A Brotherly Shove in the Right Direction (NFC East Preview)

The American Football Conference's division previews are done. Now for the real fun. The National Football Conference, as a whole, has been a bit of a shitshow in recent years, and I'm here for it. It's been messy, it's been chaotic, and it's been absolutely hideous. It's wonderfully perfect. Even now, I still fondly remember the big train wreck known as the 2023 NFC playoff race, and as great as last year's mess was, I expect this year to be even crazier.

Last year, the NFC East's playoff race was cut and dry. We knew who'd be in and who wouldn't be in. This year, well, it could be a big more interesting:

Washington Commanders (4-13)

The Washington Commanders declined big time in the 2023 season. In 2022, they were in the thick of the playoff race, lasting until the season's penultimate week and finishing with a 8-8-1 record. Great season with a lot of promise. The Commanders started 2-0 in 2023. After that? Two wins in their final fifteen. YIKES. Even worse, two of Washington's wins were against Arizona and New England--two teams who also finished with four wins. This terrible season resulted in Ron Rivera being axed as the team's head coach, and unlike New Year's Day 2023, he actually knew he'd be eliminated.

The Commanders managed to snag Austin Ekeler from the Chargers, so they actually have a functioning running back. They drafted Jayden Daniels, who should be starting at QB. I see improvement for the Commanders; after all, when you win four games one year, next year has to be better. At least I'd like to think so.

New York Giants (6-11)

The 2022 New York Giants were the stuff of legends. They were winning games against good teams, yet still getting overlooked. The Giants actually reached the playoffs that year. They actually won a playoff game on the road. They were smoked in the Divisional Playoff, but still, a season like that is one you build on. Instead, the Giants won six games. Though, they did spoil the Eagles' chances of winning the division in the final week.

This year is gut check time, especially for the Giants' quarterback, Daniel Jones. See, Jones received an entire Brinks truck of his own, and a recent development or two has forced Jones to have to show what he is made of. What we saw in 2022? That's what Jones got paid for. He's going to have to do it again. Big time.

Why, you ask? Here's the reason:

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)

So apparently, the Philadelphia Eagles took Week 18 of the 2023 season personally. The Giants took Philly's NFC East chances, so the Eagles decided to take the Giants' entire running game. Saquon Barkley is an Eagle. Holy guacamole!

In all seriousness, what was supposed to be an eventually successful defense of their NFC Championship ended in disaster. They were 10-1 and set to take the #1 seed in the conference, but after that, they lost five of their final six games. The same team who actually entered Arrowhead and took down the Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch on Monday Night Football, actually lost to teams like the Cardinals and the Giants, and were stuffed in the playoffs by a barely average Buccaneers team.

Getting Saquon should be the answer. Here's one more question, though: How will the Brotherly Shove look now that Jason Kelce's retired?

Dallas Cowboys (12-5)

Well, Cowboys, what the hell are you going to do now?

I've already said my piece about how the Dallas Cowboys are basically embarrassing the Dallas-Fort Worth area in another story. They've blown a lot of opportunities in recent years, but last year definitely took the cake. Dallas captured the NFC East, they got the #2 seed, and they had a Packers team who was happy to be there and was put together with scotch tape. Yet what happened? The Cowboys imploded. Well, "imploded" is too nice. They fucking choked. The Cowboys became the first team to actually lose a playoff game to a #7 seed. And just when you think the indignities can't get any worse, it does.

They did nothing in free agency. They brought back a broken down Ezekiel Elliott and let Tony Pollard go. CeeDee Lamb, one of the team's only two saving graces on offense, is disgruntled. Dak Prescott is not wanted by Cowboys fans. The defense is holding up, but for how long? Mike McCarthy (who, despite my immense criticism, I still say is not to blame for that loss) is still the coach, but this will most likely be his last year, as his contract ends after this year. The sad part is that the NFC East is so cut and dry that, despite all of this BS, Dallas still has a shot at actually winning the division again. Even if they do, we all know what they'll do with it. Absolutely nothing.

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The NFC East has always been interesting, ever since the division's creation back in the 1970 merger. This upcoming season won't change that. We'll definitely see some wild games and some interesting developments, and it'll be quite an intriguing season for this division.