Ten weeks ago had someone told you that the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys would be tied atop the NFC East, you would have called them crazy. The Washington Redskins were division champions in 2012, but have seldom shown the degree of talent on their roster thus far into 2013. As for the New York Giants, perennially the NFL’s most-overrated team, they have shown their true colors this season and are struggling to stay relevant in the NFC East. While all four franchises are still alive and well in terms of the playoff race, Philadelphia and Dallas are one win apiece from making this a two-horse race. Despite Dallas’ blunder on Sunday Night, the table is set for a photo-finish in the NFC East playoff race.
Minnesota Vikings(2-7) 34 Washington Redskins(3-6) 27
Just one week after defeating the San Diego Chargers in overtime, Washington headed to Minnesota on a short week for a date on “Thursday Night Football”. Unfortunately for fans of Washington’s football team, Adrian Peterson has entered what experts call “grown-ass man mode” and will not be stopped as last year’s MVP rushed for two touchdowns and 75 yards on 20 carries. Also beneficial for Minnesota was the play of oft-maligned quarterback Christian Ponder who threw two touchdowns and one interception with 174 yards through the air. Ponder eventually left the game late due to an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, and was replaced by Matt Cassel but nevertheless; an encouraging showing from Ponder was a sight for sore eyes for fans of the purple people eaters.
As for the reigning NFC East champions, 2013 is not working out as well as coach Mike Shanahan had hoped. Now with just three wins in nine contests, Washington is on the outside looking in on the beginning of this season’s playoff race.
The Redskins failed to force Ponder/Cassel to beat them, while allowing Peterson to dominate them on the ground, and couldn’t muster enough offense to outscore the league’s 28th-ranked offense.
Minnesota has just 2841 yards on the season, over 1,000 yards less than league-leading Philadelphia at 4134. Even after struggling through the better part of four quarters against the Vikings, the Redskins still had a chance at the end.
With under a minute left, Washington had a first and goal from the 4-yard line. After a failed rushing attempt and three consecutive incomplete passes from Robert Griffin III, Washington was out of time, out of luck, and fell to the Minnesota Vikings.
In a game in which the redskins had eight penalties for 63 yards, and Griffin III was sacked four times in the second-half for a net loss of 39 yards, this one was never as close as the score dictated.
Despite having more first downs, total yards, and running more plays than the Vikings, the Washington Redskins were defeated in Minnesota, and have an uphill climb to get back into the race for the NFC East. Up next is a date with the team who took down the Packers at Lambeau Field, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia Eagles(5-5) 27 Green Bay Packers(5-4) 13
Without Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers had little hope to keep up with the league’s most prolific offense, and the man who may be the best quarterback in the NFC East. Before you exit this window faster than Jacoby Jones out of a party-bus, consider some statistics. As only the third quarterback to start a season with 16 touchdowns without a single interception, Nick Foles is back from the brink of despair and ready to lead an Eagles team to the promised land. In his last two starts against Oakland and Green Bay, Foles has thrown 634 yards and 10 touchdowns good for a passer rating of 155.3. Before Philadelphia anoints Foles as the next Peyton Manning a much larger sample-size is necessary. But for now, fans can rejoice in the city of brotherly love.
The NFL’s leading rusher got back to work for Philadelphia on Sunday as well, as LeSean McCoy rushed for 155 yards on 25 carries. Despite not finding the end-zone on the ground in consecutive weeks, McCoy is still the focal-point of the Eagles’ fast-paced offense. By dominating an injury-plagued Packers team, Philadelphia may be in the drivers-seat in the NFC East. The Eagles have one more meeting with Washington before heading into their bye-week, and would put themselves in great position for NFC East contention with a win over their division rival. For those still doubting Chip Kelly, over the past two weeks the Eagles outscored their opponents 76-33 while losing the time of possession contest 72-48. No time-keepers needed here, this Eagles offense is the real deal.
New York Giants(3-6) 24 Oakland Raiders(3-6) 20
The slop-bucket that was Giants-Raiders on Sunday did not disappoint. The teams combined for five turnovers, just 464 yards of total offense, and together did not match the New Orleans Saints’ first down record-breaking total on “Sunday Night Football” of 40 first-downs in a single game. Between Terrelle Pryor and Eli Manning, the two managed only a quarterback rating of 17.8, just 262 yards, and one touchdown with two interceptions. What did we learn from this contest? Not only are both teams horrendous, both the Giants and Raiders have given up on the 2013 NFL season.
The good news in the big apple comes in the form of Andre Brown , and a check-mark in the win column. Brown returned to action after nearly a 10 week hiatus, and rushed 30 times for 115 yards and a touchdown. With David Wilson out for the year with a neck injury, expect Brown to shoulder the load moving forward for the last-place Giants. The bottom line for New York has not changed, until Manning remembers how to play the quarterback position, the Giants will continue to be irrelevant in the race for the NFC East.
New Orleans Saints(7-2) 49 Dallas Cowboys(5-5) 17
Make no mistake about it, the Dallas Cowboys miss Rob Ryan. The grey-haired gremlin that formerly served as Dallas’ defensive coordinator pulled out all the stops in New Orleans on Sunday night, and decimated Tony Romo and a talented Cowboys’ offense.
The Saints defense held Dallas to just 9 first downs compared to the NFL record 40 Drew Brees ‘s offense put up. The Cowboys ran just 43 plays from scrimmage compared to 83 run by the Saints.
Dallas also had just 193 total yards compared to 625 from New Orleans, and had just over 20 minutes of possession in the game, barely half of the Saints’ clock which recorded over 39 minutes of possession. Calling all Romo-haters, this game was for you.
Dallas Cowboys’ franchise quarterback Tony Romo had a rough go of it on Sunday Night down by the bayou. While throwing for just 128 yards and a touchdown on 10 of 24 passing, Romo’s 11.5 quarterback rating was one of the lowest of the season league-wide, let alone in Romo’s own career.
Compare this Ponder-esque performance to the of his counterpart from the French Quarter, and Cowboys fans will run in shame. Brees threw 34 completions on 41 attempts for 392 yards and four touchdowns. In this tale of two quarterbacks, it is no secret who is elite, and who is just being paid as if he was.
Now at 5-5 and tied at the top of the NFC East with Philadelphia, Dallas is reeling. Ranked 32nd against the pass with 313 yards per game allowed, 28th against the run with 126.8 yards per game given up, and ranked 28th in the league rushing the ball themselves with 77 yards per game on average, the Cowboys are looking much more like pretenders than NFC East contenders.