Inconsistent NFC East Predictions
I predict that this division will be the most turned upside down division in football. A division that used to be one of the toughest divisions for opponents has fizzled out and become very inconsistent. The defense of the Cowboys, and Eagles were about as bad as it gets last season, they came in 1st and 4th respectively in yards allowed. While the Giants and Redskins struggles revolved more around their turnover margin, the Giants were at an alarming -15 and the Redskins were at -8. Every team in the division has a lot of room to improve and I think that there will be a cavalcade of turmoil in this division and a new team will be on top.
Dallas Cowboys – 2014 Projection: 9-7
2013 Record: 8-8
The Dallas Cowboys offense has to be worried about Tony Romo’s health but his preseason so far is looking like good news. Romo took 3 sacks, one of which was a very hard knockdown, at the end of each of these sacks he stood up and kept in the game. There is no question that Romo can put up numbers; he had 31 TDs and 10 interceptions last season. Romo has posted a QB rating over 90 for the past 8 seasons, not too many QBs in the league that can claim that feat.
Sean Lee’s injury is a huge loss for the Cowboys defense that allowed the most yards in the 2013 season. They will be calling upon 3rd round pick, Anthony Hitchens to fill that void and he won’t be able to put together a season like Sean Lee had last year, he had 99 tackles in 11 games that he played in.
They also have to worry about the loss of DeMarcus Ware, 7 time pro bowler. Their defense was bad last year with those guys most of the season and they were still 8-8. They do get a boost by getting back Anthony Spencer after missing all but part of the first game in 2013. In 2012 Spencer registered 95 tackles and 11 sacks despite missing 2 games during the season. The Cowboys had 34 sacks in 2013, only 3 better than the league worst of 31 sacks so the return of some QB pressure ought to go a long way.
X-Factor – Henry Melton was coming off of an impressive pro bowl season with the Bears in 2012 just to have his 2013 season concluded after 3 games from a torn ACL. He recorded 32 tackles and 6 sacks, which was good for 3rd amongst defensive tackles in 2012. If Melton can be as disruptive as his 2012 pro bowl season, he can help drag this defense out of the NFL’s worst category.
Washington Redskins – 2014 Projection: 9-7
2013 Record: 3-13
The Washington Redskins have had a solid run-game the past few years and that shouldn’t be any different this season. Alfred Morris put together a very solid season with 1,275 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns, while Robert Griffin III added 489 yards on the ground as well. After throwing for 20 TDs, 5 INTs, and rushing for 7 TDS in his 2012 rookie season, RG3 only had 16 TDs, 12 INTs, and added 0 scores on the ground. The Redskins added wide receiver DeSean Jackson who should help RG3 bounce back this season; he had limited options to throw to last season. An aging Santana Moss wasn’t of much aid and a laundry list of other unknown wide receivers slotted behind Pierre Garcon that don’t exactly ooze talent.
Their defense has some room for improvement as well. Their run defense surrendered the most touchdowns to opponents with 23 scores on the ground. They added veteran safety Ryan Clark to try to patch a big hole they had there, Clark has had 100+ tackles the last 3 seasons. They also allowed quarterbacks to be pretty efficient; opposing quarterbacks had a QB rating of 96.1 facing the Redskin’s defense. They added cornerback Tracy Porter to add some much needed depth to their secondary. They also only had 36 sacks in 2013 so they went out and added Jason Hatcher who had 11 sacks with the Dallas Cowboys last season.
X-Factor – Brian Orakpo was franchise tagged by the Washington Redskins going into the last season of his contract. Orakpo will need to step up and play another Pro Bowl caliber season in order to make the kind of money he deserves to be making at his production level. This will also bring the Redskins from the basement to competing for the NFC East pretty quickly this season.
Philadelphia Eagles – 2014 Projection: 5-11
2013 Record: 10-6
DeSean Jackson’s 82 receptions, 1,332 yards, and 9 TDs were impressive, now this player and his stats have taken their talents to their division rival Washington Redskins. Jeremy Maclin is coming off of a completely missed 2013 season from an ACL tear. Players whose best attribute is speed coming off of knee surgery can be a rough comeback. In his 4 seasons previous to his knee injury last season he hadn’t eclipsed 1,000 yards one time.
Maclin is by far the most talented wide out left on the Eagles, followed by Riley Cooper, whose 47 receptions, 835 yards, and 8 touchdowns helped them succeed plenty in the 2013 season. That was Cooper’s first season in a starting role, so there is no certainty that given a new, arguably not as talented opposite starting wide out, Cooper’s production can’t drop off. After Cooper there aren’t any wide outs to get too excited about, barring rookie wide out, Jordan Matthews who is unproven at this level, so if Maclin’s health becomes an issue it could be a long season for an offense that had a lot of success last season.
X-Factor – Trent Cole needs to have a stronger year this year, his 8 sacks helped an otherwise unimpressive pass defense last season. They allowed 4,636 yards passing last year, dead last in the NFL. Good pass defense starts with pressure on the quarterback; a pressured quarterback is far more likely to throw an errant pass. If Trent Cole and company can keep the opposing QBs on the run some more this season, they may find themselves to be repeat NFC East champions.
New York Giants – 2014 Projection: 4-12
2013 Record: 7-9
Eli Manning was a turnover machine last year; he threw 27 interceptions and lost 2 fumbles in the 2013 season. His 57.5 completion percentage and 69.4 QB rating are not too promising going into a season where he is to learn a new offense for the first time in his long career. Ryan Nassib could be starting by the end of the season with how much Eli will struggle this season. The drive that eased the minds of the Giants coaching staff in week 3 of the preseason against the Jets could have just as easily been reason for concern; he threw an apparent interception where Kyle Wilson stepped out of bounds just a split-second too early to negate it. If not for that step out of bounds, Eli would not have a single TD pass in the preseason. They also had next to no running game to go with alongside a turnover ridden passing game in 2013 and lost David Wilson in the offseason with a career ending injury.
The defense can only do so much when Eli is handing the opponent the ball constantly. The defense played some solid football overall, they need to get at the quarterback more often and cause opposing to play more like their own QB. They did contain the opposing quarterbacks reasonably well, allowing only a 78.3 passer rating, however only 34 sacks, 3 sacks above the lowest total in the NFL.
X-Factor – Eli Manning has to bounce back for his team to have any chance. He doesn’t have the best set up to be capable of doing so. He lost Hakeem Nicks without a viable replacement. Eli’s targets are Victor Cruz, Victor Cruz, and Victor Cruz. I say that jokingly but there really isn’t much for him to throw to. While they did draft Odell Beckham with their first overall pick, he has been sidelined with a nagging hamstring injury during some much needed preseason time for this young man.
