NFC East power rankings: Dan Quinn is already making Cowboys fans eat crow

The 2024 season has been a disappointing one for the NFC East. That is unless you're a fan of one particular team. Injuries wreaked havoc in the division and may be costly as the year continues.

If Week 4 taught us anything, it's that depth plays a critical role in having a consistent performance. Also, despite the NFL being in a pass-heavy era, the run game can be the difference between winning and losing.

There's some movement compared to last week's rankings. It's not something many expected heading into the 2024 season, but here we are. Let's look at the NFC East after four games.

4. New York Giants (Last Week: 4th)

Yet again, the New York Giants are at the bottom of the NFC East. With an opportunity to crawl out from under the division, the Giants could not capitalize on the mistakes of the Dallas Cowboys.

Malik Nabers is already a bonafide wide receiver with big-play ability and the reliability to make a critical catch and run for a first down. He caught 12 of quarterback Daniel Jones' 29 completions, with another 11 completions going to Wan'Dale Robinson. The latter's playmaking with the ball in his hands is impressive, but he needs to work on catching tough balls.

The Giants' defense played great, with the defensive line living in Dallas' backfield. While it only resulted in one sack and five tackles for a loss, quarterback Dak Prescott was forced to move around in the pocket all game. Their corners played well, making Prescott throw into tight windows.

In the end, New York settled for five field goals and no touchdowns. At least they can hold onto Nabers and his record-breaking start to the season, being the first player ever to record 25 catches and three touchdowns in his first four games.

3. Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 3rd)

The Cowboys barely survived a game against a team that was knowingly drafting early in the 2025 NFL Draft. Give credit to Brandon Aubrey for booming kicks from long, which forced the Giants to score a touchdown on their last drive. He did miss one from 51 yards, but his 60-yard kick makes up for it.

Offensively, it was all CeeDee Lamb in the first half, catching six passes for 94 yards and one score, although the team phased him out in the second half yet again. The offense as a whole committed six penalties with one declined due to two happening on the same play. Three were holding calls against rookie lineman Tyler Guyton

Finally, the Cowboys stopped the run, holding the Giants to 1.1 yards per carry. They gave up 5.4 yards per carry heading into the game, the worst in the NFL. The tackling was poor yet again, but two players showed up in a big way. Defensive tackle Mazi Smith and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

Dallas was already down Daron Bland, Caelen Carson, and Sam WIlliams heading into the game. Now, DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs, Micah Parsons, and Marist Liufau are hurting after going down during the game. The defense played decent on Thursday, but injuries can turn that back around.

2.Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 1st)

The first half could not have been worse for the Philadelphia Eagles as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trampled them. Four of their five offensive drives were three-and-outs, and one going for a touchdown. Cooper DeJean also muffed a punt, which was recovered by the Bucs.

Their offense picked up in the second half, picking up 158 yards and a touchdown. It still wasn't enough to threaten a stout Buccaneers defense. He didn't throw an interception this game, but quarterback Jalen Hurts lost a fumble and had another recovered. They played without their top two wideouts and starting right tackle, which showed.

Tampa quarterback, Baker Mayfield, had himself a feast. He picked apart the Eagles' defense with quick throws, averaging 2.22 seconds to throw according to Next Gen Stats. The Eagles couldn't stop the run either, with the Bucs' top two backs averaging 4.9 yards per run.

Philly's defensive backs did a good job breaking up passes later in the game, knocking down six with defensive linemen Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis getting one each for a total of eight. Unfortunately for them, that was after Mayfield completed 12 of 13 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the game.

1. Washington Commanders (Last Week: 2nd)

Hello Washington! For the first time since 2012, the Commanders (formerly Redskins) look like a competent team. Their performance is heavily dependant on their offense, but it's better than being terrible on both sides of the ball like they have over the past several years.

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to impress, completing 86.7 percent of his passes for 233 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His 82.1 completion percentage is the highest for a quarterback since 2000. Running back Brian Robinson had himself another big day with 113 total yards and one touchdown.

The Commanders' defense held their opponent to the lowest score of the season. The Arizona Cardinals could only put up 14 points, a disappointing effort considering they scored 69 points in the first two games of the season, and Washington's inability to stop offenses to start the year.

Washington head coach, Dan Quinn, made quarterback Kyler Murray's day difficult. The Commanders hit Murray seven times and registered four sacks, both being the most in a game this season for them. The Cardinals are one of the top offenses in the NFL, and Quinn made them look average.

I never would have expected the Commanders to shine this bright, especially early in the season. Daniels has made the transition to the NFL a smooth one, lifting the team to the top of the division. That's meanwhile the Eagles and Cowboys continue to disappoint.

Week 5 look ahead

After a two-game road trip, the Commanders return home to Northwest Stadium against a beat-up Cleveland Browns team. The Eagles will watch that game as they take the week off on their bye, and get ready for the Browns to visit them the following week.

The Cowboys are playing on Sunday night in Pittsburgh, with a run-heavy Steelers team looking to use their strength, which is Dallas' weakness. The New York Football Giants travel to the West Coast to play Seattle, one of the few undefeated teams remaining in the NFL before their Monday Night game against the Detroit Lions.

The NFC East has not had repeat champions since 2004. With the Cowboys winning it last year and the star power of the Eagles, it was expected Philly would take the throne; however, as Hurts did, they fumbled that top position away. With the ball in Daniels' hands, the Commanders have a bright future.

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