In the words of the immortal Vince Lombardi:
“What the hell is going on out here?”
All four NFC East teams took the field in Week 15. And all four walked off the field embarrassed by what they’d just done.
All four teams lost this week, leaving the division just the way it was before the week began.
I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t see this past week coming.
The Cowboys remained in the lead in the NFC East and holding the No. 2 seed. The Eagles in second but holding the No. 5 seed.
The Giants and Commanders vying to see who will finish last in the division and have the higher draft pick next spring.
One thing is for certain, Sunday night the Cowboys and their fans were feeling low. They’re feeling so much better now.
Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
What the heck was that?
I was having flashbacks to the Cardinals and 49ers losses earlies this year by the end of the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Bills.
Things clearly did not improve. And the Cowboys have no one to blame but themselves.
Dumb penalties were the primary culprit.
DeMarcus Lawrence has been around long enough to know better. Don’t ever give a quarterback a chance to flop and draw a flag.
No, he didn’t hit Josh Allen that hard.
But he gave the referee all the reason he needed to throw a flag. That turned what should have been a field goal into a touchdown.
Sam Williams – for reason known only to him – decided to leap into the air on a punt block attempt.
Had he just kept running he’d have hit the ball and the punter and we’re probably talking a Cowboys’ touchdown.
Instead up he went, the ball went under his arm, and he sailed on into the punter. Instead of Cowboys’ ball, the Bills drove on for another score.
The Cowboys’ offense was equally dumb. Yes, it was good that Zack Martin defended his quarterback.
But he could have done so without wiping out the Bills’ 15-yard penalty for a late hit.
Dallas’ defense has been exposed as unable to stop the run when the opponent has a decent running game.
The next two opponents are the Dolphins and the Lions. Guess what both teams have?
The Commanders will probably try to pound the ball in the season finale too.
The good news? Dallas is still in first and only a game out of the chase for the No. 1 seed thanks to the Eagles.
Speaking of those unlovable birds from the City of Boy Do We Love To Boo Santa…
Philadelphia Eagles (10-4)
The Eagles got a gift when the Cowboys went out and decided not to bother showing up in Buffalo on Sunday.
Philadelphia promptly dropped it like Kadarius Toney on, well, just about any passing route lately.
The Eagles 10-point collapse in the fourth quarter handed the Seahawks a 20-17 win. They also handed back first place in the NFC East to Dallas.
Philadelphia hosts the Giants and then the Cardinals before heading to New York to close the season against the Giants.
The Eagles could easily drop two of those three games the way they are imploding. Boy, you just hate to see it, don’t you?
Side note to all the Eagles folk that flooded my Twitter feed the last 24 hours:
You lost to the Jets and the Seahawks. Hush.
New York Giants (5-9)
The Giants went out on Sunday and made Derek Carr look like Drew Brees in their 24-6 loss to the Saints.
Carr threw three touchdowns – two in a second half that saw New Orleans blank the Giants 17-0 – and was only sacked once.
The Giants phenom at quarterback, Tommy DeVito, was 20-of-34 for 177 yards. While he didn’t throw an interception, he also failed to throw for a touchdown.
He was also pounded on all day, getting sacked seven times.
He took a pretty good hit on a scramble that sent him into the medical tent.
The Giants are all but locked out of the playoffs. If there is any percentage of them still making it one must assume it is less than one percent.
New York plays the Eagles twice over the final three weeks around a home game against the Rams.
Washington Commanders (4-10)
Reports before the Commanders’ 28-20 loss to the Rams on Sunday have head coach Ron Rivera out the door seconds after they play the Cowboys to end the year.
They might get one more win when they face the lowly Jets this Sunday and get trounced by the 49ers the following week.
Jacoby Brissett relieved Sam Howell at quarterback in Sunday’s loss. He drove the Commanders to a pair of touchdowns but could not rally the team to a win.
For Washington, the season can’t end fast enough.
The only question is: Can they rebuild the team enough to at least be competitive in 2024?