NFC East Notebook: Previewing Week 2

What's on tap for the NFC East? Andrew Parsaud has your rundown.

Author:
Andrew Parsaud
Publish date:
Sep 17, 2022 10:00 AM EDT

In this story:

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

Philadelphia Eagles

Here are the upcoming matchups and headlines for the NFC East teams heading into Week 2.

Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season was good for most of the entire NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants emerged victorious. Sitting at 1-0, these three teams are all tied for first in the division. The Dallas Cowboys did not have the same luck, losing 19-3 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football.

Let’s look at the top stories for each NFC East team this week.

Week 2: Giants - Panthers — USA Today Sports

Spread: Giants -2.5

The New York Giants won their first Week 1 game since the 2016 season, where they went 11-5 that year. After trailing 13-0 at halftime to the Tennessee Titans, the Giants found daylight with a 68-yard run from running back Saquon Barkley that led to his first rushing touchdown of the season and a 65-yard Sterling Shepard touchdown catch.

Speaking of Barkley, the veteran ball carrier was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 1 after totaling 194 all-purpose yards, one touchdown, and recording the game-winning two-point conversion.

The Giants will host the Carolina Panthers, a game in which they’re favored. They have another tough task in the run game against Christian McCaffrey. The fans are buzzing about how the Giants' offense looked in Week 1, they’ll face a Panthers team that allowed 217 rushing yards to the Cleveland Browns.

Rookie pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari are once again listed as doubtful, their respective 20222 season debuts likely still another week or so away. Ojulari tore apart the Panthers last season, exploding for 2.5 sacks in a 25-3 win. The Giants will also be without starting cornerback Aaron Robinson, who underwent an appendectomy Monday.

Spread: Eagles -2.5

The Eagles took care of business on the road in Detroit, winning 38-35. Quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown established their strong connection, with Brown hauling in 10 catches for 155 yards. Hurts went 18 of 32 for 243 yards but added 90 yards and one touchdown on the ground, which was the key to the Eagles' offense. The run game blossomed, with running backs Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott adding touchdowns on the ground.

The win came with an unfortunate cost as Eagles' top pass rusher Derek Barnett went down with a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. His void will now have to be filled by the likes of Brandon Graham, Tarron Jackson, and rookie edge Kyron Johnson.

The Eagles host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. The Vikings are coming from a big win against the Green Bay Packers, where star wide receiver Justin Jefferson exploded for nine catches, 184 yards, and two touchdowns. It’ll be a tough matchup against a Vikings offense that put up over 400 yards of offense and a defense that held quarterback Aaron Rodgers to just 195 yards and one interception.

Spread: Lions -1.5

The Commanders are coming off a Week 1 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-22. Newly acquired quarterback Carson Wentz had a rollercoaster of a performance in his Washington debut, tossing four touchdowns and two interceptions with 313 yards passing.

The name of the game on Sunday was the receiving corps. Rookie wideout Jahan Dotson had 40 yards and two touchdowns, while veteran receiver Terry McLaurin had 58 yards and one touchdown. The big story was wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who had just six receptions all year in 2021 due to injury, came up big with eight catches for 55 yards and the first touchdown in Commanders history on Sunday.

Unfortunately for Washington, they also faced injury news with rookie defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis who tore his meniscus and will miss the remainder of the season. Washington’s depth at defensive line is still solid, with Jonathan Allen and D’Aron Payne highlighting the interior. Veteran defensive tackle Efe Obada will now see increased reps along with Daniel Wise.

Washington now heads to Detroit, who is looking to bounce back after a near-victory against the Eagles. The Lions had a solid game on the ground, rushing for 181 yards and three touchdowns, two coming from veteran running back Jamaal Williams and the other from D’Andre Swift, who had 144 yards on the ground.

The Lions' offensive line also played very well, only surrendering one sack on quarterback Jared Goff. The Commanders are facing an underrated Lions team filled with lots of motivation after their Week 1 loss.

Spread: Bengals -5.5

Week 1 could not have gone any worse for the Dallas Cowboys. Star quarterback Dak Prescott fractured the thumb on his throwing finger and will miss 6-8 weeks after getting surgery. The Cowboys will look to veteran quarterback Cooper Rush in the meantime.

In other injury news, safety Jayron Kearse exited Sunday’s game and will miss some time with an MCL sprain. Guard Connor McGovern also exited the game and appeared to have a high ankle sprain that will knock him out for at least a month, another blow to the Cowboys' offensive line after losing tackle Tyron Smith until at least December due to a torn hamstring.

The Cowboys were the only team in the league not to score a touchdown in Week 1 after putting up just three points to the Buccaneers. The task does not get any easier as they host the Bengals in Week 2. The Bengals had a wild first game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers that saw multiple missed field goals in an overtime victory by Pittsburgh.

The Bengals offensive line, despite signing former Cowboys tackle La’el Collins and guard Alex Cappa, allowed seven sacks on Joe Burrow. Burrow didn’t exactly light it up either, despite throwing for two touchdowns and four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. The Cowboys will have a big challenge ahead without Dak Prescott but could sneak away with a victory if they get to Burrow.