NFC East Standings Prediction for 2022
The NFC East has been one of the most unpredictable divisions in football for the past two decades. In 2022, it still may seem that way at the top. The division is clearly broken into two realms. Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys stand atop as the two favorites to win the East. The Washington Commanders and New York Giants would be shocking if they rivaled the others to make the playoffs. With that said, how close are the teams in their respective realms?
NFC East First Place: Philadelphia Eagles
Call it bias, pick favorites, or admit you are mad about it. A team that made the playoffs last year despite not having an identity for seven games is insane and they only have gotten better. Look across the board, the only average position group the Eagles have is Safety, but the combination of Darius Slay and James Bradberry makes up for it. On offense, two of the league’s premier receivers in Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown along with Quez Watkins will be running the show. The best rushing attack in football is returning at full strength. The defense that flipped a bad linebacker room to a truly good one with the steal of the draft in Nakobe Dean.
The man that determines the Eagles squeaking by or potentially getting the one seed is the quarterback. Jalen Hurts has done nothing but improve every year. True Eagles fans are rooting for his success whether they believe it will happen or not. Many teammates said they would basically run through a wall for the guy. Jalen Hurts makes or breaks this squad.
Prediction for this team: 12-5, Second seed in NFC. This team will steamroll the regular season with one of the lighter schedules in football. The Eagles go 4-2 within the division. Splitting the Dallas games and sitting the starters for Week 18 against the Giants. Game of the year: Week 16 Eagles At Cowboys. The Winner of this game will win the division.
NFC East Second Place: Dallas Cowboys
As much as we don’t want to admit it, this squad has firepower. The only thing holding Dak Prescott and the gang from being true contenders is the inability to hire some good coaching. Dak Prescott has been in the top half of the league’s Quarterbacks since he entered the league and will continue to improve. The duo of Ezekial Elliot and Tony Pollard will continue to thrive for Dallas despite the media’s view of Zeke. Despite trading Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb is becoming one of the league’s bright young talents and it was his time to take the reigns.
On the defense, Micah Parsons will put up insane numbers once again and will be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. The most polarizing Cornerback in football, Trevon Diggs, will look to make another All-Pro campaign with his elite ball skills.
Prediction: 10-7, missing the playoffs. In Week 16, the Cowboys will be 10-4 and the Eagles will be sitting at 11-3. The Eagles win this game in blowout fashion and remove Dallas from playoff contention. No wildcards here with the stacked NFC West.
NFC East Third Place: Washington Commanders
This team could sneakily be good. With the return of Chase Young and locking up Terry McLaurin to avoid a sit-out, this team has weapons. While the upgrade at Quarterback is one of the most inconsistent guys in the league, Carson Wentz is capable of winning games on his own. The downfall of this team will also be Wentz’s ability to lose a game in the span of three plays.
Prediction: 6-11, miss playoffs. Unless Wentz shows true growth as a decision-maker, Washington cannot hope to compete with the top dogs of the division. Their schedule is no cupcake either. Plenty of challenging games where the defense will show up, but the offense has to get behind the QB and make something happen. Just a spoiler, it doesn’t usually result in a lot happening.
NFC East Fourth Place: New York Giants
The New York Giants have not found much success in the Daniel Jones era and things will continue that way. No real sense of direction and missing on all of their free agency signings will result in a waste of a season. Saquon Barkely has not been living up to expectations no matter how bad that offensive line is and the defense can’t even get credit because the offense doesn’t take advantage of their opportunities. This will be Daniel Jones last season and the Giants will be in the Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud sweepstakes.
Prediction: 4-13, miss playoffs. Nothing special going on here. Looking to get a top-five selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
For more Eagles articles, check out Fly Eagles Nation. See what our writers have to say about the latest moves, predictions for the season, and analysis on the team.
Comments