door for a number of players that while unheralded, promised potential. Combined with two well-rounded tight ends in Zac Ertz and Brent Celek, the offense looked ready to advance in the second year of Kelly’s breakneck up-tempo offense.

But the receivers have been a relative disappointment, headlined by Jordan Matthews, who has been plagued by drops this season (6 officially, possibly more unofficial). Bradford’s command of the offense is bi-polar: the Eagles will go 3-and-out 3 straight series, (hallmarked by miscommunications on routes, overthrows and ill-timed runs); then slice through the opposing defense like it was made of butter the next three series. Helping their cause is a running game that was historically anemic in the first few games but has come on strong lately, with Murray finding his form and Ryan Matthews an excellent backup. The defense, filled with converted corners, covers well enough and has shown the ability to pressure the quarterback and submit The back half of the schedule includes a game apiece against all the division foes, as well as tough games verses the Patriots and a week 15 match-up verses the Cardinals which could have playoff seeding implications.

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

The preemptive favorite to win the East at season’s start, the Cowboys find themselves in dead last at 2-4 after dropping a potentially pivotal game to the New York Giants.  Last year’s division winners got bit hard by the injury bug in the early stages of this season; first Dez Bryant went down with a broken foot that sidelined him for weeks, and he was quickly followed by Tony Romo, who broke his clavicle, and cannot return before week 11. Add in the fact that last year’s rush leader DeMarco Murray left via free agency (to a division rival no less) The defense suffered a blow when linebacker Sean Lee (who looks notable faster and more aggressive after a few injury plagued campaigns) went down, but were bolstered by his return and the arrival of Greg Hardy, the perhaps-sometimes-too-fiery linebacker who has quickly racked up sacks. The offensive line continues to be elite, and Joseph Randle serviceable (when he’s not going AWOL). Darren McFadden assumes the starting role this week, and has flashed occasionally in the back-up role, and flourished last week given an absurd amount of touches. But the back-up QB play behind Romo – by the less than glamorous Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel—has been frightful, almost to the point where Dallas fans might wish McFadden would revert back to the option “Wild Hog” offense he ran at Arkansas.

Their remaining schedule is fairly difficult In addition to three more division games (two against the Redskins, and a home confrontation with the Eagles week 9 on Sunday Night Football), they play the currently undefeated Packers and Panthers, as well as resurgent Dolphins and Jets squads. The talent is there, but they need to get healthy—and fast—if they want to catch the rest of the division.