There’s a new King in the NFC East…for 1 week at least

1 month ago
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Dynamic NFC East football game featuring Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott evading defensive players during an intense NFL match at AT&T Stadium.

What in the Wide World of Sports is going on out there in the NFC East?

The New York Giants were the only team in the division to win a game in Week 6? The Giants?

Seriously?

Here’s the scary part, not only for the Dallas Cowboys and their fanbase, but for the rest of the division too.

Let’s say the Giants roll into Denver next week and pull off another upset. Let’s further postulate that the Eagles lose at Minnesota and Dallas loses to Washington.

The Giants would be in third place, only a game behind both the Eagles and Commanders.

The Cowboys would be in last place in that scenario.

If that doesn’t light a fire under the entire Cowboys organization, nothing will. As it is, the Giants are Kings of the NFC East.

At least for one week.

Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1)

One hates to say I told you so, but I told you so. The Carolina Panthers were going to be a tough out for the Cowboys on Sunday.

The formula for Dallas is simple.

The offense must put up at least 37 points if they want to win a game in 2025.

The defense has proven that it cannot be relied upon to make a critical stop in close games. The only time they have was in the overtime win over the Giants.

And that came on a horrible pass by Russell Wilson more than anything the defense did.

At 2-3-1, the Cowboys’ season is already in jeopardy. They play Washington and Denver the next two weeks.

Excited Detroit Lions player celebrating on the football field during a game, surrounded by fans and teammates, showcasing team spirit and excitement.

Dallas could easily be 2-5-1 by the end of October.

Next game: vs. Washington, Sunday, 3:25 p.m.

New York Giants (2-4)

There once was an intrepid writer for a website dedicated to the Dallas Cowboys who begged and pleaded for Dallas to select Cam Skattebo in the second or third round back in April.

Can you see why he was saying that now?

Skattebo bullied the Eagles’ defense on Thursday in a breakout, three-touchdown performance in the Giants’ stunning win over Philadelphia.

The Cowboys managed to land their RB1 in free agency, luckily. But a backfield of Skattebo and Javonte Williams in Dallas?

That would have been nightmare fuel for the division. And for the rest of the NFL as well.

Meanwhile, the player Dallas did take in the third round?

He has yet to see the field for the Cowboys this season.

Next game: at Denver, Sunday, 3:05 p.m.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)

In reality, the Eagles probably should be 2-4, and maybe even 1-5, instead of 4-2 and still at the top end of the division’s standings.

The last two weeks have seen Philadelphia’s luck not only run out, but it’s still running away from them at top speed. They are probably going to lose three of their next four games.

And that’s assuming the rematch against the Giants on the last Sunday of October goes much better than Thursday’s game did.

The Eagles have been held to 17 points in two straight games. They’ll struggle to put 20 on the board over the next four weeks.

- NFL football players celebrating on the field, Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles game, showing team spirit and football rivalry, inside the star stadium.

You really hate to see it.

Next game: at Minnesota, Sunday, Noon.

Washington Commanders (3-3)

The Commanders literally fumbled away a chance to tie the Eagles for the division lead on Monday night.

In rainy, wet conditions, why in the world is your quarterback in shotgun on third and short when you just need to run the ball?

The Bears weren’t shutting down the run. And even if a first down isn’t gained, you force a timeout to be used before punting them deep in their own territory.

Instead, we have a poor snap, a quarterback who never had control of the ball, and a turnover at midfield. The Commanders all but begged the Bears to beat them on Monday.

Chicago happily obliged.

Next game: at Dallas, Sunday, 3:25 p.m.

Richard Paolinelli

Richard Paolinelli

Richard Paolinelli is a sports journalist and author. In addition to his work at InsideTheStar.com, he has a Substack -- Dispatches From A SciFi Scribe – where he discusses numerous topics, including sports in general. He started his newspaper career in 1991 with the Gallup (NM) Independent before going to the Modesto (CA) Bee, Gustine (CA) Press-Standard, and Turlock (CA) Journal -- where he won the 2001 Best Sports Story, in the annual California Newspaper Publishers Association’s Better Newspapers Contest. He then moved to the Merced (CA) Sun-Star, Tracy (CA) Press, Patch and finished his career in 2011 with the San Francisco (CA) Examiner. He has written two Non-Fiction sports books, 11 novels, and has over 30 published short stories.

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James Vargas
James Vargas
Oct 15, 2025 8:18 AM

I loved the energy Skateboo and their QB brought to the Giants. I saw Skateboo in the Arizona bowl game and saw the heart with which he played. I thought also the Cowboys should have drafted him. there is a new monster team in the NFC East.

VAM
VAM
Oct 15, 2025 2:10 PM

Cowboys have a bad habit of drafting players that had an injury in school that has not healed up yet and can’t play. Example, the third round DB this last draft. He hasn’t taken the field yet and who knows if he will be at the same level of play when he does.

Meanwhile, the Giants appear to have snagged a very promising young QB and RB in their last draft. But losing their WR1 has to hurt. Before the season started, I thought the Eagles and Washington would be the favorites in the division, but it’s a bit more fluid right now.

Cowboys fan
Cowboys fan
Oct 15, 2025 8:14 PM

Who exactly have they been reaching for!? And it hasn’t been 30 years because of the players they draft!! If it was based on the players we’ve had on our team, we would’ve been to the Super Bowl a few times at least in the last 15 years alone!! First one that comes to mind is the year that Tony Romo fumbled the ball on a game winning field goal!! Then we got screwed in 2014 when Dez caught the ball to win the game, but it ended up being ruled an incomplete pass, and no matter how you look at it, it was a catch!! And then again, in 2016 we should’ve went to the Super Bowl, or at the very least the NFC championship game!! Because that team was too good not to make it that far!! So to me, I think we’re one of the best teams in the draft!! And I don’t know where you come up with us reaching for players year after year, but that’s not true!! We mite have reached for a couple players here and there, but nothing like you say!! And chances are that if we do reach for a player, it’s gonna be in the mid to later rounds!! So again…. Who exactly do we reach for year after year!? Which players do you think we reached for?? And I’ll make it easy for you…. Just name me players that you think we reached for in the last 5 years!! Which shouldn’t be too hard for you since you seem to think that we reach for players every year!!

Cowboys fan
Cowboys fan
Oct 15, 2025 7:51 PM
Reply to  VAM

Yeah, we do have a habit of drafting injured players in the draft, but it’s worth taking the chance on!! It’s not like we’re drafting injured 3rd round talent in the 3rd round, we’re drafting 1st round talent in the 3rd round!! Getting a 1st round player in the 3rd round is worth taking a chance on!! Just like Jaylon Smith…. He was gonna be drafted in the top 5 of the draft, but because he got injured in the last game he played in college he fell in the draft, and we took a chance on him because he was that talented in college!! And I know he never fully recovered from that injury, but he did end up giving us a few good years before he started falling off!! But he had an injury that was major, he tore everything!! Shavon Revel is a different story…. He only tore his ACL, that’s an injury at least 90% of players in the NFL has dealt with and have recovered from, and returned to playing the same as they did before the injury!! If Revel never got injured in college, he would’ve been drafted at least in the top half of the 1st round, and we got him in the 3rd round!! That was a chance worth taking!! And I think he could come in and play right now if we wanted him to, but since we have Diggs and Bland right now, I think we’re taking our time bringing him back!! But I think that when he does get activated from IR, he’ll be the player he was before the injury!! And if I’m right, then taking him in the 3rd round was well worth it!!

And as far as the RB and QB for the giants…. I think people are taking it a little too far!! They’re not that good!! Skattebo did score 3 touchdowns in the last game, but 2 of them was just from 1 yard out, and then 1 of them was inches away from being a fumble!! Which was a problem that a lot of teams worried about with him!! They talked about it a few times during the game!! And then Dart can’t even throw for 200 yards in a game!! Most QBs can pass for at least 200 to 250 yards in a game, and half the QBs that can throw for that many yards in a game aren’t even good QBs!! But Dart can’t even do that!! And the giants as a whole aren’t even that good!! They only beat the teams that’s not as good as they’re hyped up to be!! They beat the eagles, but the eagles are lucky to have 4 wins right now, if they wasn’t so lucky, they would be sitting at 1, maybe 2 wins right now!! And the giants lost to the saints and that should tell us how good the giants really are!! The saints hadn’t won a game all season until they went up against the giants!! And that says something because the saints wasn’t losing close games, they were losing big in every game, until the giants!! So I wouldn’t get too hyped over the giants just yet, they haven’t done anything yet!! And I would never choose the eagles or Washington to be the better team in the NFC East, I’m always gonna say the Cowboys are the best team, because I’m a Cowboys fan and that’s what fans are supposed to do!! And the way the East is looking right now, I still think we have a chance at winning it!! We just have to fix a couple things on defense and we’ll be able to take the East without any problems!! It’s still early, so don’t give up on the Cowboys yet!!

High-action Dallas Cowboys football player jumping over opposing Carolina Panthers player during a game at AT&T Stadium, showcasing athleticism and team rivalry.
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