NFL Predictions Week 8: Cluttered NFC East Will Look Much Clearer This Weekend

Is anyone else out there scratching their heads based on what they have seen in the NFC East thus far? I am not even a fan of an NFC East team, and I am stumped. I can just imagine what someone who is a fan of an NFC East team must be thinking.

The injury-plagued New York Giants lead the division. They are one game ahead of the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins, and two games ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles.

I feel somewhat nervous trying to make any predictions about a division that's been extremely unpredictable for seven weeks, but I am up for the task and will be able to withstand the ridicule that is sure to follow me if I am wrong.

Week 8 will give the NFC East some clarity. It doesn't mean that the division race will be over, but we'll have a much better sense of who is for real and who isn't. This week starts with all four teams in reasonable contention. It will end with nothing more than two in that position.

New York Giants

Let's start with the team currently atop the division. No excuse is good enough for the Giants if they don't win this week. They are hosting the pitiful Miami Dolphins and got an extra week to prepare for them.

A tough second-half schedule awaits the Giants. After this week, they will take consecutive road trips to New England and San Francisco. They also have a road date against New Orleans, and a home game against the Packers.

Still, despite a tough back half of their schedule, a 5-2 record will put them in fantastic position to win the division.

Philadelphia Eagles/Dallas Cowboys

Since they are playing each other, I'll lump these two together. Since the game is in Philadelphia, I like the Eagles' chances in this one.

That would move both the Eagles and Cowboys to 3-4, two full games behind the Giants. The Giants have already beaten the Eagles in Philadelphia, so a two-game lead would be huge.

Philadelphia's second-half schedule is not as daunting as the Giants', but it's far from a cakewalk.

The same is true for the Cowboys, and neither team has played well enough to assume that they will beat anyone.

The situation at the top is certainly a little more unknown if the Cowboys win, but they would still be fighting an uphill battle. They would probably need a sweep against the Giants to catch them, and I don't see that happening.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins started the season well but are now in a free fall. A tough trip to Toronto awaits them this week as they take on the Bills.

I really can't see them doing anything in this game. The Bills' defense is aggressive and forces a lot of turnovers. Even with John Beck at quarterback, that's not a good mix for the Redskins.

Even if they upset the Bills, their second-half schedule does not suggest that they will make a run at the division.