NFC East Week 16 Round-up: Blowouts Galore

Let's run down the latest action in the NFC East following Week 16's games.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Dec 27, 2021 11:57 AM EST

The four NFC East teams paired off for a weekend of action, with Dallas hosting Washington and the Eagles hosting the Giants.

In both games, the score ended up so lop-sided in favor of the Cowboys and Eagles that what was hoped would be exciting action turned into snooze fest blowouts.

Let's run down the action.

Dallas Cowboys (11-4, 1st Place; Clinched Division)

The Cowboys destroyed the Washington Football Team 56-14.

Quarterback Dak Prescott became the second player in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass to a receiver, tight end, running back, an offensive lineman in the game, joining Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, who first accomplished the feat in 1999 with the Rams in the Divisional Playoff.

The Cowboys exploded for 497 yards of total net offense and tied a franchise record for points in the first half after taking a 42-7 lead.

Up Next: Arizona

Draft Order: No. 30

Philadelphia Eagles (8-7, 2nd Place)

The Eagles kept their Wild Card playoff hopes alive with a 34-10 thrashing of the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles battled to a 3-3 tie at the half before breaking things wide open with 31 unanswered points, including two touchdown passes by quarterback Jalen Hurts, who finished 17 of 29 for 199 yards on the day following a sluggish start.

Among the scoring onslaught was a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Boston Scott, his eight career touchdown against the Giants, and the score that broke the 3-3 tie at the start of the third quarter.

The Eagles also got a 29-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Ale Singleton for their final points on the day, making it a 34-3 game at the time.

The Eagles, who kept their playoff hopes alive for the final spot in the NFC field, have now won eight in a row over the Giants at home.

Up Next: at Washington

Draft Order: No. 14 (via Miami), No. 19, No. 23 (via Indianapolis)

Washington Football Team (6-7, 3rd place)

The Washington Football Team suffered an all-around ugly blowout 56-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, which also saw a fistfight break out between former Alabama and current teammates Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne on the sideline.

Tempers flared as the Cowboys jumped out to a 21-0 lead, the Cowboys getting touchdown catches by tight end Dalton Schultz and running back Ezekiel Elliott, and a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by Tank Lawrence.

Washington got the first of their two touchdowns on the day on an 8-yard touchdown catch by running back Antonio Gibson from quarterback Taylor Heinicke. But then the Cowboys continued to pile it on, scoring 28 unanswered points in the runaway win before quarterback Kyle Allen, in relief of Heinicke, managed to engineer a touchdown drive in garbage time cumulating in a 13-yard pass to Josh Bates.

It was a rough outing for Heinicke, who was back off the COVID list. He completed just seven out of 22 pass attempts for 121 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions and was sacked four times before being relieved by Allen.

Last year's NFC East winner, Washington, has lost three games in a row.

Up Next: Philadelphia

Draft Order: No. 9

New York Giants (4-11, 4th place)

The Giants found yet another way to embarrass themselves as their offense, this week led by youngster Jake Fromm who was making his first NFL start, averaged a paltry 2.6 yards per offensive play in a 34-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Giants defense held its own against an Eagles offense that was victimized by sloppy play and dropped passes in the first half. But there was only so much that the Giants defense could do before it too caved under the weight of the offense's ineffectiveness.

The Giants didn't record 100 yards of net offense until there were ten minutes left in the game, and their running game managed just 3.1 yards per carry, with Saquon Barkley accounting for 32 yards on 15 carries, a 2.1 average.

The loss was the fourth in a row by the Giants, their longest losing streak of the season, and one loss shy of tying their longest loss under head coach Joe Judge. The Giants also assured themselves of finishing with no more than six wins assuming they can close out the next two weeks with victories, the six wins matching their total from last season.

Up Next: at Chicago

Draft Order: No. 5, No, 8 (via Chicago)