NFC East Notebook: Previewing Week 3

It’s divisional week in the NFC East, as the Philadelphia Eagles are on the road to take on the Washington Commanders, and the Dallas Cowboys head to East Rutherford to take on the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

The Giants and Eagles both hold a 2-0 record, with the Eagles technically in first place thanks to their scoring more points than the Giants. The Commanders and Cowboys are both 1-1, Washington ahead of Dallas in the standings due to the total points scored.

Let's dive into these two games.

Spread: Giants -1.5

New York Giants - A few headlines were coming out of the Giants facility this week, the most common being their 2-0 start for the first time since 2016.

However, there is one disgruntled wide receiver that is confused about his playing time. Kenny Golladay, who played just two snaps in the win against the Carolina Panthers, publicly voiced his frustration about his reduced role in Week 2, saying that he “should be playing, regardless.”

Head coach Brian Daboll came out on Thursday and said he’s glad Golladay is mad about not playing because it shows that he cares and continues to do everything right.

The bigger headline is the Giants will probably have their top two edge rushers in Azeez Ojulari and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Ojulari, the Giants' second-round pick from 2021, told reporters he’s ready to go for Monday night. Meanwhile, the highly anticipated debut of rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux is likely coming as well. Both Ojulari and Thibodeaux were listed as limited in Thursday’s practice, but barring any unexpected setbacks, they will be in the lineup Monday night.

Dallas Cowboys - In a surprise 20-17 victory against the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals, the Cowboys are riding high heading into a primetime matchup against the 2-0 Giants. Quarterback Cooper Rush is now 2-0 while filling in for an injured Prescott. He threw for 235 yards and one touchdown in Sunday’s win.

The Cowboys also anticipate that wide receiver Michael Gallup will likely make his 2022 season debut against the Giants this week. Gallup, coming off an ACL tear, will provide much-needed reinforcements to the Cowboys offense as they’ll likely be without top tight end Dalton Schultz, who did not practice due to a knee injury.

The Cowboys' defense is also playing well, led by linebacker Micah Parsons. Parsons has two sacks in each game so far this season and is looking to continue that streak against a Giants offensive line that is still trying to jell.

Spread: Eagles -6.5

Philadelphia Eagles - The Eagles have been living up to the hype. On Monday night, they dominated the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. The offense did its thing, with quarterback Jalen Hurts throwing for 333 yards and one touchdown. But the player of the night was cornerback Darius Slay, who had five pass breakups and two interceptions.

The big headline in this week’s game is the Eagles facing former quarterback Carson Wentz, who was with Philadelphia from 2016-2020. Starting for the Commanders, Wentz is now on his third team in five seasons and will have to face the team that drafted him twice a year.

The main goal for the Eagles right now is trying to block out the outside noise. There was a lot of offseason hype in Philadelphia, now off to a hot start to the season with 470.5 total yards of offense per game, which is currently the first in the league. Sitting at 2-0, the Eagles need to continue their dominance by taking care of their division rivals in Washington.

Washington Commanders - The Commanders lost to the Detroit Lions in Week 2, 36-27. After falling behind 22-0 heading into halftime, Washington’s comeback effort fell just short.

This week is their first divisional matchup against the red-hot Eagles. Quarterback Carson Wentz is facing his former team and a defense that is certainly gaining momentum as the season continues to roll on.

Rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson’s snap counts are increasing--he played 99 percent of the snaps against Detroit, the most among wide receivers on the team. The rookie is off to a great start, hauling in three touchdowns in two games. The team is viewing highly of Dotson and will be a huge part of their offense all season.

The good news for Washington is that they could potentially see safety Kamren Curl return after suffering a thumb injury. Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen also appears to be fine after suffering a groin injury. Both players were full participants in practice on Thursday and are looking to play on Sunday against Philadelphia.

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