The Cowboys are a Super Bowl contender according to Dan Orlovsky. There is a time and a place for this. Two years have passed since the NFC East was a laughingstock of the football world. During the final game of the 2020 regular season, a fading 4-10)-1 Philadelphia team benched quarterback Jalen Hurts in the middle of a game in which he had a 25.4 passer rating against 6-9 Washington, which was guaranteed a playoff spot with a victory The neutrals complained that the Eagles were throwing a game on TV. An angry Giants team took to social media to complain about the fact that the Eagles bowed out in the division title game. The bottom of the barrel was shown here. The team made it to the playoffs. Three seasons after winning a Super Bowl, the Eagles were about to fire their coach and trade their quarterback. The Giants were being run by the less-than-enthusing duo of coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman. The Cowboys, who had the league's fifth-worst scoring defense, were no longer relevant after losing their starting quarterback to an ankle injury in Week 5. Everything is different now. Three of the four teams in the division are four-wins. Washington's combined record is the best in the league even though it is 1-4. Outside of the NFC East, the division's 11 wins is the top mark. The Commanders came within 2 yards of a Week 5 sweep, only for Wentz to attempt to throw picks on the first and second downs. They are not included in the story of the East's resurgence. The Cowboys, Eagles, and Giants are all 13-2 and can all be considered favorites to win the 2020 playoffs. What happened to these three teams? Is it possible that they will keep this up? What do you think about the teams in other divisions? The day began with the upset of the day in London. Jump to a team:
Cowboys | Eagles | Giants It's important that you're confident. The biggest difference between the 2021 Giants and the 2022 Giants is confidence. Jake Fromm sneaked on third-and-long as the most famous example of the team's fear of making mistakes. It made a lot of mistakes. Even if it can't count on those decisions to go right, the coaching staff still believes in its players. Saquon Barkley was sent out for a 2-point conversion in the first week of the season. The playcall was a mess, but the star running back was able to get into the end zone, and the Giants got their first win of the season. It was Don Martindale who put confidence in his defense on Sunday against the Packers. He joined the Giants after four seasons as the Ravens' defensive coach, a tenure that ended with a patchwork secondary. The Giants were without their top two pass-rushers in Azeez Ojulari and Leonard Williams and then lost their top defensive player in the second quarter. Every fan has access to the best coverage of the biggest games, original series, analysis and more. If you sign up, you'll be able to unlocks everything that is available on Disney+. The charges had given up 20 points on five drives at the half. Almost all of Rodgers' throws came on quick game and run-pass options as he carved them up. The Packers were marching their way down the field, and New York didn't seem to have anything to do with it. Martindale dared Rodgers to beat him deep in the second half. Most defenses aren't willing to take that risk against a reigning back-to-back Most defenses aren't willing to take that risk against a reigning back-to-back Most defenses aren't willing to take that risk against a reigning back- to-back It was a success. In the first half, Rodgers had an average pass distance of 4.2 air yards, but in the second half it was 12.4 air yards. He went 7-of-15 for 75 yards with a minus 14% completion percentage. Green Bay's only points came from an intentional safety with 11 seconds remaining. On the final play, the most notable example came. After pushing eight men up on the line of scrimmage, Martindale told them he was going to play the most important snap of the game in Cover 0 and then sent the house. The Packers called an RPO and Rodgers indicated before the snap that he was going to throw out Allen Lazard. Running free off the edge, McKinney wasn't able to hit Rodgers, but he was able to tip the ball away, ending Green Bay's final possession of the game. It's not easy to send a Cover 0 blitz in football. When you rush eight in key situations, the Dolphins and Jets can tell you what can happen. Every team gets aggressive and looks foolish when that happens to the Giants. They look rejuvenated compared to the timidity and self-fulfilling prophecies of the 2021. They think so. One of the reasons they look better than they did in the past is the presence of a healthy, explosive Barkley, who has become the focal point of the offense. He's averaging 1.7 rushing yards over expectation on his carries, which is third best in the league for backs with at least 50 tries. He was third among backs with at least 10 carries per game with an average of 1.1 RYOE per carry. A home run hitter is able to hit a home run. He had as many 40-plus yard plays in one game as he had through the entire 2020 and 2021 seasons combined. His ability to make something out of nothing is important for an offense that often relies on something spectacular to get them out of trouble. The quarterback's best performance of the season was on Sunday and I don't think there are any dramatic differences between the old and new Daniel Jones. Almost half of his passing yards came after the catch. The third-highest rate of any quarterback in Week 5 was achieved by twelve of his 27 pass attempts. 25.7% of his pass attempts had produced first downs, which ranked 30th out of the league's 32 passers. Jones is being asked to be conservative and protect the football by the Giants. The average pass traveled just 5.7 yards in the air, the lowest in the league. He's done a good job of holding onto the ball even though he's taking sacks at the league's fourth- highest rate. He has two picks and just one turnover. He had lost the ball in four of the last five games. Although five weeks doesn't tell us a lot, the early returns on the new brain trust of the two men are promising. The Broncos started the year with a five-game winning streak. At this time last year, the Cards were five games up on the competition. It's too early to make any long-term conclusions about their chances of succeeding, but I'm optimistic that they will squeeze the most out of the offensive pieces that they have left. Desperate teams seem to move in cycles as they try to find a coach and general manager. For a long time, it was after the Pats. The Rams' success led to raids on Los Angeles' cabinet. The Packers and Jets are two of the teams that have gone for Kyle's staff. It could turn out to be a stroke of genius for the Giants, as they were the first to hire from Buffalo. I'm not sure if it makes sense to be the first team to hire an assistant from a hot organization as opposed to the second, third or fourth best person in the building. I'm reminded of the Bills accidentally making it to the playoffs with the Giants. The previous regime's roster was gutted with the new coach in charge. Within a few years, the last piece of the puzzle would be edge rushers Despite a 4-2 start, the Bills traded expensive defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to the Jags, sacrificing a short-term piece for draft capital and a cleaner cap in the future. The Giants stopped the Packers from scoring in the fourth quarter to win in London. Despite themselves, the Bills won. After Nathan Peterman's disastrous start against the Bolts, they had no choice but to put Tyrod Taylor back in. The Bills made the playoffs after he won four of his last six games. They let Taylor go, churned more of the roster and traded up for Josh Allen. With the Giants now favored to make it to the playoffs, I wonder how they would handle an accidental playoff spot in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. After the season, there are no obvious replacements on the roster. It's possible that the team could trade Williams when he comes back to health. Although they've beaten the top seeds in both conferences from a year ago, the Giants are still far away from competing at the highest level. Even if they don't make a deep run into the playoffs, they're establishing positive elements within their culture that should last throughout their rebuild. When the Cowboys lost their starting quarterback in the 5th week of the 2020 season, they had to turn to their backups. They ended up going 4-7. Cooper Rush, a 28-year-old who had only one career start, was brought in to start in place of the injured Prescott. Rush has won each of his first four starts, the same as the backups did in 2020. Rush acknowledges that the Cowboys are winning games with their defense. On a day in which he threw for just 102 yards and four first downs on 19 drop backs, the defense produced yet another stifling display. Lawrence stripped Matthew Stafford and ran it back for a touchdown in the first quarter. The quarterback was sacked five times and knocked down 11 times by Dallas. The defensive side of the ball is the biggest difference between the two editions. Mike Nolan, the former 49ers coach, was Mike McCarthy's first choice to be the Packers' defensive coordinators. The Cowboys were not flawless. I can't think of a defense in the National Football League that gave up more big plays because of gap integrity issues. This week, everything you need.
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New York Giants (4-1)
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Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
Five plays of 60 yards or more were given up by the Cowboys. Before Sunday, the Cowboys had not given up a play like that all season. Just as the Bills were lucky to have Brian Daboll return for one final season with the team in 2021, the Cowboys were lucky to have Dan Quinn back after he attracted attention as a head-coaching candidate.
The majority of those Cowboys are no longer around. Nine of the fifteen defenders who played at least 50% of the defensive snaps in 2020 are not on the roster. They're better in most places than they are in Dallas, even though they lost Chidobe Awozie. One of the few players who started on both teams has grown into one of the league's best corners.
Adding players even if they aren't at essential positions can transform a defense, as evidenced by the success of the Cowboys in Round 1 last year. I don't think anyone expected him to be a difference-maker, even though he was drafted as an off-ball LB with the possibility of contributing to packages as an edge rusher. Over the past two years, he has 19 sacks, which is tied for most in the league.
The Cowboys traded down within the division with the Eagles in order to get an extra third-round pick, which is a reminder that teams can make that most forbidden of moves. Chauncey Golston hasn't done much as Dallas' third-round pick, but he might be one of the league's best defensive players. He created opportunities for others when the Rams slid their protection toward him on Sunday.
The Cowboys were the seventh worst defense in the league in 2020. They are the fifth best defense in the league through five games. Rush doesn't need to win games to be the focal point of the offense.
Sam Williams recovered the strip sack and the Cowboys were able to win the game.
Rush's worst game of the year was on Sunday. He had taken just two sacks in his first three starts and hadn't turned the ball over. When the offense has a great defense and doesn't make any mistakes, it's going to be in a good position to win games.
The presence of Donald made Sunday messier. Rush was sacked three times and fumbled twice. The only team with a less effective offense to win in Week 5 was the Indianapolis Colts, who were just as bad on offense as the Broncos were.
This was a relatively quiet game for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, but he has become the focal point of the Dallas offense since the injury of quarterback Dak Prescott. Lamb has been targeted on almost 40% of his routes. Drake London is the only player on the Falcons who has been targeted more often.
The Lamb selection reminds us that taking the best player available is important, because a lot of talent might not look the same in a couple of years. Lamb was drafted by the Cowboys with the 17th pick of the 2020 draft. He seemed like a good pick for a team with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup at wideout, as well as the other running backs and tight ends.
Lamb is the only one who is getting better. Gallup is playing about 30 snaps per game as he works his way back from a torn leftACL. After suffering a hip injury, Jarwin may never play again, while the replacement is struggling with a knee problem. Tony Pollard is at 2.3 RYOE per carry and has generated three first downs above expectation, even though he has averaged minus -0.4 RYOE per carry.
Rush has exceeded expectations even though he has had a relatively light load. He is eighth in the league with a 64.9% QBR. Rush's average throw has traveled 8.1 yards in the air and he has been let down by a higher than expected drop rate. It's not a bad thing that he has locked onto Lamb, and he might want to try to do the same when he returns.
Chris Berman and Booger McFarland recap the games.
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I won't waste anyone's time with the arguments that the Cowboys should or shouldn't stick with Rush. The ceiling is very high. Rush hasn't been in a situation in which he has had to throw them back into the game, and just by sheer randomness, there's no way he could go the rest of the season with no turnovers. A lot of quarterbacks can have stretches. In the middle of a career in which he otherwise posted a 85-to- 81 ratio, Josh McCown posted a 13-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in five starts for the Bears in 2013).
The Cowboys are in a better position than they were in 2020. Two years ago, they were both heavy on the offensive side of the ball and light on the defensive side. They're more balanced now that they've got the two draft picks. Cowboys fans facing down an 0-1 start and weeks with Rush at quarterback have to be excited about where they are now.
It is hard to imagine how far down the Eagles were at the end of the season. Their roster was bloated and ill- conceived. The organization was dragged to the bottom of the division by the breakdown of the relationship between Pederson and Wentz. In a win over the Saints, Hurts gave them a spark, but he ended the year with a 33.8 QBR. The coach, quarterback and general manager all needed to move on in a rebuild.
The Eagles didn't fire Pederson and keep Roseman. He has restored his reputation with fans by getting most of his moves right over the past two years. He has stuck to the core components of what the organization has done over the past 25 years and it has built another winner. Those are in a few steps.
Hire a coach who is offensive minded. A man named AndyReid. There is a person named CHIP Kelly. Pederson is a man. A lot of teams choose their coach by going for a different type of coach than the one they had before. Kevin O'Connell was hired by the Vikings to be their new offensive coach after Mike Zimmer was let go. The Bears replaced Nagy with Eberflus.
The Eagles have a history of hiring younger head coaches. When the Eagles hired him, he was 41 years old. At 50, Kelly was still an innovative thinker at Oregon. When Pederson arrived in Philadelphia, he was 48 years old, while his replacement was 40 years old.
Matt Ammendola missed the tying field goal after Kyler Murray hit the ball on third down.
Pederson wasn't seen as a good hire. He won a Superbowl two years later. The interview with the Eagles was his second as a head-coaching candidate, and he wasn't even the play caller for the Colts. There were concerns that they didn't have the right guy after a strange debut news conference and a poor start to his career.
Since then, he has gone 12-3 Young Eagles who were drafted by the organization and veterans who have been imported from other teams have both improved during his time with the team. Hurts has become a much more reliable passer over the last year. In the second half of 2021, the offense was changed to play to Hurts' strengths as a runner, and in the second half of 2022.
Go through the scrimmage. Injuries destroyed Philadelphia's offensive line in 2020, but the Eagles still invest more on their offensive and defensive line than any other team. They used a second- and third-round pick on guard and defensive tackle in the same year. Roseman traded up ahead of the Ravens to grab hulking Georgia tackle Jordan Davis, then relied on the scouting skills of legendary center Jason Kelce to grab his replacement in the second round. Kelce missed a series with an injury and the latter player got his first snaps on offense.
Roseman addresses the positions in free agency. He struggled in his debut season, but since then he has been much better. Roseman made a big bet on Reddick, who signed a three year, $45 million deal in March. He had a sack in Sunday's win over the Cards, taking him to 4.5 for the season.
A lot of teams would get away from their principles in the draft. Roseman went after disappointing wide receiver in the first two rounds during the fall of the Wentz era. The Eagles were able to fill a major need by signing James Bradberry to play corner, even though they still had money left over from the previous season. Bradberry signed a one-year $7.3 million contract.
Don't be afraid to gamble. It's difficult to say that the deal to trade him to Indy has been a success because of how his stock has fallen. The Eagles traded for receiver A.J. Brown in exchange for the picks they acquired in that deal. They have a first-round pick in 2023 and a second-round pick in 2024 from the Saints, who could send Philadelphia a top 10 pick.
Roseman is one of the most aggressive traders in the league and the Eagles have a good track record. When they moved down from No. 6 to No. 12 in the first round of the draft, they seemed to miss out on Jaylen Waddle or one of the top quarterbacks, but they ended up landing an impact receiver in Smith.
Roseman pounced when Urban Meyer decided he didn't need a backup quarterback for the Jags. He was worth about $8 million in surplus value because of his status as an above average backup. The Eagles landed Minshew for a sixth-round pick and he won them a game in a spot start over the Jets. After 2022, the Eagles will likely get a better pick for Minshew than they got in the first place. For a fraction of what it would cost in free agency, they will get two years with an above average backup.
Roseman traded a first-round pick to Tennessee for the right to pay Brown a market-value deal in April, after acquiring C.J.Gardner-Johnson from the Saints for two late-round picks. All of those trades look like good decisions at the moment, despite the fact that Gardner- Johnson was cut on the Arizona touchdown.
The team the Eagles were playing on Sunday was very similar to the one they were playing on Sunday. The offensive and defensive lines are not invested in by the Cards. The Eagles don't run their cap as efficiently, they don't spend as much money on running backs, and they have used two first-round picks on off-ball LBs. It's easy to point to Philadelphia as an example of how to build a team the right way, even though the Cards are not.
The two teams wouldn't have been in the same position a year ago. The league's best division was the one the Cards were in as they were perfect. The Eagles were on the verge of losing two in a row. They weren't close to getting back into the playoffs. Both teams made the playoffs by the end of the year. The Eagles are the only team in football that hasn't lost a game, while the Cards are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Every week, pick props for the football players. If you rack up more wins than Mike, you can win $20K. Pick your favorites.
Team-building and decision-making may be the focus of the story here. Roseman went from being thought of as a genius to a disaster in two years. It is possible that he has been the same guy with the same level of ability for the entire time.
Someone like Hurts can go from being a temporary option to a franchise player in less time than you think. The three teams atop theNFC East can't keep up this level of winning for the rest of the season, but what they have done is a reminder of how quickly the league can change.
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