2011 NFC East Predictions
Written by Steve Janus
Heading into last year the Dallas Cowboys were expected to take down the NFC East, but things went terribly wrong. Dallas ended up finishing tied with the Washington Redskins at 6-10 overall. The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants both ended the year tied on top of the division with a 10-6 record, but the Eagles held the tiebreaker with two wins against the Giants in the regular season. That put the Eagles into the No. 2 spot in the NFC playoffs, while the Giants were forced to watch the postseason from home. Philadelphia would end up losing their first game to the Green Bay Packers 16-21.
With improvements expected from both the Cowboys and Redskins, the NFC East should return to being extremely competitive in 2011. Many believe the Eagles are the favorite to win after all their offseason additions, but I think the Cowboys will have something to say about that. Here is a look at how I see the division playing out this year.
1. Dallas Cowboys – The Cowboys failed to even come close to the expectations that were put on last season. They had to play most of the year without starting quarterback Tony Romo and had to deal with the firing of Wade Phillips. As expected, Dallas turned to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, and the team really responded once he took over. With a healthy Romo back for 2011 and a defense that should see some major improvements under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, I believe Dallas will return to the top of the division.
2. Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles already had one of the more talented teams in the division, but that didn’t stop them from making a number of big additions this offseason. Philadelphia has added wide out Steve Smith (NYG), quarterback Vince Young, running back Ronnie Brown, defensive linemen Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin, and corners Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Now it all comes down to how well head coach Andy Reid can get this team to play together and reach their full potential. While I have the Eagles picked to finish 2nd in the division, I think this team will catch fire late in the season and could possibly go on a run very similar to that of the Packers last year.
3. New York Giants – We are only half way through the preseason and the Giants are already feeling the injury bug. Starting corner Terrell Thomas has been lost for the season. They also won’t be without rookie first round corner Prince Amukamara until mid-October because of a broken foot. The loss of Thomas is huge, but this team is all about the pass rush on the defensive side of the ball. If this team gets pressure on the quarterback it really doesn’t matter who is starting in the defensive backfield. The offense has a great balance of run and pass that figures to put up plenty of points. Don’t get me wrong by having them picked third in the division. This team is more than capable of making another Super Bowl run, but Manning will likely have to have an MVP-like season.
4. Washington Redskins - The Redskins are going to get better under head coach Mike Shanahan. They got rid Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb, which is a clear sign that they are letting Shanahan run this team the way he wants. The interesting thing to watch with the Redskins is their running game. Shanahan was outstanding at just plugging in 1,000 yard rushers, and it looks like he has finally put together an offensive line that can implement the zone-blocking scheme effectively. I don’t think they have the talent to compete with the top three in the division, but they could surprise a lot of teams with how much better they are in 2011.
Individual Team NFL Season Predictions
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