NFL: The Roller Coaster That is the NFC East With Week to Week Analysis

Only four weeks into the season, we have seen the teams of the NFC East play very inconsistent football, thus keeping the division very close.

The Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, and New York Giants all have looked bad in two games and looked good in two games. We have yet to see the Cowboys play their fourth game due to their bye week, but they’ve looked putrid in two, while playing well in one. Here’s a look back at how each week has played up to this point.

Week 1

In Week 1, it was the Giants and the Redskins that started their season with a win, while the Eagles and Cowboys opened up with a loss. The Cowboys were just one penalty worse than the Redskins in a game that neither team impressed. The Eagles struggled against the Packers, despite Michael Vick’s comeback bid. After Week 1, it looked like the Giants were the early front runner in the division as they easily handled the Carolina Panthers, 31-18.

Week 2

The two teams that won in Week 1 just looked bad in Week 2 as the Redskins fell to the Houston Texans and the Giants got crushed by the Indianapolis Colts. When the Cowboys fell to the Bears, it made the Eagles to be the lone Week 2 winner in the division. Although the Giants looked the best in Week 1, they looked horrible in Week 2, and this allowed the Eagles to take the momentum, as the team that looked the most impressive in Week 2.

Week 3

In Week 3, Dallas finally got the monkey off of their back as they easily beat the previously undefeated Houston Texans. The Eagles continued to cruise against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Giants and Redskins continued to struggle. The Giants got crushed by the Tennessee Titans and their Week 1 victory seemed like a distant memory at this point. The Redskins, who didn’t look very good in Week 1 or 2, lost to the lowly Rams by two touchdowns. After three weeks, the Eagles led the division, but it was the Cowboys victory that was the most impressive of the week.

Week 4

The Cowboys had their bye in Week 4, so we are unable to gauge whether or not they can ride the momentum from their big victory against the Texans. The Redskins, who were one penalty away from starting the season 0-3, had to travel to division leader Philadelphia in what seemed like a game that the Eagles should win. That wasn’t the case as the Redskins led from start to finish, winning the game, 17-12.

The Giants had a game against one of the few remaining undefeated teams in the NFL, the Chicago Bears. The Giants, who had lost by a combined 43 points in their last two games, looked like a completely different team in Week 4. Their defense had nine sacks by halftime and the Bears were down to their third-string quarterback by the end of the game due to the big hits that Jay Cutler and Todd Collins had taken.

After erasing Chicago’s zero in the loss column, the Giants once again looked like the best team in the division after spending two weeks looking like the worst. The Redskins came in a close second.

So, after four weeks, there is only half a game that separates the top and bottom team in the division. The Eagles, Redskins, and Giants all sit at 2-2, while the Cowboys are currently 1-2.

It’s been quite a roller coaster in the NFC East so far this year. If one of these teams can just play fairly consistent, they are going to put themselves in a good position to win the division.

So far, we haven’t seen any consistency at all. Moving forward, all four teams have very tough schedules in the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see if one team will rise above the rest, or if this trend of inconsistency will continue.