NFC East power rankings: Cowboys fall behind as Commanders, Eagles make statements

In a physical sport like football, having depth in the lineup is crucial to success. That includes the exclusive and most important spot on the team, quarterback. While the number of injuries is quite different, the difference in the Washington Commanders' handling of injuries compared to the Dallas Cowboys is alarming.

The Philadelphia Eagles played the opposite of the Commanders, relying on a few players to take over the game themselves. Then, there's the New York Giants. It's been a rough time to be a fan of theirs since Eli Manning left town.

With Week 7 in the division wrapped up, there's another set of power rankings. The NFC East is never boring. That is for good and bad reasons. Here is the division ranked heading into Week 8.

4. New York Giants

The NFL is in a pass-heavy period, leading quarterbacks to throw for more yards than ever. When your team finishes with fewer yards in the passing game than most get in one drive alone, there is a serious problem.

The duo of Daniel Jones and Drew Lock (yes, Drew Lock), combined for 105 passing yards, but 62 yards lost due to sacks, leaving the passing attack with a laughable 43 yards. Rookie wideout Malik Nabers (41) almost had more receiving yards than that. It's been nearly two years since Jones threw for a touchdown at MetLife Stadium.

In losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants gave up eight sacks, earned three points, 2.2 yards per play, and converted only three of 14 third downs. Nothing was working offensively for the Giants, even with their weapons heading into the game hot.

Defensively, the pass-rush unit played well. The problem is every other aspect of the defense failed miserably. The Giants accumulated five sacks, but their focus on rushing the passer opened up rushing lanes for the Eagles' backs. Even when the Giants got to Jalen Hurts, poor coverage enabled him to let the ball lose early for big plays.

3. Dallas Cowboys

It was a bye week for the Dallas Cowboys, and the Giants still look dysfunctional. By default, the Cowboys remain third in the division by record and recent play.

This week was important as they desperately needed to get their defensive players healthy and spend time in the film room to figure out how to compete with the best teams in the NFL. Both sides of the ball have been severely disappointing.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

Good teams find ways to win games, ugly or not. The Philadelphia Eagles earned a convincing win over the struggling New York Giants. See the Giant's section above for a focus on their end.

Jalen Hurts played an efficient game, completing 10 of 14 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown, while scrambling for 22 yards and scoring on two tush push plays. He didn't need to do much and did not turn the ball over. The one alarming stat is converting on one of 13 third-downs. It's something they've struggled with all season.

Running back Saquon Barkley and the Eagles' offensive line is a cheat code. It could be motivation from playing at MetLife Stadium for the first time since leaving the Giants, but he ran with power, elusiveness, and speed. It was a perfect game from the rushing attack on Sunday.

The Eagles' defense was just having fun, holding the Giants' offense to only 119 total yards. After back-to-back 100+ yard games, Tyrone Tracy only earned 32 yards against Philly. Despite injuries to key players on their team, Philadelphia continues to play well, but not as dominantly as was expected heading into the season.

1. Washington Commanders

The story of the season, how did the Washington Commanders turn from one of the worst teams in the NFL to one of the best? Much of that credit is given to rookie sensation Jayden Daniels, and deservedly so, but not enough is given to the change in the coaching staff.

The result is improving from the worst in the league in point differential last year to the best this year. It's a jump from -189 to +66 (before Monday Night Football). That is despite being bottom-ten in yards against, and bottom 15 in points against.

On Sunday, Daniels left with an injury, thrusting Marcus Mariota into the game. He proceeded to join Daniels as one of nine quarterbacks to score 40+ points in a game this season. The offensive line played fantastic, giving up only one sack and paving the way for 214 yards on the ground.

This was the best defensive performance by the Commanders. However, it's against the Carolina Panthers, which makes it less credible. Still, they stopped an offense that played well against the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. By well, I mean only giving up seven points and quarterback Andy Dalton having the lowest EPA per dropback (-0.90) for the week.

Not much has changed regarding the order of NFC East teams since the conclusion of Week 4. The Giants (except for their pass-rush) continue to dig deeper into the hole they're in. The Dallas Cowboys aren't that low yet, but failure to heal and improve can make them so.

Week 8 look ahead

Coming out of their bye, the Dallas Cowboys play in San Francisco against the 49ers on Sunday Night Football, looking to continue their three-game road win streak. The Philadelphia Eagles head to Cincinnati, hoping to catch the Bengals' offense that scored 34+ points and under 20 points three times each.

The Washington Commanders return to Northwest Stadium to host the underrated Chicago Bears to push for the lead of the NFC. The New York Giants head to Pittsburgh to play Russell Wilson and the Steelers on Monday Night Football. It's primetime week for the NFC East.

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