Is The NFC East Back?

[12thMan]

Sorry Packers fans, but the three best teams in the NFC this year all come from the NFC East. Arguably, in the very order of the current standings: Cowboys, Giants, Redskins. You'd be hard pressed picking three teams from the same division to make the playoffs, but it could very well end up that way. Here's my brief breakdown of how the division has faired through six weeks.

Dallas Cowboys: 5-1 The Cowboys are regarded by many as the best team in the NFC right now, and deservedly so. They have a balanced attack on offense and a nice defense to boot. The return of WR Terry Glenn, the soon to be addition of Tank Johnson, and a bye week to nurse some key injuries makes it quite tempting to jump on the band wagon too. But after a nail biter in Buffalo and a whupping by the New England Patriots, the Cowboys have suddenly been brought back down to earth. And with the Giants and Redskins now breathing down their necks, the divisional race could get quite interesting as we approach Thanksgiving Day. No one really questions the talent level on this squad, but if I'm a Cowboys fan , my chief concern is whether or not Wade Phillips can keep his locker room from believing it's own press. After Sunday's lost, both Tony Romo and Terrell Owens alluded to the possibility they could "see New England down the road" in the Super Bowl. If Phillips can't temper such comments in the future, it could be doomsday in big D.

The New York Giants: 4-2 The Giants, in my mind, could be the scariest team, not just in the NFC, but in all of football. At the beginning of the season I picked them to finish dead last, but carefully hedged myself by saying this is a team easily capable of winning it all - and I still believe that. The Giants, irrespective of standings or statistics, have a knack for turning it on and getting hot really fast. If Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress continue to play at this level, they'll present some problems for the rest the way. With Tiki Barber now out of the way, and Michael Strahan managing to keep quiet for two weeks in a row, Tom Coughlin's biggest challenge is to keep the fire burning long enough to make a hard push at winning the division. I know it's really early to be talking playoffs, but trust me these guys peek ahead on the schedule now and then.

Washington Redskins: 3-2 The jury is still out on which way the Redskins will actully swing this year. Many are struggling whether to lump the Redskins in the middle with the Minnesota's and Tamp Bay's of the conference or to put them a step and a half behind the Cowboys. After a disappointing loss to Green Bay, and having their offensive line depleted the Skins hope to rebound and find themselves 4-2 on Sunday. The two constants for the Skins this year have been a stingy Gregg Williams defense and the emergence and maturity of quarterback Jason Campbell. Those are the two things the Skins have hung their hat on through five games, and chances are, it will be those very things that will carry them the rest of the way. The running game, to no fault of it's own, has been wildly inconsistent, and other than Randel-El, and very recently, TE Chris Cooley, no one has asserted themselves as the go to receiver. If the Redskins want to vie for a playoff position and be taken seriously as we approach the mid-way point, these are questions that must be answered.

Philadelphia Eagles: 2-3 Once considered the dominant team in the NFC East, a combination of age, injuries, and a lack of meaningful off season moves have finally caught up with the Eagles. While it's too early to write the Eagles off just yet, the odds are they should finish last this year. But anything can happen in the NFL these days. The Eagles will use the draft and free agencey to re-tool at some key positions, and look toward next season.