Week 1 is in the books, and the NFC East already has a shape to it.
The division opened with two tight finishes and one night where the score did a lot more kindness than the performance. The Giants rolled past the Cowboys 28-20 on Sunday Night Football, while the Eagles edged the Commanders 24-22 in the late-afternoon window. That gives us an early read on where things stand as Week 2 arrives.
- Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles get the top spot because, on paper, they still bring the most talent in the division. That alone makes them the default No. 1 for now, even if the Giants made the debate a lot more interesting.
Their offense without A.J. Brown looked flat, which was hardly a shock.
Jalen Hurts connected on a couple of nice throws to Dontayvion Wicks and DeVonta Smith, but the ground game never really got rolling. Outside of a 42-yard run from Saquon Barkley and a 22-yard scramble from Hurts, the rushing attack was borderline anemic and finished at just over three yards per carry.
They escaped with a win, but the Giants are already breathing down their necks.
Next game: Sunday, Sep. 20 @ Titans
- New York Giants
If this were purely about Week 1, the Giants would have a real case for No. 1. They controlled the Cowboys for most of the night and walked away with a 28-20 win that looked more convincing than the final score.
Jaxson Dart looked awesome. John Harbaugh had his team ready from the opening drive, and the physical style he’s been preaching all offseason showed up right away.
The reason they’re still behind Philadelphia is simple: one game isn’t enough to wipe away the benefit of the doubt the Eagles have built over the last few years. Ugly?
Sure. But that’s where the Giants sit for the moment.
That could change fast. A primetime trip to face the Rams in LA is next, and another outing like Sunday night’s would make this ranking a lot harder to keep intact.
Next game: Monday, Sep. 21 @ Rams
- Washington Commanders
Washington lost, but it was a much better-looking loss than Dallas’ mess at MetLife Stadium.
The Commanders were hanging around because of a strong fourth-quarter push. Without that late surge, they’d probably be sitting at the bottom of these rankings. Instead, they did enough to stay ahead of the Cowboys, at least for now.
Jayden Daniels was quiet for most of the game before finding his rhythm late. He threw touchdown passes to Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams in the fourth quarter, and the defense did enough to keep the game alive. The issue came at the end, when a failed two-point conversion with a minute left slammed the door.
Now they get a chance to clean it up against the only team below them.
Next game: Sunday, Sep. 20 @ Cowboys
- Dallas Cowboys
It’s the same old story with Dallas.
The Cowboys come into every season with plenty of noise around them, only to deliver another round of underwhelming football. Sunday night fit that pattern perfectly. They were out-coached, out-physicaled, and never found a way to handle the Giants.
They couldn’t control the clock and managed only two drives in the entire second half. Even 10 penalties and 114 penalty yards on the Giants weren’t enough to tilt the game their way.
This was supposed to be the year Dallas took a step forward in Year 2 under Brian Schottenheimer. Instead, Week 1 looked a lot like the same old Cowboys.
At least there’s a chance to answer back next week, because somebody has to win when they play Washington.
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