Each year the NFC East seems like a crapshoot. A seemingly always competitive division that has not had a repeat winner in over a decade, most actually expect the NFC East to be a one-team show in 2018.
That team, of course, is the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles went 5-1 in the division a year ago, with their only loss being a meaningless one to the Cowboys to close out the regular season.
Now all four teams enter the season hoping to build on offseasons each feel confident about. Let’s look around the division and see what the Cowboys’ biggest rivals will be up to on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles
Well, speaking of the Eagles, they’re already off to a 1-0 start after an opening night home victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta did their best to ruin ring-night for the champions, but could not execute in the red zone whatsoever. While they seemed to tally a lot of yards and move the ball between the 20’s effectively, they were only able to net 12 points in the loss.
Philly now sits atop the division one game in, looking down at the rest of their competition as they did a year ago. Next week, the Eagles will travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers, and a 2-0 start feels likely for Philadelphia.
New York Giants
Unlike the Eagles, the Giants will be in action on Sunday. New York opens up the season at home against one of the AFC’s elite in the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After drafting Saqoun Barkley and signing Odell Beckham to a massive contract, many expect the Giants offense to look as explosive as ever. Their offensive line is still a massive question mark, however, as is their defense.
The Giants don’t have much of a pass rush on defense, and feature some suspect linebackers. Outside of Janoris Jenkins it’s tough to feel confident in their cornerback group either. Jacksonville is favored in this game by 3 points despite being on the road, as the Giants are receiving a lack of respect from Vegas.
And, to be honest, this line feels deserved.
Washington Redskins
Outside of the Dallas Cowboys, no team in the NFC East had as much change to their offense than did the Washington Redskins. Allowing Kirk Cousins to walk to Minnesota in free agency, Washington decided to trade for former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to replace him.
Smith has had a ton of regular season success throughout his career, but has fallen short in the playoffs every time. It’s possible that a new look in Washington will help him, but he won’t have nearly the offensive firepower he did in Kansas City.
The Redskins open up the 2018 season on the road Sunday, taking on the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have one of the lowest over/under win totals in the entire league (5.5 wins), and are expected be one of the bottom teams in the NFL.
Despite this, Washington is actually the underdog on the road this week, with their betting line placed at +1.
