Predicting the rest of 2022 season for Cowboys and their NFC East rivals

This week was a crazy one for the NFC East. The Washington Commanders topped the Chicago Bears in a 12-7 Thursday Night Football shootout, while the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles also picked up wins on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys respectively.

There are certainly some major things to take away from each team this week. However, to start, we will look at the division as a whole. After the past two seasons, when NFL fans and media made fun of the “NFC Least” for being such a bad division in terms of its quality of teams, the script has flipped quite dramatically.

Now, the NFC East has the best record against non-divisional opponents following Week 6 action. The Eagles seem to be the best team in football, the G-Men have made quite the impression by beating the Green Bay Packers and Ravens in back-to-back weeks, and the Cowboys are 4-2 and are getting their top-10 quarterback back from injury.

As the NFC East currently stands, the Eagles reside in the top spot of both the division and conference at 6-0. The Giants are now second in the division with a 5-1 record, followed by the Cowboys at 4-2. The Commanders remain last in the division, sitting at 2-4.

For this article, I will go over each team, highlighting how they got to where they are, how they’ve performed, and a final record prediction. I will also be naming the most valuable player for each team as well.

Weeks 1-6

After scraping by the Detroit Lions in a Week 1 shootout 38-35, the Eagles have taken care of business thereafter. They picked up an impressive win against the Minnesota Vikings 24-7 and got a road win against the Commanders 24-8.

The next two weeks were a bit closer than what they would’ve preferred, coming back to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 29-21 and beating the Cardinals in Arizona 20-17. Then came the biggest test to date: a home date with the then 4-1 Cowboys.

After going up 20-0 at a point, the offense suddenly sputtered, allowing the Cowboys to make it a 20-17 game in the second half. However, too many Cooper Rush turnovers and team penalties proved to be too costly, as the Eagles took a 26-17 lead and put the ‘Boys away.

MVP: Jalen Hurts, QB

Before the season, the biggest question for the Birds was what they have at quarterback. It was even talked about how this could be his last season as the starter after the team failed to trade for Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson.

However, Jalen Hurts has taken the league by storm and led the Eagles to a 6-0 start. He has been the motor of the offense, passing for over 1500 yards and rushing for an additional 293. To this point, he has been responsible for 12 touchdowns for the team.

Outlook

The Eagles could legitimately stay perfect through Week 10. The team is now entering their bye, then they face an in-state battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps the Steelers upset another NFC foe, however, it is not likely.

Their next major matchup comes on the road against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11. The lead-up games consist of the Houston Texans and the Commanders, so the first likely loss can come in late November.

The next three games are very interesting. The Eagles host the Packers and Titans before taking on the Giants at MetLife. Due to the law of averages, it is likely the team drops one of these.

To end the season, the team goes on the road to face the Bears and Cowboys and then is back home for the final two contests against the Saints and Giants. The Bears should be an easy win. The Cowboys will be tough with Dak Prescott back at the helm, so we can give a loss to the Birds there.

The Saints game is very interesting, so I will go with a shocking upset there. To end the season, I will also give the Giants a win as they will be fighting for a playoff spot, so everything will be on the line for them.

Record prediction: 12-5

Weeks 1-6

The Giants have stunned everyone. If you were to tell me that the Giants would be 5-1 to start the season, I would’ve laughed at you and called you crazy. Well, maybe I was the crazy one.

After starting the season off with wins against the Titans and Panthers, the Giants dropped their only game thus far against the Cowboys, 23-16. Since then, the G-Men have been on a roll picking up wins against the Bears, Packers, and most impressively, the Ravens.

MVP: Saquon Barkley, RB

Look out everyone, it’s 2018 again because Saquon Barkley is running like a madman. The 2018 No. 2 pick has enjoyed a great start to the season, rushing a league-leading 119 times through six weeks.

So far, Barkley has racked up 771 yards of scrimmage, which also leads the NFL and four touchdowns. He’s playing with a lot of juice and purpose, and he is the biggest component to this team’s success to start 2022.

Outlook

This team is just so interesting. They find a way to win, but it just doesn’t match up with what they have on paper. Leading up to their bye week, the Giants are on the road to take on the Jaguars and Seahawks. I expect them to win one and lose one, either works for me.

The next four weeks consist of matches against the Texans, Lions, Cowboys, and Commanders. I certainly believe they drop another game against the ‘Boys, and another to one of the three other teams listed, most likely the Lions.

To finish the season, the G-Men face their toughest stretch, two games against the Eagles, a home matchup against the Colts, and road games against the Commanders and Vikings. As stated before, I believe the Giants pick up a win in Week 18 against the Eagles, but the rest I expect to be losses.

Record prediction: 9-8

Weeks 1-6

The Cowboys started off with an uninspiring loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 19-3. The worst part about the game seemed to be the loss of Dak Prescott, who will be back in Week 7. However, things turned around quite quickly.

In the four weeks following, the ‘Boys picked up wins against both Super Bowl candidates from last season, and division wins against the Giants and Commanders. This past Sunday night, the good vibes hit a speedbump after a close loss to the undefeated Eagles.

MVP: Micah Parsons, LB

Micah Parsons has far and away been the best player on this team this year. Through six games, the unicorn defender has six sacks, a league-leading 31 pressures, 26 tackles, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble.

He is in the backfield in what seems like every play. He has been the heart and soul of the Dallas defense and is a leader on the field and off. The 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year is on pace for a Defensive Player of the Year nomination once again, and may even come away with the award.

Outlook

The Cowboys take on two NFC North foes over the next two weeks in the Bears and Lions. It’s safe to say Dak Prescott will enjoy an explosive return as the team should win both entering their bye week.

Exiting the bye, the ‘Boys have dates with the other two NFC North teams, the Packers and Vikings. Assuming the team splits those games, the Cowboys could very well enter Week 12 at 7-3.

The next four games are against the Giants, Colts, Texans, and Jaguars. To stay conservative, the team could very likely go 2-2 through this stretch. With games against the Eagles, Titans, and Commanders to finish the season, the Cowboys should enjoy a 2-1 end to the season, giving them a Wild Card berth.

Record prediction: 11-6

Weeks 1-6

In a division full of winners, there has to be a loser. That loser so far has been the Washington Commanders. To start out the season, they gave hope with a 28-22 victory over the Jaguars, however, it was a steep descent from paradise from there.

The next four weeks all resulted in losses, coming against the Lions, Eagles, Cowboys, and Titans. However, on Thursday Night Football against the Chicago Bears this past week, the Commanders acquired their second win of the season.

MVP: Montez Sweat, EDGE

This was a very tough pick between safety Kam Curl and Montez Sweat, but ultimately, I went with the more premium position player. Curl has arguably been the best safety in the league this year, but Sweat has impacted the game more.

Through six weeks, the edge rusher has racked up 26 pressures, 21 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks, and one pass deflection. He also ranks fifth in the NFL for edge rushers in defensive grade by PFF.

Outlook

Unfortunately (I think?), Carson Wentz will be out for the next four weeks with a thumb injury. This means that Taylor Heinicke will be the starter during that time, assuming he doesn’t play horribly to where Sam Howell gets his shot.

The Commanders don’t get their bye week until Week 14, which is quite rough. Until that time, they will face the Packers, Colts, Vikings, Eagles, Texans, Falcons, and Giants. Wins against the Texans and Falcons can certainly be reasonable, however, I expect the team to lose five of these games regardless.

Coming out of the bye, the Commanders finish out the season against the Giants, 49ers, Browns, and Cowboys. Assuming the rest of the teams are healthy, I expect them to pick up one win out of these four, most likely coming against the Giants.

Record prediction: 5-12

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