Now halfway through the 2018 season the NFC race is really ramping up. After back to back divisional wins, the Washington Redskins have taken firm control of first place, but the Philadelphia Eagles are now on their heels.
Let’s take a look around the NFC East to see what each team is facing during this critical week 9.
Dallas Cowboys
Coming off a week 8 bye the Cowboys sit at 3-4, a full two wins behind the first place Redskins. Dallas has been up-and-down all season, alternating wins and losses by the week. This Monday night the Cowboys take on the also-inconsistent Tennessee Titans, in what I’m deeming the “Spider-Man Meme Game of the Week.”
Inside The Star has had you covered with Cowboys/Titans content this week, so make sure to check out all the great articles written by my fellow Staff Writers to get ready for this big battle.
Washington Redskins
The Redskins are on fire. Since losing a head-scratcher to the Indianapolis Colts, Washington is 4-1, including victories over the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers. They also beat the Cowboys during that stretch, extending their division lead even further and potentially putting an early nail in the Dallas coffin.
This Sunday Washington hosts the Atlanta Falcons, who look to have found some sort of stride after early season struggles. Though they are home and have the better record, Washington is just a 1.5 point favorite against the Falcons. To me, that’s a crazy line, as I believe Washington is simply the better team.
Atlanta has had some tough injury luck all season long, and this is a difficult match-up for their banged up defense. The Falcons offensive line has also struggled mightily this year, and the stout Redskins defensive line should win that battle upfront.
Obviously, Cowboys fans should be hoping Atlanta can pull the mini-upset this Sunday and keep the Cowboys’ playoff hopes alive and well.
Philadelphia Eagles
There couldn’t be better timing for a bye week for the Eagles than this week, which is exactly what they got. After beating the Jaguars in London and evening up their record at 4-4, Philadelphia returns home for some extra rest.
Why is this perfect timing?
Because their week 10 opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, will be coming off a short week for their match-up because of Monday Night scheduling. This is a bad oversight by the league in my opinion, even if the Eagles do have the London trip to recover from. Dallas probably should have their bye this week instead, or at the very least play the Titans on Sunday to keep them on regular rest for next week.
But, hey, it happens. And if they don’t beat the Titans this week it won’t matter much anyway.
New York Giants
Who cares. They stink.
I just wanted to remind everyone Eli Manning and the Giants are 1-7 and irrelevant.
