The View Back East: Week 3, Shattered Dreams
The Eagles were the favorite by many to win the NFC East. Some people claimed they were Super Bowl favorites after all the free agents they signed. How the tables have turned. The Eagles are now 1-2 and just got stomped by the New York football Giants. The Giants came out of nowhere to beat up Michael Vick and take control of the rivalry early in the season. The Redskins lost to the Cowboys in a sloppy game by both teams. The Redskins suffered their first loss and now we have three teams that are 2-1 in the division. Here is a recap of the games last week and a preview of this week's games.
Giants 29 Eagles 16
The Eagles were heavy favorites in this game after Vick was back in practice and the Giants lost Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon to injuries. The Giants' backs were against the wall and they responded in a huge way. Eli Manning overcame his Philadelphia woes to throw for 254 yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Victor Cruz, filling in for Manningham, had a monster game with three catches for 110 yards, two touchdowns and embarrassed Nnamdi Asomugha. Ahmad Bradshaw also had a huge game with 139 total yards and one touchdown. The Giants defense also stepped up with two sacks, three interceptions and dropped Vick on the ground several times.
The Eagles looked lethargic and out of sync all game. Vick ended up with a swollen hand that was originally thought to be broken. He threw for 176 yards and an interception. He left the game in the fourth quarter and didn't return. He never had a lot of time to throw since his offensive line is in shambles right now. Vick complained after the game that the referees missed several late flags that should have been thrown after he was on the ground most of the game. Backup quarterback Mike Kafka threw two crucial interceptions. Jeremy Maclin suffered a hamstring injury and didn't return. The Eagles defense was terrible all game and the run defense continued to struggle. The "dream team" had their dreams shattered last week.
The Giants face the Cardinals in Arizona this week in a game they have to win if they want to keep up in the division race. They should win this game, because the Cardinals struggle against the pass and running-back Beanie Wells is banged up. This will probably be a shootout, but the Giants will prevail. The Eagles face the 49ers at home this week, but Vick is banged up and Maclin is coming off the hamstring injury. I think the Niners keep it close if running-back Frank Gore plays, but all bets are off if he sits. The Eagles should win this game and have to win this game if they want to keep up in the division race.
Cowboys 18 Redskins 16
Both teams were very sloppy in this game and struggled in the red zone. Cowboys' kicker Dan Bailey kicked six field goals, because the Cowboys offense was out of sync all night. Tony Romo and his offensive line couldn't get on the same page and it led to three fumbled snaps. Romo was running for his life, but made the most of it. He was also wearing a protective vest for his injured ribs and had a heroic effort. He did not have a great game statistics wise, but he led the team to a victory and made a huge third-down pass to Dez Bryant to keep the game-winning drive alive. Bryant had four catches for 63 yards and Jason Witten had six catches for 60 yards. Felix Jones also had a monster game with 155 total yards, but aggravated a shoulder injury and left the game in the fourth quarter. The defense was huge with a blocked field goal, three sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.
The Redskins let a great opportunity slip away, because they could be 3-0 and in first place in the division right now. They should have won this game, because of the Cowboys' offensive problems. Rex Grossman threw for 250 yards and a touchdown, but threw an interception and had a fumble lost. Grossman wasn't good in the second half and one has to question whether he can get it done in the clutch. Tim Hightower had 80 total yards and a touchdown, Santana Moss had five catches for 70 yards and Jabar Gaffney had five catches for 60 yards.
Neither of these teams looked great, but both are in good shape right now. The Redskins are 2-1 and face the awful St. Louis Rams on the road this week. The Rams are desperate for a win, but I'm not sure they can get one here. Steven Jackson is still not 100 percent and their offensive line is terrible. The Redskins should shred their defense and win this game.
The Cowboys have a huge game against the unbeaten Detroit Lions at home this week. Can they stop the Lions' scary defensive line? Will Ndamukong Suh injure Romo again and force him to leave the game? Suh might be the best defensive lineman in the NFL and the Cowboys better have an answer for him if they want to win. They also have to worry about the explosive offense of Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best. The Cowboys have to keep up if they want to win and get their offense in sync this week. The prediction is that the Lions will stay undefeated and torture Romo and his offensive line all game. Calvin Johnson will have a huge game against a banged-up secondary.
The Cowboys biggest threats in the division right now look like the Redskins and the Giants. The Eagles will probably right the ship, but don't look like a playoff team right now. The Giants looked like they were dead after week one, but have overcome controversy and injuries to be 2-1. The Redskins looked like the worst team in the division in the pre-season, but now look like contenders. Can these teams keep it up? Only time will tell.
