Week 8 NFC Wrapup: Cowboys, Eagles Begin to Distance Themselves

It was almost another perfect weekend in the NFC East, where Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington won their games. The Giants, however, couldn't make it a sweep, and in doing so, they dropped from second in the division to third, behind the Cowboys, who have an identical 6-2 record.

Let's recap the action in the NFC East this weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles (7-0), 1st Place

Eagles 35, Steelers 13

The Philadelphia Eagles improved their record to 7-0 with a convincing home win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-13.

Wide receiver A.J. Brown had a sensational performance, with three touchdowns in the first half alone. He finished the game with six receptions for 156 yards. Quarterback Jalen Hurts put up a 140.6 passer rating, completing 19 of his 28 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns.

Both teams scored in the first quarter. Brown put the Eagles on the board first with a 39-yard score, but the Steelers responded by running a trick play. Facing 4th and goal from the Eagles' 1-yard line, wide receiver Chase Claypool threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to fullback Derek Watt, tying the game at 7.

But the Eagles would dominate the rest of the game. Brown scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter, scoring on 27 and 29-yard catches. In the second half, Philadelphia put the game out of reach with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Zach Pascal and a Miles Sanders 11-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, the Steelers only mustered a pair of field goals after their trick play.

The Eagles visit the 1-5-1 Texans in Week 9.

Dallas Cowboys (6-2), 2nd Place

Cowboys 49, Bears 29

The Dallas Cowboys routed the Chicago Bears in AT&T Stadium, scoring 14 points in each of the first three quarters for a 49-29 win.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott was out with an injury, but second back Tony Pollard ran over Chicago’s defense. Carrying the ball only 14 times, Pollard racked up an impressive 131 yards and scored three touchdowns. Meanwhile, quarterback Dak Prescott showed that he was back to full health, completing 21 of 27 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, alongside a rushing touchdown.

The Cowboys stormed out to a 28-7 lead in the second quarter before the Bears began to rally. Chicago made it 28-17 entering halftime and scored on a Khalil Herbert touchdown early in the third quarter to make it a one-possession game.

But Dallas took the momentum right back from there. Pollard scored his second touchdown to make it 35-23, and on Chicago’s next drive, linebacker Micah Parsons recovered a fumble and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown to break Chicago’s backs. The fourth quarter would feature a pair of garbage time touchdowns from each team to conclude the scoring.

Dallas has a Week 9 bye. They will visit the Packers in Week 10.

New York Giants (6-2), 3rd Place

Seahawks 27, Giants 13

The New York Giants were the only NFC East team to lose this week, as they were defeated on the road by the Seattle Seahawks, 27-13.

The Giants were undone by a sluggish start on offense and a pair of costly fumbles by punt returner Richie James. Quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley both struggled, the former being sacked five times and the latter rushing for only 53 yards.

Seattle got on the board first on Geno Smith’s 3-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf, but a fumble recovery by Adoree’ Jackson set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Barkley to tie the game. Each team would trade field goals entering the 4th quarter, with Jason Myers and Graham Gano kicking two each.

But after Gano’s second field goal, the Seahawks took control of the game. Smith threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett to put Seattle up for good, and a fumbled punt return by James, his second of the game, set up a game-sealing 16-yard touchdown run by Kenneth Walker III. Seattle then forced a turnover on downs to clinch the victory.

The Giants have a Week 9 bye. They will host the Texans in Week 10.

Washington Commanders (4-4), 4th Place

Commanders 17, Colts 16

The Washington Commanders won their third straight game as they downed the Indianapolis Colts 17-16 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

A 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Taylor Heinicke put Washington ahead with just 22 seconds remaining. Heinicke went 23-31 for 279 yards and a touchdown while adding six carries for 29 yards. His top target was Terry McLaurin, who caught six passes for 113 yards.

Neither team scored until the second quarter when Chase McLaughlin’s 46-yard field goal put Indianapolis up 3-0. Washington would then take a 7-3 lead into halftime on Heinicke’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gibson.

After another McLaughlin field goal made it 7-6 in the third quarter, the Colts took a 16-7 lead on Nyheim Hines’s 6-yard touchdown run, which was set up by an interception of Heinicke. But Washington responded with a Joey Slye field goal, and after forcing a three-and-out, the Commanders marched 89 yards in nine plays, capped off by Heinicke’s go-ahead touchdown run.

The Commanders host the 6-1 Vikings in Week 9.

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