NFC East Notebook: The Latest on the Eagles, Cowboys and Commanders

Rounding up the latest on the other three NFC East teams as we coast into Conference Championship weekend.

Author:
Andrew Parsaud
Publish date:
Jan 28, 2023 10:00 AM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

As the NFL prepares for a doubleheader on Championship weekend, the one team many expected would be at this point is indeed there, that being the Philadelphia Eagles, who dominated the Giants 38-7 in the Divisional Round. The Eagles now play host to the 49ers for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

While the Eagles have been getting ready for a big game, the Cowboys and Commanders have begun making tweaks to get ready for 2023. Dallas narrowly lost to the 49ers, 19-12, in their divisional game last weekend, and head coach Mike McCarthy has already begun his off-season retooling by shaking up his coaching staff.

Washington failed to reach the postseason and are looking to retool their offense, starting with finding a new coordinator after firing Scott Turner.

Let's dive into a little more detail on what each of the Giants' three divisional opponents is up to these days.

San Francisco 49ers (+2.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5)

The Eagles showed how good their roster is built after their dominating win against the Giants last week.

Philadelphia jumped out to a 28-0 lead heading into halftime and never stepped off the gas. Jalen Hurts had three touchdowns total, throwing for two and running for another.

The Eagles ground game obliterated the Giants once again, rushing for 268 yards and three touchdowns. They also dominated in the trenches, registering five sacks and eight quarterback hits on Daniel Jones. The Eagles set the tone from the beginning of the game and didn’t let up one bit.

This week, the task is tougher. The 49ers are on a 12-game winning streak and are one of the league's best teams. They’ve had quarterbacks Trey Lance, and Jimmy Garoppolo go down with injuries, but rookie Brock Purdy has kept the offense in sync and near the top of the league. San Francisco also boasts one of the best defenses, led by Joey Bosa and Fred Warner.

The Eagles are one win away from reaching the Super Bowl for the second time since 2017, when they took home the Lombardi trophy, but it won’t be an easy road to get there despite having the home-field advantage.

Dallas Cowboys Shake Up Coaching Staff

Dallas's big news this week was that the Cowboys let six assistant coaches walk.

The six include senior defensive assistant George Edwards, running backs coach Skip Peete, offensive line coach Joe Philbin, assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett, assistant head coach Rob Davis, and quality control analytics coach Kyle Valero.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys got some good news on the coaching front in that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has decided to forgo any head coaching opportunities for the second year in a row so he can continue orchestrating the Cowboys defense.

Quinn has generated head coaching buzz over the last few offseasons, recently interviewing for vacancies with the Cardinals, Broncos, and Colts.

And speaking of interest in Coboys coordinators, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore interviewed with the Panthers, who hired former Colts head coach Frank Reich.

Washington Commanders

It was another weird season in Washington. The Commanders started cold, then climbed back to a competitive record and ultimately fell apart near the end. Another year of losing prompted the team to part ways with offensive coordinator Scott Turner.

They’ve interviewed Pat Shurmur, their quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese, Falcons QB coach Charles London, Dolphins RB coach/associate head coach Eric Studesville and Rams tight ends coach/assistant head coach Thomas Brown. They’ve also had an interest in speaking with 49ers assistant head coach Anthony Lynn, but the timing of San Francisco still being in the playoffs has put that on hold.

Washington is in a prime position to hire a solid play caller for 2023 and beyond. It’s on Ron Rivera to ensure he chooses the right man for the job.