NFC East power rankings Week 9: Eagles look legit, Cowboys look lost
Some things never change. Coming off a bye week, the Dallas Cowboys played disorganized against the San Francisco 49ers. They shot themselves in the foot just like the New York Giants did against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders impressed in their respective wins, although the Commanders left some meat on the bone in their match. Both quarterbacks and their defenses impressed, setting a precedent for later in the season.
4. New York Giants (Last Week: 4th)
Fans of the New York Giants must be frustrated, and rightfully so. They show flashes of their potential on both sides of the ball. That may be a big splash on offense by Tyrone Tracy or Malik Nabers, or sack the opposing quarterback for a significant loss of yards, but it's never consistent enough to threaten their opponents.
In the fourth quarter down eight points, Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke punched the ball out of quarterback Russell Wilson's arms and recovered the fumble. After driving the ball into the Pittsburgh Steelers red zone, New York quarterback Daniel Jones gets stripped and the Giants lose the ball. It's the inability to capitalize on their opportunities and inconsistent flashes that have held them back.
Tracy was overused and visibly exhausted late in the game after getting 22 touches for 150 yards and one score. Wideouts Darius Slayton and Malik Nabers combined for 13 catches for 180 yards. The downside was Jones' untimely errant throws and poor reads, leading to missed third-down conversions and the interception that sealed the Steelers' win.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has rejuvenated the old Russell Wilson, and he tore the raw Giants secondary apart. It's unfortunate because the defensive line played very well, sacking Wilson four times and hitting him eight times. The duo backfield of Najee Harris and Jalen Warren averaged 6.0 and 5.1 yards per rush respectively. If someone on your fantasy team is playing the Giants, play them.
3. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 3rd)
Play terribly to start, and pick it up near the end only to let a win slip by. That is the Dallas Cowboys way. A game that was lost in the third quarter was made a close game by score, but not reality. The Cowboys were out-coached, out-played, and did not field a roster talented enough to compete.
Missing Rico Dowdle due to an illness sucked the little juice the Cowboys running back room had out. The desperate elevation of Dalvin Cook proved it was a failure of a backup plan, but Ezekiel Elliott made a couple of impressive plays regardless of whether the offensive line blocked for him or not.
The offense was dysfunctional as it had been for the majority of the 2024 season. Quarterback Dak Prescott routinely forced throws, which led to two both of his picks. CeeDee Lamb had a career game, catching 13 of 17 targets for 146 yards and two scores. Jake Ferguson was solid underneath catching six of eight targets. More needs to be done to generate big plays outside of Lamb though.
While lacking talent due to injuries, Dallas' front seven played with heart in the first half, but that fell apart after halftime. The failures of the secondary, most notably safeties, left them out to dry. Injuries aren't an excuse considering the level of play when most starters were healthy to start the year.
2. Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 2nd)
Despite owning a solid record, the Philadelphia Eagles did not convince the league they play as well as their record shows. A test against a surprisingly underrated Cincinnati Bengals team was an opportunity to earn some respect. It's safe to say they deserve it after their 31-17 win.
The Eagles play best when they are balanced and take what the defense gives them, rather than forcing the ball downfield all game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw the ball 20 times, meanwhile, the team ran 39 times. If a pass wasn't there, Hurts tucked the ball and ran, limiting dangerous throws.
That opened the way for an efficient passing attack. With the Bengals' defense laying back to defend the run, the Eagles did not give up one sack and allowed only one quarterback hit. That time gave Hurts the windows needed to earn a +20.2 completion percentage over expected.
The Eagles secondary played well, keeping playmakers in front of them for most of the game. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell allowed both targets his way to be completed, but only for 12 yards. He has yet to allow a touchdown this season. The pass rush was disappointing though, giving Joe Burrow too much time to improvise and find options late in plays. They sacked him once and hit him four times.
1. Washington Commanders (Last Week: 1st)
It wasn't a dominant performance and was one Hail Mary incompletion away from losing, but the Washington Commanders played well in their 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears. The offense gets praise around the league, the coaches just recently started getting their flowers, and now it's the defense.
The Commanders have had an impressive defensive line for a while now, but the pieces surrounding their front four have been questionable. Now, we see others in the secondary step up. The Bears' passing attack was held in check, with Caleb Williams completing only 10 of 24 passes for 131 yards.
D'Andre Swift caused the Commanders problems, but outside of that, it was a fantastic performance. At no point did the Bears look like they were overwhelming Washington, instead it looked like the Bears were frustrated by what was supposed to be one of the weaker units in the NFL. Instead, they held Williams to a -0.30 EPA per dropback, the lowest this week (before Monday Night Football).
The offense played well, but couldn't convert in the red zone. They failed to score a touchdown on all three trips, settling for nine points instead of a possible 21. Between the two red zones, they dominated. Three receivers eclipsed 70+ receiving yards and backs Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson combined for 5.09 yards per carry.
The Eagles can close the gap with the Commanders if they play to their strengths, but Washington is rolling hot on both sides of the ball right now. The top two are separating themselves from the bottom two teams, the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.
Week 9 look ahead
The Washington Commanders head to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Giants in what is expected to be a blowout. It would be a season sweep for Washington, and a seventh win to put them comfortably in a playoff position and in a prime spot to compete for the NFC title.
The Dallas Cowboys travel to Atlanta in hopes they can upset a talented Falcons team. The Cowboys must win to remain relevant in the NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles return home from a two-game road trip to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, the only team to lose to the Deshaun Watson-led Cleveland Browns this season. That one can be a blowout.
A possible upset of the Giants over Washington, and an Eagles beatdown of the Jaguars can flip the top two teams in the division. It can also see the Giants move out of the bottom of the division for the first time this season. Let's see if the Eagles can reclaim the top spot and the Giants escape the bottom of the NFC East.