Washington took Philly to the brink while Dallas took the Patriots to school.
Between the Patriots-Cowboys and Commanders-Eagles games last Sunday, one went to the wire and the other was a blowout. Most would’ve expected Philadelphia to enjoy the one-sided victory, but it was Dallas who made a statement while the Eagles needed overtime to put away the Commanders in an NFC East rivalry matchup.
The Cowboys crushed New England in a stunning 38-3 win. While this year’s Patriots are hardly Bill Belichick’s best, Dallas’ ugly loss last week to Arizona raised concerns that Belichick might be able to coach his team up to a competitive showing. Instead, it was Mike McCarthy who showed something as his team shook off Week 3 and handed Belichick the most lopsided loss of his career.
In the end, it was just a home win against a non-conference opponent. It certainly wasn’t as valuable as the divisional victory that the Eagles picked up over Washington. The Commanders were surprisingly feisty, even leading at halftime, but eventually fell in the extra period. Philadelphia remained unbeaten this year and increased their leverage as division leaders.
The New York Giants also played football, to a point, in an ugly home loss to the Seattle Seahawks. While they are battling injuries, the G-Men look nothing like the 2022 playoff team that many expected to only get better in Brian Daboll’s second year. Barring a stunning turnaround, this season may already be lost.
Here are the NFC East standings after Week 4:
- Philadelphia Eagles 4-0 (1-0 in division)
- Dallas Cowboys 3-1 (1-0 in division)
- Washington Commanders 2-2 (0-1 in division)
- New York Giants 1-3 (0-1 in division)
All four teams are in action this week. Washington starts things off this Thursday in a favorable home matchup against the Chicago Bears. With Dan Snyder gone, the Commanders may have allowed the Bears to take over as the hottest dumpster fire organization in football. As long as the same Washington team who pushed Philly shows up, they should pick up an important NFC win.
Things may only get worse for New York as they take their lack of talent to South Beach. The Dolphins’ offensive hot streak didn’t continue in last week’s loss to Buffalo, but Miami is still one of the league’s top teams so far in 2023 and could put up big numbers against the floundering Giants.
The Eagles face a potential test, going on the road to face the Rams. While Los Angeles isn’t close to its top form under Sean McVay, they have lost close games to the 49ers and Bengals and could challenge Philadelphia’s defensive weaknesses. This contest could wind up being a fun shootout.
A prime time as it gets, the Cowboys head to San Francisco for a huge showdown with their longtime non-divisional nemesis. Can Dallas rise to the challenge of giving the Niners their first loss of 2023? Or will San Francisco remind the Cowboys that they’re still second-class citizens in the NFC?
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