Christian’s Column: The Woeful State of the NFC East

Ugly.

As a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, I cannot think of another word to describe the NFC East this season.

In a conference that boasts a division with four teams at least one game above .500 (NFC West), the East division is not only the black eye of the NFC, but the NFL as a whole.

After Week Seven action, the last place team in the NFC West will be 4-3. Meanwhile, the Eagles currently lead the NFC East heading into Week Eight with a record of 2-4-1.

On Oct. 5, the day after the Eagles first win of the season – a 25-20 slog on Sunday night football against San Francisco – I predicted that Philadelphia would take the division with a final record of 6-9-1. The deeper we get in the season, the more accurate that prediction looks.

To really understand just how bad the NFC East is in 2020, let’s take a look team-by-team.

We will start with the Giants (1-6 overall, 1-2 division) who, if not for the other team playing its home games at MetLife Stadium, would probably be considered the worst team in the NFL through seven games.

After opening the season with five straight losses, New York etched out a 20-19 win over the Washington Football Team last week, and should have made it two wins in a row Thursday night against the Eagles, if not for the dropped pass by Evan Engram that set up the Eagles for a game-winning touchdown. One thing you have to give credit to the Giants for is that they have been competitive in most of their games, losing four contests by one score or less.

The Dallas Cowboys, (2-5, 1-1), on the other hand, currently sit at third in the division but are reeling after the loss of starting QB Dak Prescott in Week Five due to a season-ending leg injury. Dallas is allowing nearly 35 points a game, and reached a new low Sunday in a 25-3 implosion that saw backup play-caller Andy Dalton suffer a nasty injury.

The Cowboys defense line, and offensive line for that matter, must come alive in a key Sunday Night Football matchup next weekend against the Eagles to give America’s team any shot at competing in the division.

That brings us to the current second-place team with possibly the most upside in the near future: the Washington Football Team (2-5, 2-1). Following the aforementioned trouncing of the Cowboys at home Sunday, Washington will have a bye this weekend, followed by a favorable schedule over the next few weeks, with matchups against the Giants, Lions (3-3), Bengals (1-5-1) and Cowboys.

It is possible that Washington, led by their strong defensive front, will stay in contention in the division, setting up a possibly meaningful game in Philadelphia Week 17 that could decide the division winner.

Lastly, the Eagles (2-4-1, 1-1) sit atop the horrendous NFC East despite being plagued by injuries. Philadelphia has played 41 different starters, used six different offensive line combination and had 16 different receivers catch a pass through seven games – all the most in the NFL this season.

Amazingly, after squeaking past New York Thursday, the Eagles could grab a “decisive” lead in the division with a victory on Sunday night against Dallas and another win over the Giants in Week 10. The Eagles will face a tough slate of games in late November and December but finish out the season with matchups against Dallas and Washington in the final two weeks.

Regardless of which team comes out on top, the NFC East has potential to break records in 2020. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) currently projects the division to finish with 20 total wins, which would be two less than the 2008 NFC West, that combined for the worst combined divisional record in the modern era with 22 total victories.

Yes, the NFC East is THAT bad this season.

Christian Weaner is the Asst. Sports Editor. Follow him on Twitter at @christianweaner.