Week three is the first turning-point of the NFL season, dreams are realized and then dashed, hope once paramount is soon put away in a box marked “2014 offseason.” Two such deposits have been made in some of the largest NFL markets. Salutations to Washington Redskins and New York Giants for showing up, thanks for playing, and we hope you enjoy your fruit basket on the way out. Thursday night officially dampened the spirits of Philadelphia’s faithful, raising more questions than answers surrounding Chip Kelly’s new offense. Only one franchise can hold its’ head high after the third week of the year: The Dallas Cowboys are in command of the NFC East, and their hold may be stronger than you realize.

Dallas Cowboys(2-1) 31 St. Louis Rams(1-2) 7

Dallas area police responded to reports of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon to the house that Jerry Jones built, as DeMarco Murray aggressively beat the visiting St. Louis Rams. Just two years after setting the Cowboys’ single game rushing record against the Rams, Murray was at it again Sunday, rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown. The balance the Cowboys’ offense so dearly needed has been found, and teams in the NFC should be wary, Dallas is no show pony, this team is for real.

Surely no one is happier about the re-emergence of Dallas’ star rusher than Tony Romo. After attempting 648 passes in 2012, the most in his decade as an NFL player, the Cowboys knew something had to be done to find balance in a talented offensive unit. While Romo is on pace to finish close to his attempt total of a year ago with 115 thus far, there Is no denying the Cowboys’ offense has vastly improved from a season ago. Against the Rams, Dallas attempted just 24 passes, matched by 34 rushing attempts by Murray, Lance Dunbar , and to a lesser-degree Phillip Tanner. This is the type of balance that offenses thrive on, and gives defensive coordinators nightmares. Despite running eight fewer plays than the visitors from St. Louis, Dallas recorded 164 more yards, and decimated their NFC West opponents.

Standing atop the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys have solved their biggest problem of a season ago: predictability on offense. With an attack rivaling the staunchness of their defense, the Cowboys’ are prepared for a championship-run and a division title. Nevertheless, concerns remain surrounding the legitimacy of Dallas’ playoff hopes. Which Cowboys team will be seen when all is said and done? The team that barely escaped their home opener with a win despite forcing six turnovers? Will we see the team that fell short in Arrowhead stadium, and could not find their offensive rhythm against an undefeated Chiefs team led by Andy Reid? Or is this more-polished, efficient, destructive team that Cowboys’ fans have yearned for finally ready to take the next step as a contender? Dallas’ Week 4 visit to Qualcomm Stadium and the San Diego Chargers should paint a clearer picture of who Jason Garrett’s team truly is.

Kansas City Chiefs(3-0) 26 Philadelphia Eagles(1-2) 16

Well Philadelphia, at least Andy Reid enjoyed his homecoming. After a Week 2 meeting with San Diego in which the defense couldn’t catch a cold, Billy Davis’ unit showed up for their prime time bout with a former skipper on Thursday Night Football. Holding their undefeated visitors to a third-down conversion rate of 33%, the Eagles defense looked ready to cement itself as a relevant unit and solidify the Eagles’ as contenders. Unfortunately for a group that surrendered 395 total yards and one monster of a game from Jamaal Charles, the offense was not able to hold up its end of the bargain, and Philadelphia fell to its’ former head coach in embarrassing fashion.

Fans and media alike know one thing for sure about Chip Kelly’s new offense: it is designed as a faced-paced attack. In this sense, the Eagles’ game-plan against Kansas City failed utterly. Running just 63 plays compared to 77 by Kansas City, the Eagles failed to control the tempo of the game, and in turn suffered defeat to a familiar face wearing what appeared to be some sort of poncho-collared shirt-circus tent combo.

Despite an impressive showing from LeSean McCoy, 20 rushes for 158 yards and a score, the Eagles were unable to overcome a talented Chiefs’ defense and struggled to find balance within their offense. As good as many believed Michael Vick to be after his 450 yard output in Week 2, the former Hokie struggled mightily against his former mentor; posting a pedestrian: 13/30 201 yards 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, stat line. The Chiefs defense found tremendous success by double covering DeSean Jackson for much of Thursday’s game, so look for other teams to emulate this successful strategy to slowing down one of the games’ best offenses. Sure, 431 total yards is a nice total, but if the Eagles offense cannot capitalize on their chances and get the ball in that big painted box at the end of the field, expect more 16 point outputs than 60 point showings for the remainder of the season.

Where the Eagles defense was successful for much of the night in preventing scoring drives, the Chiefs did rack up 395 yards of total offense, capped off by Charles 172 yards from scrimmage, and Donnie Avery ‘s seven-catch for 141 yards coming-out party. By letting the Chiefs’ establish their tempo, the Eagles gave up on their fast-paced system, and floundered on offense with just a 16 point performance. Even with over 403 yards of offense, the Chiefs defense bent but didn’t break, and the Eagles fell to 1-2. One bright spot for Philadelphia, after playing three games in 11 games, a team reeling after consecutive disappointing home losses will have a chance to get in a rhythm and turn their luck around.

Detroit Lions (2-1) 27 Washington Redskins(0-3) 20

The NFL is in a state of parity. Other than the undefeated Seahawks who stand at 3-0, the other NFC playoff teams from 2012 have a combined three wins. However, of the group including Atlanta, Green Bay, San Francisco, Washington and Minnesota, only the latter have been unable to find the formula for a victory thus far in 2013. The Redskins may as well kiss their Super Bowl dreams goodbye, as their offense has yet to find its’ form, and their expected solutions for an atrocious defensive unit have done little to stem the onslaught of opposing offenses. After surrendering 443 yards to division-rival Philadelphia Week 1, the Redskins followed that putrid performance by allowing 580 yards to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Week 2, and 441 yards in their most recent defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions.

The debacle that has been the Redskins 2013 campaign continued Sunday, as Washington was unable to steal a victory in a favorable home match-up. Detroit entered the contest having experienced their first taste of defeat after a Week 2 meeting with the Bears, and looked to regain their offensive rhythm against a team devoid of an actual defensive strategy. Matthew Stafford absolutely demolished what might be the worst secondary in football while throwing for 385 yards and two scores, and his performance was only beaten by that of his favorite toy: Megatron. Calvin Johnson exemplified his status as the game’s best, as he caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, while embarrassing the Redskins’ secondary. Clearly Washington’s issues have not been solved, and they have run out of time to find a solution. With an offense lacking chemistry, and a defense devoid of hope, Washington has dug itself into a hole too deep for even Griffin III to dig them out of.

Fortunately for the winless Redskins, a trip to the Bay Area was just what the doctor ordered, as the Oakland Raiders are next on the docket for Mike Shanahan’s team. Regardless, an 0-3 record may be too much for the reigning NFC East champions to overcome, even in a division devoid of elite talent.

Carolina Panthers(1-2) 38 New York Giants(0-3) 0

No, that is not a typo. The New York Giants scored as many points Sunday in Carolina as they have wins in 2013: zero. What is wrong with Eli Manning and the Giants’ offense? Sure, injuries along the offensive line and to Andre Brown have derailed the team’s hopes for a dominant rushing attack, but the last time I checked, multiple vertical threats still resided in New York’s offensive arsenal. Perhaps they aren’t being utilized properly. Or maybe a quarterback who was gifted two Super Bowl rings is finally showing his true colors. Manning’s lone interception Sunday was a low point for the beleaguered quarterback. His turnover against the Panthers marked his 8th interception of the year, showing a turnover to touchdown ratio with record potential. Through three games, Manning has thrown five touchdowns compared to his eight interceptions, a truly embarrassing ratio. Regardless of the primary issue at hand, the Giants are reeling and are showing no signs of improvement.

David Wilson is a talented rusher, but the sophomore back has not been given his chance. After receiving eleven carries on Sunday, four greater than his highest single-game total all season, the problem is clear for New York. With their worst start to a season under Tom Coughlin underway, the Giants’ must find a balance to their offense if they hope to get back in the race for the NFC East. On Sunday, the Giants ran nearly double the amount of passing plays than rushing plays against the Panthers. While getting Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz involved in the offense is a splendid beginning to any game-plan, a lack of regular rushing yardage creates patterns for defenses to exploit, and there you find the script for Sunday’s embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Ron Rivera’s Panthers. With only 150 total yards against Carolina, New York showed the type of inadequacy we’re used to from the cross-town Jets, but was very uncommon in the Coughlin era.

With a defense that couldn’t catch a cold, an offensive line in shambles, and a coach who puts no faith in his players, the Giants 2013 playoff campaign is over before it ever started. Next on the schedule for the winless Giants is the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Including playoff contests, Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid boasts a 15-12 record against his former New York rivals, and should improve on this record Sunday in Kansas City. With the worst rushing attack in football, and a defense devoid of hope, the Giants may be headed to their worst finish during the Coughlin regime. Without a change in philosophy from its coach, and strategy by its coordinators, New York will be entering a different race than the one its’ fans had hoped, the race for South Carolina defensive-powerhouse, Jadeveon Clowney.