It was by far the worst division in the NFL last season. It was historically bad, even. A total joke.
And it wasn’t just that the best team in the NFC East finished 7-9 – just the third division winner in NFL history with a record under .500. It was that the four division teams went 11-28-1 when they weren’t beating up on each other. The Giants started 0-5 and should’ve been left for dead. Yet somehow they weren’t eliminated until the final game on the night of Week 17.
It was absurd from start to finish — an insult to a division that used to regularly pump out Super Bowl contenders and champions.
But is it really going to be better this year?
Yes, for a couple of very important reasons.
One is the obvious: How could it possibly get worse? But the other is the return of some very important, presumably healthy bodies. The Dallas Cowboys’ collapse can be traced to the early injury to quarterback Dak Prescott. For the Giants, it was the loss of Saquon Barkley. Even Washington and Philadelphia had issues with injuries and instability at quarterback that derailed their expectations, too.
With the potentially explosive offense in Dallas and the dangerous defense in Washington, it’s hard to imagine the division winner will finish under .500 again. What’s unclear is which team will rise to the top.
So here’s a look at what to expect in the NFC East this year, with predicted records, and teams listed in the projected order of finish:
1. Washington Football Team (10-7)
They won this bad division through the back door last season despite having the No. 2 defense in the NFL – which says a lot about just how atrocious their offense was.
The good news for them, though, is that it should be much better this year. They brought in well-traveled veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to stabilize their quarterback situation – something he’s done many times before for many teams. And it’s not like they don’t have weapons. Receiver Terry McLaurin is a legitimate No. 1, Logan Thomas is just a notch below the top tier tight ends, Antonio Gibson is a decent running back, and they added speedy receiver Curtis Samuel in free agency.
It’s the defense, though, that remains their superpower – particularly Chase Young and perhaps the best defensive line in the entire league. Young and Montez Sweat combined for 16 ½ sacks last season, and left many feeling like they had just scratched the surface of what they can do.
Maybe a team banking on FitzMagic won’t be a Super Bowl contender, but in a flawed division, feasting on a porous Cowboys defense and fattening up against the Giants’ questionable offensive line, they should be more than good enough. And this time they won’t need the division to collapse, nor will they have to find their way through that back door.
2. Dallas Cowboys (9-8)
So much about this miserable division would’ve been different if Prescott hadn’t been lost for the season with an ankle injury in Week 5. It took their offense another two months to stabilize, and when it did, the division was basically lost.
Now he’s healthy and so is the Cowboys’ line, with the return of left tackle Tyron Smith, right tackle La’el Collins and, when he returns from COVID/Reserves, right guard Zack Martin. They also still have Ezekiel Elliott running the ball, and one of the most dangerous receiver tandems (Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb) in the league.
There is no reason at all why the Cowboys won’t score points – a lot of points – this season.
That alone would be enough to put them atop of this division, but their defense is still a liability. They are rebuilding it again, this time under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. They’ll be counting a lot on a DeMarcus Lawrence revival and a boost from rookie linebacker Micah Parsons and rookie corner Trevon Diggs, their top two draft picks.
If they get more than most expect from that defense, they might be the best team in this division. But it’s much more likely their offense will have to lead the way.
3. GIANTS (8-9)
There are probably two ways to look at the Giants. One is that they’re a mess of a team that couldn’t avoid double-digit losses or find their way to the playoffs despite a historically awful division. The other is that they finished strong – 6-5 over their last 11 and 5-3 in the second half – and nearly made the playoffs despite no Barkley and a quarterback playing on one leg.
The Giants prefer the latter, and would remind everyone that Jones and Barkley are healthy, and they spent a lot of money to upgrade their team, with players like No. 1 receiver Kenny Golladay, sure-handed tight end Kyle Rudolph, and young corner Adoree’ Jackson.
Yet there are two big, unavoidable problems. One is that there are too many unknowns, from the health of Barkley to just how good Jones really is. The other is a familiar refrain: The offensive line still looks like a mess and could short-circuit everything the offense tries to do.
So the potential is certainly there for the Giants to make a run – if Jones is what they think he is, if everyone stays healthy, if the offensive line isn’t a disaster. That just seems like a lot to count on in an improved division. It’s more likely that, while they’re headed in the right direction, they’re not quite there just yet.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-12)
A 4-11-1 season led to a much-needed purge in Philly. They ousted the head coach and franchise quarterback and a whole bunch of familiar veterans. It was a cleansing that was needed even though it’s only been three years since their Super Bowl win.
The problem, though, is in the replacements. They made a very obscure choice for head coach in Nick Sirianni, and there are still a lot of questions about the ceiling of quarterback Jalen Hurts. And it’s not like either finds himself in a ready-to-win situation. The Eagles still have a lot of building to do.
The good news for them is that Hurts did show some promise late last season, though his ability to run was more promising than his passing. And they did get him a bona fide No. 1 receiver in DeVonta Smith, though the rest of the corps – led by Jalen Reagor – won’t inspire any confidence.
And don’t look for much help from a defense that’s old and full of holes. The Eagles probably have more work to do in rebuilding that side of the ball than they do on offense, which says a lot. They are likely to be reminded a lot this season that rebuilding a franchise takes some time.