YOUR TEAM & ME: NFC East Edition
Past, Present & Future – Dallas Cowboys
Previously on the Dallas Cowboys…
12-5 season, but it really doesn’t feel like the Cowboys won 12 games. Dallas lost in the Wild Card to San Francisco, and it completely washed away any strides forward the Cowboys had taken as an organization. No excuse this year as the Cowboys did not lose in any trap game and were never defeated by more than 2 touchdowns all season. Just another sad season for Jerry Jones bunch. Amari Cooper asked for more and Dallas did not deliver, and I can’t tell you how. Dak had a great year but couldn’t feed Amari enough to justify his $20 million a year contract. Elliott is not the premier running back we thought he was, as he’s slimmed down on both weight and yards. Tony Pollard has evolved as a nice Robin to Zeke’s Batman. CeeDee Lamb had a solid 1000+ yard receiving season and will be the feature wideout for years to come. He is like a new age Michael Irvin with the flash and the ego. Dalton Schultz is kind of nice. The offensive line held somewhat, as Dak stayed mobile and eluded sacks.
The defense had a solid season especially Trevon Diggs who led the league in interceptions. Micah Parsons – 1st round pick out of Penn State – dominated in his first year and the linebacker won Rookie Defensive Player of the Year. In the few games Demarcus Lawrence played his presence was huge for the defense as he’s a problem for any offensive line in the league
Currently on the Dallas Cowboys…
Goodbye Amari Cooper. The Cowboys traded him to the Browns for a 5th and some 6th round picks. That’s roughly $18m off the books and what a saga he had at Dallas. CeeDee Lamb takes over as the #1 guy and will look to team up with whatever receiver can stay healthy behind him as Cedrick Wilson left for Miami. Cedrick Wilson is now a Miami Dolphin and the man you hoped could fill in for him and Amari, Michael Gallup, is hurt. Randy Gregory has gone to Denver and the Cowboys signed Anthony Barr to try and fill that void. Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott are still best friends. Tyron Smith is already hurt for most of the season and La’el Collins is a Bengal. It’s pretty much an aging Zach Martin holding this line together now. The defense is mostly same as last year, so I don’t think there is much optimism regarding a better performance than last year as the holes and lack of elite talent remain.
Upcoming on the Dallas Cowboys…
With the Eagles expecting to have a better team this year and the Commanders forecasted to be somewhat competitive, the Cowboys will not have such an easy walk to the playoffs as they did last season. If the season goes south early, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mike McCarthy is immediately placed on the hot seat, and it could be his last season with the team as Jerry desperately wants a Super Bowl drive soon. Dallas’ win total is 10.5 and their Super Bowl odds are +2000.
Week 1 vs Tampa Bay – Cowboys welcome Tom Brady and the stout Buccaneers to Dallas as they open the season against a huge NFC opponent and potential Super Bowl team as Tom wants one more crack at the trophy before official retirement.
Week 2 vs Cincinnati – Here comes the AFC’s apex predator, led by Joe Burrow and a crushing defense. Losing to the Rams in the Super Bowl last year has got this team hungry for another chance and this will be a great AFC vs NFC matchup between two powerhouses.
Week 3 @ Giants – This should be an easy walk in the park vs an NFC East opponent that the Dallas Cowboys could easily get 2 wins against this season. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley try to rekindle any magic that they have shown throughout their careers, but Dallas should be able to win comfortably in this first of two meetings.
Week 4 vs Washington – Once again, should be an easy win against an easy divisional rival in game 1 of this matchup.
Week 5 @ Rams – Super Bowl champs return most of the team as they try to win the trophy for the second time in a row. Matthew Stafford is still very good, Cooper Kupp is still very good, and Aaron Donald is very good. Good luck Dallas as you travel to the pit.
Week 6 @ Philadelphia – NFC rival Jalen Hurts and the Eagles welcome the Cowboys in this matchup 1 of 2. Philly has upgraded multiple positions on both the offensive side of the ball and defensive side. This is going to be a battle of best of NFC East.
Week 7 vs Detroit – Easy win as Dan Campbell and Jared Goff bring the Lions down south to Jerry World. Dak should have an easy day in the offense as the Lions defense struggles to contend in the league. Lions have a young and talented core so this could easily turn into a trap game if Dallas slacks on the pressure.
Week 8 vs Chicago – Another easy home win as Justin Fields struggles to do anything with their bad offense. The defense is not much better as even their star linebacker Roquan Smith wanted to be traded in the offseason.
Week 9 BYE
Week 10 @ Green Bay – Oh this is going to be a powerhouse matchup as Aaron Rodgers will battle Dak for best in the NFC. Green Bay has also added some muscle to their defense and paid Zaire Alexander in the offseason.
Week 11 @ Minnesota – Another NFC North opponent and not much easier, as Kirk Cousins will air out the ball to Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen over and over again. Dalvin Cook is also a tough tackle any day of the week and if he’s healthy then the Cowboys defense is going to have a long day.
Week 12 vs Giants – Round 2 matchup and this is a much-needed win to secure those NFC credits for postseason play.
Week 13 vs Indianapolis – The Colts have a tough defense and a revamped offense behind Matt Ryan. The Colts offensive line are filled with hogs, so the Cowboys have a tough task all around if they want this home win.
Week 14 vs Houston – The Texas rivalry as Dallas welcomes the bare bone Texans into the house that Jerry built. David Mills is looking to continue as a solid NFL QB in the league but this team around him is not good right now and the Cowboys should win by 14.
Week 15 @ Jacksonville – Trevor Lawrence enters Year 2 with a lot of new weapons on the offense and defense. Khan opened up the checkbook and splurged for this team to make some serious playoff noise. Under new head coach Doug Pederson, this team is looking to be really competitive early on.
Week 16 vs Philadelphia – Round 2 divisional matchup and this could be what gets a team into the playoffs if they had lost the first one. A win at home vs the Eagles would surely help with the playoff chances and you hope Dak and Zeke are still healthy at this point.
Week 17 @ Tennessee – Tough task to go on the road to battle Derrick Henry and a stout defense under Mike Vrabel. I’m actually really excited for this game as both teams feature powerful offenses and game changing defenses.
Week 18 @ Washington – Round 2 divisional matchup and hopefully the final easy win of the season that should secure the Cowboys into the playoffs. Unless Wentz can somehow play trap game commander.
Past, Present & Future – New York Giants
Previously on the New York Giants…
4-13! This season sucked for the New York Giants and there are not many bright spots to build on. They went into the season with a bag of trash and left with a bag of trash. Well done. The defense was pretty soft, besides slowing down the pass. Otherwise lack of strength and talent couldn’t keep them in most games. The offense spiraled as Saquon Barkley was hurt on and off, with Devontae Booker taking over the starting duties. Daniel Jones played in only 11 games with Jake Fromm and Mike Glennon taking over starter duties in his absence. Just horrible depth on this team as things went from bad to worst towards the end of the season. Kadarius Toney did nothing all year. Nor did the rest of the wide receivers on this team. The offensive line was nonexistent as well as the Giants linebacker group. Let’s move on to next season because this one’s as dead as a hot dog in front of Joey Chestnut.
Currently on the New York Giants…
New head coach Brian Daboll takes over this collapsing team and hopes to bring some of that Buffalo magic to New York. Daniel Jones is still on the team, and it seems like nobody has faith in this guy after the team declined his 5th year option, making Daniel a free agent after this season. Tyrod Taylor as his backup won’t last long as injuries have piled up for “T-Mobile”. Saquon Barkley is healthy, for now, and has been talking about how well he feels and to watch out for his comeback. Kadarius Toney is an absolute bust as the troubled speedster from Florida hasn’t amounted to anything in the NFL. He can’t even run well enough in practice to get playing time. Kenny Golladay got paid and refuses to give anything more than 3rd gear. The videos of him practicing are hilarious as he jogs through team drills. Wan’Dale Robinson, a 2nd round pick from Kentucky, should develop nicely if he joins another team as wide receiver careers tend to end dramatically in New York. Kayvon Thibodeaux is the Giants 1st round pick from Oregon who should immediately boost this defensive line and the pass rush.
Upcoming on the New York Giants…
Hopefully a brighter season than last as aiming for more than 4 wins would be a huge boost for this struggling organization. Saquon Barkley has been saying all the right things in the media about getting back in shape and dominating the football field. The Giants defensive line is pretty solid so let’s see what noise this team can make. Their win total is 7.5 and an unlikely Super Bowl victory pays +8500.
Week 1 @ Tennessee – Derrick Henry is going to roll through this Giants defense for 200 yards and if the Giants can manage to score more than 2 touchdowns I would be impressed.
Week 2 vs Carolina – Here’s a chance for one of those rare wins the Giants will see along the season, Baker Mayfield takes over from Cleveland and will try to spark any kind of magic from this similar roster that features a once-skilled running back whose suffered too many injuries recently in Christian McCaffrey.
Week 3 vs Dallas – NFC rivals and the first meeting of the season against the Cowboys. This could be the trap game that every Giants fan loves to cheer for as Dak and Zeke try to stomp all over the blue gang as usual.
Week 4 vs Chicago – Justin Fields brings the Bears to New York and hopes to get any kind of win or momentum from this game as the Bears have a worse roster than the Giants. Battle of the bottom feeders here as both look to play into the 1st overall pick of next year.
Week 5 vs Green Bay – Aaron Rodgers is probably going to have a field day with how bad the Giants secondary is but if the young guys in the Packers receiving corps struggle, then the offense may be able to pitter patter their way down the field to some touchdowns. That’s ignoring the fact that the Packers have two studs at running back in AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones.
Week 6 vs Baltimore – Lamar Jackson is playing for a massive contract in the offseason and this team is geared for a solid run at the playoffs as the AFC North looks weak behind the Bengals and Ravens. The defense could be exploited but Lamar is going to score 5 touchdowns on his own and catapult this team into a massive win.
Week 7 @ Jacksonville – On the road to the house of Trevor Lawrence who has some new weapons on offense to work with. This game will be a struggle of consistency for both teams who try to get a much-needed win whenever they can.
Week 8 @ Seattle – Going on the road to Seattle is never easy but this team is lacking some serious firepower. Giants have ample opportunity to win this game and establish some confidence in the players that the team is somewhat good before the bye week.
Week 9 BYE
Week 10 vs Houston – Davis Mills is looking to do whatever he can to make the Texans competitive and the Giants are not much better on paper than them. I wouldn’t be surprised if Houston comes to town and wins in a close game.
Week 11 vs Detroit – Jared Goff may just have what it takes to topple the Giants who look for an identity while Dan Campbell has been introducing GRIT to his team all year.
Week 12 @ Dallas – Round 2 vs NFC divisional rivals and this time it’s on the road in Jerry World. Once again, Dallas has Super Bowl ambitions and a loaded offense that could easily take off in front of this home crowd.
Week 13 vs Washington – Round 1 matchup vs the Commanders with Carson Wentz at the helm. This team is still struggling for some consistent play on both sides of the balls so this slap fest of a football game could go either way.
Week 14 vs Philadelphia – Round 1 matchup vs Philadelphia who added numerous new pieces to their stacked roster. Hurts and the Eagles are a dark horse for the Super Bowl and this horrid Giants defense is going to have their hands full trying to contain the speed of this offense.
Week 15 @ Washington – Round 2 as they travel to Washington to hopefully get the 2nd win from this divisional rival.
Week 16 @ Minnesota – This should be a clinic for Kirk Cousins as he plays at home with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen on his left and right. Just to make things tougher, Dalvin Cook is healthy and looking to rush for 2000+ yards.
Week 17 vs Indianapolis – Matt Ryan is now quarterback for the Colts and this loaded roster seems primed for a Super Bowl chance that their former QB Carson Wentz couldn’t get them. Giants win probability has got to be single digits for this matchup.
Week 18 @ Philadelphia – Closing the season out with a road trip to Philadelphia to hopefully upset the better divisional team. Round 2 means they have two chances to get some wins and maybe touch the playoffs but if they can’t win here then forget about it.
Past, Present & Future – Philadelphia Eagles
Previously on the Philadelphia Eagles…
9-8 and if this season can be summed up into one word it would be “close”. The first game of the season was a big boost to the team as they stomped Atlanta 32-6 but then they lost the next three. All the losses this season and the only blowout was the last game of the regular season at home vs the Cowboys in a 51-26 defeat. Even in the Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was an admirable effort by Jalen and the Birds. The Eagles were always in the fight but didn’t have the playmaking abilities on both sides of the ball to shift the games into their favor. Dallas Goedert proved to be a reliable go-to for Jalen Hurts all season. Devonta Smith almost had a 1,000-yard receiving season in his rookie year. Miles Sanders showed he could be the #1 back for this team when he’s healthy. The offense led the league in rushing yards and if the Eagles can figure out the aerial game, there’s few defenses that could keep up with them. On to the defense, they played well as a group ranked in the top 10 and proved to be a reliable bunch. Alex Singleton led the team in tackles, Josh Sweat tallied 7.5 sacks, and the secondary held its own without any star power.
Currently on the Philadelphia Eagles…
AJ freaking Brown from Tennessee joins the Philly bunch on a nice contract that will make both sides happy for the next few years. Jason Kelce is back for another season and Jalen Hurts definitely could use him to help complete his evolution. Hurts has the potential to ball out like 2019 Lamar Jackson as he was unstoppable at the quarterback position, winning NFL MVP honors. Hopefully Miles Sanders can stay healthy the whole season as he’s proven to be a 1400+ all-purpose yard running back. Kyzir White joins the Eagles from the Chargers after a breakout season and leading the Chargers in tackles. He will replace Alex Singleton who walks in free agency. TJ Edwards has developed into a great run stuffer/tackling machine. Nakobe Dean could be a steal in this draft as the highly touted Georgia linebacker fell to the 3rd round due to injury worries. Longtime veterans Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham are still hogging it up on defense and will have another year at a chance for the rare Super Bowl trophy.
The Eagles also drafted massive defensive line hog in Jordan Davis from Georgia who will cause so much havoc for opposing offenses. I would keep an eye on Darius Slay as he is one of the top cornerbacks in the league.
Upcoming on the Philadelphia Eagles…
Super Bowl dreams as the Eagles have upgraded and made the moves in the offseason they believe will push them to the top. You have to expect Hurts is ready to find another gear to his game. Devonta Smith and AJ Brown should each get 1000+ yards receiving and let’s hope Miles Sanders can stay healthy. The win total is 9.5 and a Super Bowl win pays +2000. Not bad odds for a dark horse team that could at least win the NFC East at +145, which is tied with the Cowboys for best odds in the division.
Week 1 @ Detroit – Open the season on the road at the Lions who should provide ample competition to test the new Eagles team. It will not bode well for the season if the Eagles lose game 1 to a lower based team.
Week 2 vs Minnesota – At home vs a tough opponent as Kirk Cousins leads the dangerous trio of Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and Justin Jefferson. Minnesota’s defense can be exploited but this will be the first real test for the Eagles.
Week 3 @ Washington – Easy division rival win as the Commanders struggle to find consistency on both sides of the ball. Carson Wentz is not the guy that should beat the Eagles. Chase Young is still injured for this game and the Washington secondary can be exploited big time here.
Week 4 vs Jacksonville – Welcome Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars who opened up the checkbook this offseason, adding weapons on the offense to give them more bite than bark. Jacksonville defense is still sus, and their offense is still developing behind new head coach and former Eagle Doug Pederson.
Week 5 @ Arizona – This should be a heavyweight matchup between two similar teams. Jalen Hurts could establish himself as better than Kyler with a big win on the road here. Deandre Hopkins will be suspended still too, so that’s a boost for the Eagles.
Week 6 vs Dallas – NFC Rivals and game 1 of the matchups as Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot travel to Philly to take on the Eagles. These two teams are very familiar with each other, and this should be battle of the best in the NFC East.
Week 7 BYE
Week 8 vs Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh is struggling to see who their QB will be as Kenny Pickett looks ready to go over Mitch Trubisky. TJ Watt is always a problem but if the Eagles can contain him, they should have a field day with this weak defense behind him.
Week 9 @ Houston – This has to be an easy win as Texans lack serious firepower on both offense and defense. Eagles should have their team figured out by now and the offense should be firing on all cylinders.
Week 10 vs Washington – Round 2 matchup for this NFC East Rival and should be a resounding win vs the Commanders who still lack the overall depth to make an impact in this league. If Chase Young is healthy though, the difficulty level goes up a bit.
Week 11 @ Indianapolis – Matt Ryan is now quarterback for the Colts and this team is STACKED top to bottom. This will be a battle vs an AFC opponent who also has Super Bowl dreams.
Week 12 vs Green Bay – Welcome Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and AJ Dillon to the city of Philly. This will be a tough task for the Eagles who welcome the reigning back-to-back NFL MVP and one of the best quarterbacks in the game. The defense has some more hogs on it to complement the offense so the Packers look a little more well-rounded than last year although missing Devante Adams.
Week 13 vs Tennessee – Powerhouse AFC opponent as Derrick Henry provides another tough home test to the Eagles defense. Jalen Hurts should be able to work his magic vs this shaky defense. Ryan Tannehill can be exploited, as his resume shows he struggles to win the big games. AJ Brown revenge game too.
Week 14 @ Giants – Easy win vs the weakest divisional rival the Eagles will see. Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley struggle to find some kind of competitiveness to keep them in the league with new head coach Brian Daboll.
Week 15 @ Chicago – Defensively the Bears have no answer to contain Jalen Hurts and the bird gang but offensively they have Justin Fields who could pull a trap game out of his bag of tricks. I doubt it, but what a storyline that would be.
Week 16 @ Dallas – Round 2 matchup and on the road to the house that Jerry Jones built. Eagles must get at least 1 win vs their NFC divisional rival and getting 2 would be massive for the playoff berth.
Week 17 vs New Orleans – Saints have a stout defense, but a lot is riding on QB Jameis Winston who has shown to be inconsistent more often than not. Eagles’ defense should be able to contain this lukewarm offense that should funnel the ball to Alvin Kamara.
Week 18 vs Giants – Final regular season game and round 2 bash against the weakest NFC divisional rival the Eagles will have played all season. Hopefully the Philly team has secured a playoff berth and will be able to rest their starters vs the bottom feeder Giants.
Past, Present & Future – Washington Commanders
Previously on the Washington Commanders…
7-10! Wow what an average season. However, it could have easily been worse if they didn’t sweep the Giants. Taylor Heinicke did a great job commanding the pedestrian offense behind that brutal offensive line. He and Terry McLaurin were on the same page for most of the season as Terry collected over 1,000 yards receiving with 5 TDs. Antonio Gibson had a solid season but there were no explosive plays to boost the offense. The tight end position was a ghost town as nobody performed noticeably. Chase Young was injured, and the defense went from 4th to 2nd gear without their star defensive lineman. The defense ranked in the bottom of the league and there were few names that stood out. Johnathan Allen was still pretty good and was the only real impact for the defense in most games. Cole Holcomb led the team in tackles, and I have no clue where this guy came from.
Currently on the Washington Commanders…
Carson freakin’ Wentz joins the Commanders after an unsuccessful stint with the Indianapolis Colts. It’s a tragic tale of how this once highly touted QB has bounced around the league so much. He finds himself on this struggling team, desperate for a winning record. Maybe Carson has a few good years left in the tank and the Commanders can play spoiler for the Eagles and Cowboys. Brian Robinson, a 3rd round pick from Alabama, joins the team with enough talent and skill to be an immediate Robin to Antonio Gibson’s Batman role. Ricky Seals-Jones is still on the team somewhere and you hope he can make some kind of an impact at the tight end position.
Upcoming on the Washington Commanders…
Hope, pray, and beg for a winning season because this team is constantly making the wrong kind of headlines because of owner Dan Snyder. He may not be owner for much longer, but a winning team will make this desperate fanbase happy in some dark times. Carson Wentz could be an upgrade over Taylor Heinicke if he can be consistent for an entire season, something that hasn’t happened yet. The win total is 8.5 and a Super Bowl victory would pay out at +8500.
Week 1 vs Jacksonville – What a test for the season as the Commanders welcome the Jaguars with Trevor Lawrence and a bunch of weapons on the offense. The Jags defense should be a nice warmup for Carson Wentz and show where he is at physically for the season.
Week 2 @ Detroit – Jaguars were a nice home test and Detroit is a nice road test, as they travel to take on a capable Lions squad with Jared Goff at the helm. Dan Campbell has been introducing grit to his Lions team, which is something that the Commanders are lacking.
Week 3 vs Philadelphia – NFC East rival and first test for the playoffs as they will need to win at least 1 of 2 games vs the Eagles to have a real chance. Jalen Hurts has AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, while their defense remains as stout as ever.
Week 4 @ Dallas – Back-to-back powerhouse NFC East opponents and the Commanders will desperately try to walk away with a win here in the 1st matchup of the season vs Dallas. The Cowboys’ stadium is a tough place for anybody to play at and Carson will have his hands full as Trevon Diggs could make short work of the Commanders.
Week 5 vs Tennessee – Derrick Henry could rush for 200 yards against this team if the defense can’t buckle down and get in the backfield early. Tannehill has some new targets as Julio Jones and AJ Brown joined new teams, so the Commanders could play trap game winners if they can pressure Henry.
Week 6 @ Chicago – Few teams in the league are worse than Washington, but one is the Chicago Bears, as they only have Justin Fields to try and push these weak Bears to victory. Carson and Terry should have a great day of pitch & catch.
Week 7 vs Green Bay – Aaron Rodgers is never an easy opponent to face off against and with the dual headed backfield of AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones, it’s exponentially harder. Davante Adams joined Vegas but Aaron should have already developed reps with the new wide receivers, and the Commanders secondary will not be able to keep up.
Week 8 @ Indianapolis – Carson Wentz returns to play his former team in his former home and hopes he can get some revenge for letting him go after just 1 season. Matt Ryan takes over for Carson on the Colts and this team is stacked. David vs Goliath deal here for Wentz who tries to topple the big, bad Colts.
Week 9 vs Minnesota – Kirk Cousins is poised to throw for 5000+ yards with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen as his wide receivers. Dalvin Cook is also a game breaker at the running back position, so this is not looking good at all for Washington.
Week 10 @ Philadelphia – Round 2 matchup as they travel to Philly to try and play upset hogs to the promising Eagles.
Week 11 @ Houston – Please don’t let Davis Mills ball on the Commanders in Houston. The Texans have a young and developing team and the Commanders should be able to control the game, but I can easily see a Texans win happening.
Week 12 vs Atlanta – Another team that is in a worse state than the Commanders. Kyle Pitts is a weapon though at the tight end position for the Falcons, and if the Commanders can’t contain him then it could be a bad loss at home.
Week 13 @ NY Giants – Carson Wentz must be able to beat the Giants. Daniel Jones is not that good, and the team has already declined his 5th year option. Saquon Barkley may have gotten his groove back by now, so there could be the issue of containing him when it comes to getting an easy win against a weak opponent.
Week 14 BYE
Week 15 vs NY Giants – Redemption game in the round 2 matchup vs the Giants as I expect they will have lost the first game on the road in New York. Now it’s time to get the blowout win at home after some rest late in the season.
Week 16 @ San Francisco – Trey Lance is the guy in San Fran now and Kyle Shanahan is poised to make a big run with a developing offense and stout defense. Big road battle for Washington that could get ugly if Deebo starts getting loose early.
Week 17 vs Cleveland – Deshaun Watson will have returned from suspension by now and I hope they don’t unleash the full wrath of the backfield duo of Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb as well. This game is poised for bad things if you’re a Washington fan.
Week 18 vs Dallas – Round 2 matchup and final regular season game of the year pits NFC East rivals against each other, and they could be on opposite sides of the postseason fence. Dallas could very well deploy the B-team here if they have a playoff berth secured.
