The NFL Eightfold Path: NFC East

Throughout the past two weeks, we have gone on a division by division journey in the hopes of truly understanding how the NFL is set up this season and how each team is looking as week one approaches. We started with the NFC West, where I had the 49ers repeating as division champs without much trouble. We then moved on to the AFC West, where I had the Chiefs surprising Peyton’s Broncos, who still advanced as a wildcard. In the NFC North, the Packers took care of business despite tough competition and the Bears moved on as an NFC wild card. The AFC North saw the Ravens and Steelers limp faster than Bengals could run as both held off their young rivals and made the playoffs. The Texans dominated the AFC South as the remaining three teams failed to reach winning records. The NFC South saw a shift in the balance of power as the Falcons overtook the Saints after Cam Newton had his signature win in week 17. Both New Orleans and Atlanta moved on to the playoffs, which can only mean one thing. The NFC East has traditionally been the best division in football, but last season the Giants won it with only nine wins. This season, the group as a whole will look to improve on last year’s effort, but I only see one moving on to playoff competition. It has become a bold statement to limit this division to one playoff team, but the rest of the NFC has caught up to the East, and these are not the old days when the Giants and company led the NFC’s only great division. With all that said, our NFL Eightfold Path stays home for our final destination as we figure out who wins this thing.

4. Redskins: Robert Griffin III is the X factor here who will almost single handedly guide Washington to wins or losses. I do believe in RG3, but what we are asking of him goes above and beyond where the rest of his team is ready to go. The Redskins did have a competitive defense last season but, with improved offenses around them, I think that will be put to the test. The defense that Washington fans take for granted as they hope for an improved offense may be ripped out from under them despite however many sacks Brian Orakpo can pile up. Mike Shanahan continues to stretch whatever good will his two career rings still hold for him and has helped lead this team straight into the ground with dysfunctional relationships and poor decisions. The Redskins, however, may be a very legitimate last place team in terms of playing spoiler against division rivals. Their last two games are against the Eagles and Cowboys, respectively, and I predict that everyone in New York will be big fans of the Washington Redskins by the time this regular season ends. RG3 will have an important place in this league, but he will not see this playoffs this season.

3. Cowboys: Every season, the Cowboys are somebody’s Super Bowl prediction, and I have no idea why. They have talent, but are not the most talented team. And we all know how well they play from December through the playoffs. For whatever reason, every ESPN talking head wants to be the person who predicts the return of the championship Cowboys. I like this team’s talent as much as anyone, but there is way too much uncertainty to have them in the playoffs in this great conference, let alone any Super Bowl talk. Dez Bryant is a walking red flag, Jason Witten has no spleen, and Romo will likely be as unreliable as ever despite his abilities. Also, I cannot pick a team to win its division when they have had so much trouble beating the two teams ahead of them. Superman is great too but, in a division against Kryptonite Thing 1 and 2, I do not love his chances. The secondary has taken huge strides and this defense will be what Rob Ryan’s squad was supposed to be last season. However, the nature of this team is still susceptible to blown leads and other laughable errors that will prevent them from reaching their full potential. Dallas is not the most talented team in this division and they are also not the most clutch. Those two teams are why I have them finishing third.

2. Eagles: I would have this team winning the division if I had more faith in Mike Vick’s health. With him playing all season, I say this team loses three games and earns themselves a bye week. However, if he loses three games and plays ten or twelve, this team loses enough ground to settle for second. In my scenario, this misses the playoffs. Mike Vick either needs to be healthy for an entire season, which is unlikely, or they need to be perfect while he is playing, which is also unlikely. Much like last season, Philly will be the team that no one wants to make the playoffs because of how high their highs can be. Fortunately for those teams, I do not believe they will. LeSean McCoy has emerged as an elite runner and I expect a stronger season from Desean Jackson, who can stop complaining now that he has his money. There will be games leaving experts saying this is the Eagles’ year to win it all, but their downfall will be the need to string those games together. You cannot ask Vick to be conservative while still being effective; he has to put himself in harm’s way in order to be one of the most dangerous weapons in football. Unfortunately, that leads Philadelphia to walk a thin line between dream team and nightmare. Their talent is greater than Dallas’, but there is just as much risk. It takes a sure thing to beat these two talented yet unpredictable teams.

1. Giants: Last time the Giants won it all, they got off to a hot start the following season, which came crashing down after an unexpected Monday Night Football loss to the Cleveland Browns. They hung on long enough to earn a bye week, but lost in the divisional round to none other than the Philadelphia Eagles. They ran out of gas at the wrong time, but this team is different. They are seasoned veterans when it comes to winning a championship and will be more prepared than they were for their last adventure. Michael Strahan and Amani Toomer retiring was a tough adjustment for the Giants to make. Losing two “old reliable” types may have hurt their chances in the postseason. This season, they have only lost a declining Brandon Jacobs. I like David Wilson to back up Ahmad Bradshaw once AB injures his foot. Look for huge contributions from their dynamic receiving duo of Hakeem Nicks and the salsa dancing Victor Cruz, but also keep an eye out for Martellus Bennett. The Giants have always made tight ends look great in their system, and the “Black Unicorn” will be no exception. If his self-awarded nickname is any indication, he will at least be interesting to watch, but Eli will make him feel right at home in a place where mediocre tight ends look like superstars. This is Eli’s first season starting off as an elite quarterback, and I expect him to be the one factor that gives the Giants some separation from their rivals. Notice how the criticism for the previous three QBs involved us not knowing what to expect due to some inconsistencies. Eli has become a model of consistency and reliability, and who knew we would say that after only a few seasons ago. As I mentioned in my AFC West article, people are done saying the Giants “could have had Phillip Rivers.” The relentless pass rush from big blue is almost effortless with the best pass rushing defensive line of the past decade. Their four horsemen of the apocalypse give a questionable secondary a lot of leeway. There may not be a repeat champion this season, but I do like the G-Men to win this tough division.

The Redskins are actually the main reason I did not give a wildcard spot to the Cowboys or Eagles. In this division, teams beat each other up too much and may eventually be passed up by wildcards from other divisions. RG3 could be that guy to bring down another team’s hopes, which is as satisfying as it gets for a team with a losing record. In a division with so many question marks, I choose to go with the one sure thing. The Giants identity is solidified by their pass rush and Eli’s outstanding leadership by example (sorry Tiki). New York has quietly become like the Steelers or Patriots in the sense that their system speaks for itself and, while a few pieces change, the constants carry the team to victory. Lastly, I do not want to get too into this aspect of the game but I am stunned by how much the Cowboys have trash talked their way to this season opener. And you wonder why everyone outside of your actual fans hates you. For one thing, they have absolutely no reason to justify this talk and, secondly, giving the defending champions additional motivation for the season opener has to be the dumbest thing since the last thing Jerry Jones said. I know that there is no rooting in the press box, but I hope JPP, Tuck and Osi rip Romo apart tonight. The NFL Eightfold Path was an inspiring idea, but I think the entire point of enlightenment is that we are never fully there. We may experience it, but the process of getting there is perpetual. Throughout this season, we will check in on our teams and predictions; this eight part series was living proof that there is no such thing as too much football talk. For right now, however, let us celebrate the return of America’s favorite game.