Eleven weeks into the NFL season, the Washington Redskins are far from where they expected to be. In the same span, the New York Giants have found themselves in a similar situation. On the contrary, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have thrown their respective hats into the ring for the NFC East title, but seem more likely to beat themselves than a legitimate opponent. So what is to make of the mess that is the NFC East? A division with a winning percentage only a mother could love is tighter than Justin Timberlake’s pants at the turn of the millennium. No knock to the suit and tie wearing teen heartthrob, but if Nick Foles ‘s recent play is anything to go by, there will be a new idol of teenage affection in the near future, especially in Philadelphia.
Washington Redskins(3-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles(5-5)
With the division-leading Cowboys on a bye, Philadelphia and Washington takes center stage in the spectrum of the NFC East. With a win the Eagles can take hold of first place, albeit by half a game; while Washington looks to avenge its beat-down in Week 1, by crawling back into the race for what would be a consecutive division championship. Philadelphia, the league’s 1st ranked offense, will dominate a hopeless Redskins’ defense, but how will the rest of this contest play out?
The Eagles are an offensive powerhouse, but weakness in the secondary leaves the door open for a career-defining performance from Robert Griffin III. Washington needs to catch lighting in a bottle in Philadelphia, but the lightening-quickness of the Eagles’ offensive weapons: LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson may prevent that from happening. In simple man’s terms, the Eagles 1st place offense goes up against the league’s 25th ranked defense, and should have its way with one of the NFL’s worst units.
Prediction: Eagles 31 Redskins 17
Brian Orakpo and the Redskins front seven are no match for McCoy and the Eagles’ dominant offense. Foles appears to have mastered Chip Kelly’s offensive philosophy, and will go up against the league’s 26th ranked passing defense that gives up an average of 274.8 yards per game. If Foles is not up to the task, the NFL’s rushing leader surely will be, and the Eagles will get their first home-win since 2012.
Green Bay Packers(5-4) @ New York Giants(3-6)
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, Scott Tolzien is no Aaron Rodgers and thus the Giants have a legitimate chance to get back into the mix for the NFC East title.
If injuries to Bryan Bulaga and Randall Cobb weren’t enough, the Packers lost their field general two weeks ago against the Bears, and have not been the same since.
New York on the other hand have done a complete 180-degree turn, and are back in the race for the NFC East banner. Jon Beason and Andre Brown have rejuvenated one of the league’s most-underperforming teams, and have put their Giants within range of the division-leaders, Dallas and Philadelphia.
Brown was a virtual god-send for the NFL’s 29th ranked rushing team, and Beason has turned a low-ranked front seven into top-15 territory as the Giants currently rank 11th against the run. Should the Giant’s hot-streak continue, Green Bay will be in worse shape than Jonathan Martin in a therapy session run by Richie Incognito. Both teams need a win to stay alive, but who will come up victorious in New York on Sunday?
Prediction: Packers 21 Giants 20
In a slug-fest worthy of song, Green Bay will outlast their opponents from the east by implementing heavy doses of Eddie Lacy and James Starks to open up passing lanes for Tolzien and top target Jordy Nelson. While New York is on a hot streak, the Packers are too talented to lose consecutive games to the NFC’s worst division; Green Bay will win a highly-contested battle.