• March 19, 2024

The Cowboys Are The Biggest NFC East Threat To The Eagles

Trevor Laws, Tony RomoLooking around the division right now, the two teams that seem most likely to challenge the Eagles for the NFC East title are the Cowboys and Giants. Here’s a look at both teams, and who I believe is the stronger threat to the Eagles.

Dallas

What I like

The Cowboys have a very dangerous core on their offense. After the Eagles, this is easily the most explosive offense within the division.

When Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray, and Dez Bryant are healthy and clicking, this is an explosive offense that can move the ball up and down the field at will.

Murray currently leads the league in rushing with 534 yards through four games, and has rushed for at least 100 yards and one touchdown in every appearance. Bryant is one of the game’s top young receivers, and Romo has even begun to develop a good rapport with Terrence Williams, who has accounted for four touchdowns already.

The offensive line has been successfully rebuilt, and is doing a great job giving Romo and Murray the support that they need to flourish.

What I don’t like

We all know that Romo has his issues avoiding that backbreaking turnover in big moments of big games.

Dallas has traditionally been a team that starts strong in September, but slowly fades as the year goes on. Guys like Murray and Romo have dealt with injury problems throughout their careers, and its only a matter of time before the bug creeps up again and costs them some games.

Defensively, the Cowboys still have their issues. They miss linebacker Sean Lee, and they’ve only generated five sacks in four games. They were lit up by untested St. Louis starter Austin Davis a couple of weeks ago, and even though they limited the talented New Orleans Saints, the Saints offense just hasn’t rooked right in the early parts of this season.

The coaching staff under Jason Garrett has proven that they can be quite incompetent at times. Last year, they flat out refused to involve DeMarco Murray, and ignoring the running game really cost them late in the year.

New York

What I like

Tom Coughlin has proven in the past that he can never be counted out. He’s had his teams overcome slow starts, get hot at the right time, and go on deep playoff runs.

The Giants got off to a terrible 0-2 start, but they’ve looked much better in the last two weeks. The offensive players are starting to get a grasp on new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s system, and they’re starting to generate more points.

New York has some quality veterans on their defensive line that can still get after the quarterback. When they’re performing well, the disruption that they cause makes the New York defense a much more effective unit.

The offense could be even more dangerous once they get first-round pick Odell Beckham healthy and into the lineup.

What I don’t like

I don’t think the Giants have enough talent in key areas to sustain winning efforts.

The offensive line is still a problem, and their running game isn’t great.

When Eli Manning is off, he and the rest of the offense will serve turnovers up on a silver platter to even the worst defenses in this league.

Final Thoughts

I think at the end of the day, the Cowboys represent the larger threat to the Eagles.

The Eagles’ defense could have much more trouble keeping their talented offense under wraps, while the consistency issues of the Giants will always be an issue for them.

I haven’t seen an effort from the Giants that has convinced me that they have a chance to be a good team. They beat a Houston team that has a turnover-prone quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick, and a Washington team where Kirk Cousins couldn’t possibly have played any worse, giving the ball away five times.

Dallas has at least taken out one legitimate playoff contender in the Saints, and they did it in impressive fashion. If the offensive line and the core of Romo/Murray/Bryant stays healthy, I think they’re the much larger threat.

 

Denny Basens

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