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NFC East Notebook: Week 4 Preview
Last week was divisional week in the NFC East, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys emerging victorious over the Washington Commanders and New York Giants.
The Eagles are now in sole place of first in the division with a 3-0 record, and the Cowboys jumped up to second place at 2-1, with a 1-0 divisional record, giving them the nod over Giants, who are also 2-1.
There’s another divisional matchup this week, as the Commanders head to Dallas for a 1 pm showdown. The Eagles host the Jaguars, the Giants host the Bears, and both games at 1 pm.
Let’s take a look at each contest.
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The Giants had a reality check last week, falling 23-16 to the Cowboys on Monday night. The loss was a little alarming, considering the Cowboys did not have quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver Michael Gallup, or tight end Dalton Schultz playing.
Nevertheless, the Giants now face the Chicago Bears, a team they will play for the fifth-straight season, dating back to 2018. The Bears are also 2-1, but they have a similar problem to the Giants, which is their passing game. The Bears have 23 completions so far this season and are averaging just 78.3 yards per game through the air, both last in the NFL.
The Giants are also trying to kick-start their passing game as they went without a touchdown pass last week. New York’s offense also has gotten off to slow starts in games this year, failing to score a touchdown in the first half through 3 weeks.
The good news is their rushing attack is back, led by star running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley, who leads the NFL in total scrimmage yards with 408, looks like his old self and is looking to take advantage of a Bears run defense that has given up 560 yards on the ground this season.
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard is out for the year with a torn ACL, so the Giants wide receivers will possibly look a lot different this week. Wide receivers Kadarius Toney (hamstring) and rookie Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) are also hurt, so the Giants will have to look to Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton, Richie James, and David Sills V.
The Giants will be donning their throwback jerseys for the first time this week, a nod to the teams of the 1980s and 1990s.
The Eagles are living up to the off-season hype this year. They’re 3-0, one of the top teams in the league, and quarterback Jalen Hurts is playing at an exceptional level. Hurts won "NFC Offensive Player of the Month" for September after throwing for 916 yards and four touchdowns.
Regarding awards, edge rusher Brandon Graham won "NFC Defensive Player of the Week" after totaling 2.5 sacks against the Commanders. Things are looking up for the Eagles in all three phases of the game, and now they face a Jaguars team looking to prove that they’re legit.
The Jaguars are coming from a huge win against the Los Angeles Chargers, 38-10. The big headline of this game will be current Jacksonville head coach Doug Pederson returning to where he won a Super Bowl. Pederson was Philadelphia’s head coach from 2016-2020.
The Eagles opened as 5.5-point favorites over the Jaguars but rose to 7.5-point favorites as the week went on. Still, they shouldn’t discount the talent on Jacksonville’s roster. Rookie linebacker Devin Lloyd was named" NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month" after posting 24 tackles, six pass deflections, and two interceptions. Rookie edge rusher Travon Walker has a solid start to his career with one sack, one interception, and eight tackles.
Second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence is also coming alive through three games, even winning "AFC Offensive Player of the Week" last week after throwing three touchdowns against the Chargers. The Eagles have their work cut out for them--they need to stop a hot team in their house and continue their own dominance heading into October.
The Cowboys are coming off two huge wins after falling flat in Week 1 against the Buccaneers. Dallas is still without quarterback Dak Prescott, who is eyeing a Week 5 return.
This means quarterback Cooper Rush, 3-0 as a starter, will get another start. Rush tore apart the Giants defense, throwing for 215 yards but only one touchdown. He might have had another had wide receiver CeeDee Lamb not dropped a pass with daylight before him.
The real headline is Dallas’ defense, which consistently got to Giants quarterback Daniel Jones on Monday night. Linebacker Micah Parsons made his presence felt but did not end up with a sack.
Fellow edge rusher Demarcus Lawrence sacked Jones three times. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn sent pressure all night and will probably be looking to do the same against an even worse Washington offensive line.
The good news for the Cowboys is that they’ll likely be getting back wide receiver Michael Gallup (ACL) this week. Adding him into the mix with CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown, who has certainly impressed thus far, and the Dallas passing attack could prove too much for Washington’s secondary.
The Commanders, who sit alone at last place in the division, began 2022 with a 1-0 start, but they've since dropped their last two, including a 24-8 beatdown from the Eagles last week.
Last week was rough for quarterback Carson Wentz and the Commanders offensive line. They allowed nine sacks against a strong Eagles front. Now, they face a Cowboys defensive line that could also wreck a game fast.
The Commanders offense has been off to a slow start to the season, not scoring in the first half in each of the last two weeks. Rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who has three touchdowns this year, was held to just two catches for 10 yards last week. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin had a 102-yard performance against Philadelphia, and Curtis Samuel had seven catches for 48 yards. This trio of wide receivers could certainly do damage to the Cowboys *if* they can protect Wentz and give him enough time to throw.
The Commanders will also be debuting their all-black uniforms for the first time this season.
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