2017 NFC East Preview

We've finally circled around geographically. We're in the east today, with just two divisions left to preview.

One NFC wild card remains up for grabs, which means an NFC East team will be going into January with one, at least the way I see the season going. Of course, the season rarely goes fully the way I see it going.

That doesn't stop me from prognosticating, which is something I'll be doing again every week with Adam Quinn as we pick games against the spread. You can join us in our quest here.

And with that, let's look at our penultimate division.


NFC East

Common opponents on schedule: NFC West, AFC West

1. New York Giants
2016: 11-5 (2nd), lost in NFC Wild Card Round

This might seem a little crazy now, since Odell Beckham, Jr. is hurt and may miss the beginning of the season, and Brandon Marshall is also nursing an injury that may pose some problems. They're also starting the immortal Paul Perkins at running back. Poor Eli Manning. Even so, Ben McAdoo is a pretty good coach who will get plenty out of this offense, especially once Beckham returns. The defense is decent, but the ultimate advantage here is that the Giants get a second place schedule. That will be enough to edge them into first.
2017 Prediction: 11-5

2. Dallas Cowboys
2016: 13-3 (1st), lost in NFC Divisional Round

Dak Prescott proved to be better than I and a lot of other people expected, seamlessly taking the reins from Tony Romo to this offense and keying one of the best attacks in the NFL. Dez Bryant is still an elite receiver, this offensive line is probably still the best in the league, but the big question mark comes in the form of Ezekiel Elliott. He's most likely out for the first six games because Roger Goodell is a tyrant (albeit one who is at least trying to give the appearance of the NFL giving a crap about domestic abuse), which will hurt this team. The defense played well last year though, and with a little more pressure on them they'll probably come down to earth a tiny bit, but not enough to hurt this team. Long run, they'll be in the playoffs again just in time to choke a game away in typical Cowboy fashion.
2017 Prediction: 10-6, Wild Card

3. Washington Redskins
2016: 8-7-1 (3rd), missed playoffs

The run game is a question mark for me again, but in what will likely be a three-receiver base offense, it may not matter a ton. Kirk Cousins is decent, as are his weapons, but that's really all they are. Defensively, this team isn't that great either. Even though they have a halfway decent schedule here, it's not going to help them much with the powers at the top of the division. They may have won in court, but they're not going to win much on the field.
2017 Prediction: 6-10

4. Philadelphia Eagles
2016: 7-9 (4th), missed playoffs

Philly started well enough last year as Carson Wentz (Go Bison) did some early damage, but the league figured him out and he turned into what you'd expect a rookie to be. He doesn't have that protection this year, but the Eagles gave him some weapons in the offseason. Torrey Smith will be able to shift the field with his speed and pass interference-drawing abilities, Legarrette Blount and Darren Sproles are a nice 1-2 punch out of the backfield, and the addition of Alshon Jeffery will give Wentz a legit #1 receiver. But I'm not sold on the Eagles' defense, and that's the big problem. Even with Wentz potentially taking a step forward, it won't be enough to hide the holes on the other side of the ball, and that's if Wentz takes a nice step forward.
2017 Prediction: 5-11

NFC Playoff Predictions

1. Atlanta Falcons (12-4)
2. Green Bay Packers (12-4)
3. Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
4. New York Giants (11-5)
5. Dallas Cowboys (10-6)
6. Carolina Panthers (10-6)