NFC East optimist, pessimist view of every team

With three of four teams .500 or better, the NFC East is one of the NFL's top divisions, but it doesn’t take much for things to go south. Here are reasons to be optimistic or pessimistic about each team.

Dallas Cowboys (4-2)

Optimist: Even with a 32-point loss to San Francisco, Dallas has outscored opponents, 186-68. Only five teams have more points than the Cowboys. With a more balanced attack than in years past (182 rushes, 195 passes), the Cowboys are winning without a top-10 offensive skill player. 

Defensively, Dallas continues to thrive under coordinator Dan Quinn. The team is allowing just 288.7 yards and 16.7 points per game, the best numbers in the division.

Pessimist: The Cowboys have more penalties (46) than any team in the NFL. They were flagged 11 times for 85 yards against the Chargers on Sunday night and 13 times for 107 yards against the Patriots in Week 4. That’s unacceptable for a veteran-laden team and could be problematic with the Rams and Eagles up next.

New York Giants (1-5)

Optimist: Silver linings are pretty rare with one-win teams. At the moment, New York can feel good about Saquon Barkley. In Week 6, the 26-year-old running back rushed for a season-high 93 yards after missing three games with an ankle injury. His yardage and carries were the most since last November, when he ran 35 times for 152 yards against the Texans. 

Pessimist: Only the Cincinnati Bengals spent more this offseason than New York. Unfortunately for Giants fans, $541,795,582 wasn’t money well spent. The team gave quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160M contract with $92M guaranteed, and so far he’s responded with 884 yards passing and two TD passes. The Giants’ 265.5 yards per game are second fewest in the NFL, slightly better than the Cincinnati Bengals.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-1)

Optimist: Offensively, only Miami has more yards (2,992) than Philadelphia (2,370). Thanks to 452 yards rushing from running back D’Andre Swift, the Eagles haven’t missed a beat, averaging 150 rushing yards per game, second most in the league. Meanwhile, wide receiver A.J. Brown 672 receiving yards, trailing only Tyreek Hill, and is coming off four straight 100-yard games.

Pessimist: Numbers aside, Jalen Hurts doesn’t look right. The fourth-year quarterback may be the NFL’s eighth-leading passer, but his seven interceptions (three last week) are more than he had in all of 2022. His 253 yards rushing are 153 less than he had at the same point last season.