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1. Dallas Cowboys: When the Eagles struggled down the stretch, they capitalized upon that and won their second division title in three seasons. Last year was the best I’ve ever seen Dak Prescott look and CeeDee Lamb stepped onto the scene and put together a quality season. They were stunned in the Wild Card round against the Green Bay Packers and didn’t show up. I’ll say this and leave it here. The Dallas Cowboys don’t care about winning games and advancing far in the playoffs. At this point, I think they’re okay with remaining relevant. They have a championship-caliber defense that can carry them. It’s the inconsistent offense and not knowing which version of Dak Prescott you’re getting. That’s what’s holding them back. They’ll always be talked about whether you’re rooting for or against them.
2. Philadelphia Eagles: I was never sold on them in 2023. At one point, they were leading the conference with a 10-1 record, but they were sliding by teams and barely winning. In other words, they were getting lucky and it was showing week by week. What broke them was their NFC Championship rematch against the San Francisco 49ers and after that, everything spiraled out of control. What was a 10-1 record at one time turned into a 1-5 record in their final six games and an 11-6 record along with a Wild Card spot in the playoffs where they fell short to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This has been quite the off-season for the Philadelphia Eagles as they lost Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox to retirement. However, they made one of the biggest signings by adding Saquon Barkley who once played for the New York Giants. What looked as promising in 2023 turned into the ultimate nightmare in South Philadelphia.
3. New York Giants: 2022 was a good year for them and they shocked many people by not only making the playoffs but winning a playoff game. Last year, they came back to reality and struggled. Daniel Jones is not the answer and until they make a change at Quarterback, they will continue to remain in the position they’re in. I didn’t mind the Malik Nabers selection in the NFL Draft, but I don’t trust Daniel. The Giants lost Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles to replace him with Devin Singletary which isn’t a bad move considering he played for Brian Daboll in Buffalo and I always say personnel fits matter. The Giants also acquired Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers. I honestly never know what to expect from this team anymore.
4. Washington Commanders: They finally relieved Ron Rivera of his coaching duties after last season and replaced him with Dan Quinn. The Commanders also had the second overall pick in the NFL Draft and selected Jayden Daniels, the stud Quarterback from LSU who won the Heisman last year. One issue they had last year was consistently turning the ball over as the offense committed 32 turnovers which was more than the defense who had 18 on the year. If you struggle to take care of the ball, you don’t win football games, plain and simple. In the last seven seasons, the Commanders have compiled a record of 11-30-1 in the NFC East which won’t cut it. They have a lot of work to do.
2024 Predictions
1. Eagles (11-6)
2. Cowboys (10-7)
3. Giants (6-11)
4. Commanders (4-13)
The NFC East is always an unpredictable division. Look how fast the Eagles started a year ago and how it all came tumbling down when they struggled. This is going to be a two-team race once again between Dallas and Philadelphia.This time, I like the Eagles to win their second division title in three years under Nick Sirianni. I loved the signing of Saquon Barkley and it gives this offense another weapon for defenses to worry about. This will also be good for Saquon as he will be one of their many weapons and the offense won’t be built around him as it was when he was with the Giants. I’m expecting a bounce-back year from Jalen Hurts. When he’s locked in, we see what he is capable of doing and he was an MVP candidate just a few years ago. I need to see this defense turn the page and improve and they will with Vic Fangio calling the plays as their new Defensive Coordinator.
