Who is the Dallas Cowboys biggest threat in the NFC East?
The Philadelphia Eagles
As much as I hate to admit it, the Philadelphia Eagles scare me the most because they have actually gotten better.
Even though they missed the postseason, Philadelphia pushed Dallas to the brink in an overtime victory for the ‘Boys in Week 8. They harassed Prescott all night with their blitz packages and had the rookie’s team on the ropes down 10 points midway in the fourth quarter. The Eagles forced Prescott to throw a costly red zone turnover before halftime and even held rookie sensation Zeke under 100 yards rushing.
Luckily, Prescott’s late game heroics were able to give the Cowboys a huge victory in Jerry World that was definitely a momentum shifter in the division.
Despite having an inconsistent 2016, the Eagles still collected quality wins including a home victory over the NFC champion Atlanta Falcons and a 34-3 blowout over their in state adversary Pittsburgh Steelers. They looked to be a real contender in the NFC in the first half of the season before falling off late in the playoff race.
Philly’s Achilles’ heel was definitely their offense, particularly their lack of production by the receiving corps. Their management addressed this by signing free agent wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who if healthy can make an immediate impact with young quarterback Carson Wentz. The team also snagged up one of the most productive running backs from last season in LeGarrette Blount.
I’m trying not to be bothered by those signings, but man it’s difficult.
As if the Eagles’ defense wasn’t scrappy enough, they selected Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett and Washington cornerback Sydney Jones in the first two rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. Both of whom I liked for the Cowboys.
All in all, the Cowboys will have their work cut out for them in their six games against their division rivals. Besides the meaningless final Philadelphia game, all the division games were decided by one possession and were split 3-3.
Other than Washington, I feel all the NFC teams improved from last year. And I’m not saying the Redskins will be a cake walk either. I’m a realist and I respect this game too much to say that. I know all division games are tough on anyone can win on any given day.
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I have no doubt America’s Team has molded itself to be the first to repeat as NFC East champions since 2004, but it is going to be a dog fight.