In a weekly feature, we'll break down the previous week's game in the NFC East and rank each team based on current perception.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) — Take your pick here, really, but the Eagles offense is a scary thing to think about if you're a defensive coordinator. Ask Monte Kiffin, who was tormented by new Eagles coach Chip Kelly while he was the defensive coordinator at USC and Kelly was the head coach at Oregon. The Eagles were close to being 2-0 and saw how fragile the offense can be when Michael Vick took a shot and had to leave the game for a couple of plays. Again, this is basically a toss-up, but I'm giving the Eagles the slight nod based on the Cowboys' inability/unwillingness to run the ball. Next up: vs. Kansas City Chiefs.
2. Dallas Cowboys (1-1) — As mentioned above, the Cowboys' running game was an embarrassment on Sunday in Kansas City. Bill Callahan abandoned the run game in the third quarter in a tight game. It didn't help that the Cowboys' offensive line was getting blown up on a regular basis and DeMarco Murray had no where to run, but it was a bad decision to just give up altogether. The Cowboys' defense looks to be good enough to win games but they weren't able to get any turnovers against Alex Smith after taking six from Eli Manning. Next up: vs. St. Louis Rams.
3. New York Giants (0-2) — A loss against the Broncos is nothing to freak out about, but the propensity to turn the ball over four or five times a game is a little more stressful for Eli Manning & Co. Starting 0-3 would be a serious blow to the Giants' playoff chances and so far they've shown their running game and their secondary are both messes. Next up: at Carolina Panthers.
4. Washington Redskins (0-2) — The 38-20 final on Sunday in their loss to the Packers was somewhat respectable, but not when you realize the Packers led that game 31-0. It was never a contest. Robert Griffin III is under pressure to be more of a "vocal leader" and is clearly not 100 percent with his knee injury suffered in the playoffs last year. Next up: vs. Detroit Lions.
