Silverman: Look Out, NFC West -- The East Is Starting To Flex Its Muscles
By Steve Silverman
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At the start of the season, the NFC East looked like a charity case of a division.
The Eagles knew what they were doing with Chip Kelly at head coach and they had an impressive quarterback in Nick Foles. They ran a fast-paced offense and knew how to light up the scoreboard.
The rest of the division was a shambles. The Giants had no clue as to what they were doing in newcomer Ben McAdoo's offense, and many thought the Cowboys had an expansion-level defense that couldn't stop anything.
The Redskins were a team in transition with a rookie head coach in Jay Gruden. Quarterback Robert Griffin III simply could not get the rhythm back that he had in his rookie year and they appeared to be in big trouble.
The assessment of the Eagles and the Redskins has turned out to be correct, but the Giants and the Cowboys have been two of the most shocking teams in the NFL.
Start with the Giants, who won their third straight game on Sunday when they took on a desperate Atlanta Falcons team, absorbed a couple of hard punches from the visitors, and then pounded them into submission.
The Giants have been getting a solid contribution for their running game for the last three weeks, and rookie Andre Williams took the baton from Rashad Jennings after he suffered a knee injury against Atlanta. Williams rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, and the running game did just enough to give Eli Manning an opportunity to make a few big plays for the Giants.
Manning followed up his four-TD effort in Week 4 against Washington with an error-free game against the Falcons. He completed 19-of-30 passes for 200 yards with two TDs. Manning's fourth-quarter TD pass to rookie Odell Beckham gave the Giants a 24-20 lead, and that took the steam out of the Falcons. Josh Brown added two more field goals to close out the scoring.
While the Giants became a winning team with the victory, the Cowboys shockingly moved to 4-1 with their 20-17 overtime win against the Texans. The Cowboys have been getting remarkable work from running back DeMarco Murray, who rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown in the win. Murray has exceeded the 100-yard mark and scored a touchdown in every game this season.
His performance is taking pressure off of Tony Romo and the Cowboys defense, which has played better than expected. Give credit to defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli for taking a patchwork unit and helping them play respectable football.
So where does that leave the NFC East? It means there are three pretty good football teams that could put on a rousing show the rest of the season.
If you look at the rest of the NFC, it's clear that the East is starting to echo its dominance of previous generations. The Green Bay Packers may get some competition from the Detroit Lions this season, but Aaron Rodgers is likely to lead his team to a runaway in the NFC North.
The NFC South is a collection of mediocrity. Unless the New Orleans Saints pull a turnaround, they will be a major disappointment this season. The Panthers have a winning record, but they are not close to the team they were last year, and the Falcons can't play defense and are awful on the road.
The NFC West has strength with the Seahawks and 49ers leading the way, but the NFC East is dramatically improved and may be able to give the West a run for its money by placing two – or perhaps three – teams in the playoffs.
The Giants have passed their preliminary tests in the early part of the 2014 season, and they will find out quite a bit more about themselves the next two weeks as they go to Philadelphia and Dallas to take on their two divisional rivals.
The balance on offense is enough to give them a real chance to add to their winning streak, but they are clearly facing a couple of dangerous teams.
Three strong teams in the NFC East once again.
It may be the NFL's most shocking on-the-field development this season.
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