After one week there's only one winning team in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles trounced the Atlanta Falcons to get their first victory in 2021 and take sole possession of the division lead.
NFC East play started Thursday night with the Cowboys' narrow loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Though they didn't get the win, Dallas' near upset of the defending champions and Dak Prescott's huge performance earned them league[wide respect as contenders in 2021.
The Eagles earned their own street cred today, cruising to a 32-6 victory in a huge season debut for QB Jalen Hurts. Validating the organization's choice to dump Carson Wentz, Hurts threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 62 yards.
Philly's defense was stifling as it held Atlanta to just 260 total yards and two field goals. This was especially jarring as the Falcons had no turnovers, simply being unable to muster any real offense the entire day. It was an impressive road win for the Eagles on every level.
Thankfully, Sunday wasn't such a fun day for the Cowboys' other rivals.
Washington fell at home 20-16 to the Los Angeles Chargers. Worse than losing the game was seeing QB Ryan Fitzpatrick exit with a hip injury and not return. Fitzpatrick will have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury but it's feared he could miss some time.
Despite losing Fitzpatrick early, the Football Team did manage to take a lead into the 4th Quarter with Tyler Heinicke at quarterback. But the inability to score kept things in range for Justin Herbert and allowed the Chargers to get the win late.
There wasn't as much drama in New York yesterday. The Giants simply got outclassed by the Denver Broncos in a 27-13 home loss.
Saquon Barkley's anticipated return from last year's ACL injury was woefully underwhelming; just 26 rushing yards on 10 carries and one catch for a single yard. New York had to abandon the run after falling behind 20-7 but Barkley ineffectiveness was part of how they got in the hole.
NFC East Standings
- Philadelphia Eagles 1-0
- Dallas Cowboys 0-1
- New York Giants 0-1
- Washington Football Team 0-1
