Who Will Win The NFC East?

Although it doesn’t have the parity of recent seasons, this should be another interesting season for the NFC East. After the Philadelphia Eagles snuck past the Dallas Cowboys and won the division at 9-7 a year ago, it’s expected to once again be a two-team race between the two. The current betting odds to win the NFC East are:

Dallas Cowboys -121
Philadelphia Eagles +150
New York Giants +1100
Washington Football Team +1300

As you can see, the oddsmakers are really only giving the Cowboys and Eagles a fair shot at this division. That makes sense considering the Giants and Washington combined for only seven wins in 2019, and failed to make any game-changing offseason moves. So which team is the best bet? Let’s dive in.

Dallas Cowboys

Sitting at -121, the Dallas Cowboys are the favorites to win the division. A year after finishing 8-8, the team finally fired coach Jason Garrett after 10 disappointing seasons, and replaced him with former Super Bowl-winner Mike Mccarthy. While they lost Pro-Bowl corner Byron Jones, the team made plenty of moves on the defensive side to make up for his loss. They signed Everson Griffen, an experienced defensive end from Minnesota to bookend the defensive line with DeMarcus Lawrence, and added a promising young corner from Alabama, Trevon Diggs, in the draft.

Their offense will be the engine that runs the team though. Returning all of their skill players from a season ago, with the exception of Jason Witten, the team will look to repeat their historic offensive performance. In the NFL Draft, they added firepower with the addition of CeeDee Lamb. This offense, led by Dak Prescott, can reach new, legendary heights. You can also tell by the odds here that the guys who make NFL expert picks are backing the Cowboys this season.

Philadelphia Eagles

After being decimated by the injury bug a season ago, the Eagles still won the division and made the playoffs before losing to Seattle in the first round. Their success hinges fully on the health of Carson Wentz, and while he’s avoided the season-ending injuries as of late, he always appears to be fighting some nagging injuries.

Their offense should be improved with the return of DeSean Jackson, and the addition of Jalen Raegor in the draft, and they made a blockbuster trade to acquire cornerback Darius Slay from Detroit. The talent is there, but they may have trouble blocking people. Before the season even starts, they will be without their starting LT and LG, as Andre Dillard and Brandon Brooks will both miss the season. Protecting Wentz just got much tougher.

New York Giants

At +1100 to win the division, the Giants are considered a long-shot. They have some young talent on their offense, led by Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, but their lack of talent on the offensive line and the defensive side of the ball will hurt them. I expect this team to improve on their four wins from a season ago, but they won’t contend for the division.

Washington Football Team

Before this team can compete for a division title, they must pick a name for their team (kidding.) That being said, this team is nowhere near ready to compete for their division. Even if Dwayne Haskins makes improvements this season, they are still lacking offensive firepower with the exception of Terry McLaurin. Their defense has promising pieces, but let’s be honest. This team isn’t competing, as indicated by their +1300 odds.

Verdict

It’s a tough call between the Cowboys and Eagles, but I’m going with Dallas. It was clear that while this team was always talented, they didn’t have the coaching to put them over the top. That all changed when McCarthy came to town, as well as his star-studded staff he brought in. Their offense will be too much for their opposition, and their defense should be much improved as well. The Eagles are still a solid bet to make the playoffs, but with their injuries to their offensive line, and the inconsistent health of Wentz, it makes them a risky bet for the NFC East.