The NFL offers drama like no other sports league during the regular season. But is there any reason to believe that any team can catch the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East?
Established with a franchise quarterback and a harassing defense, it’s difficult to peg another champion of the NFC East. Despite what we saw last year, there should be one team that can compete once again for a divisional crown.
Here’s the best bets for win totals in the NFC East. Last year, I was 2-2 in the NFC East in win totals.
Dallas Cowboys, over/under 8.5
Take this to the bank.
Dallas will once again compete for an NFC East crown. The pieces are once again in place for another run in Dallas, similar to what we saw two years ago.
Forget about last year. The turmoil that surrounded this team was enough to throw any unit off…and they still won nine games. The offensive line is still dominant. The defense was a top-10 unit in terms of yards per play allowed last year and Dak Prescott will return back to the form we witnessed during his rookie campaign.
Everyone is sleeping on the Cowboys. And that’s great for you and me, because this number is lower than it should be. The media’s narrative is all about the wide receiver and tight end positions. In terms of winning football games, those positions matter very little.
Feel overly confident in booking the over in win totals for the Cowboys. — Verdict: Over
New York Giants, over/under 7.5
Ranking in the bottom-10 for offense and defense in 2017, the New York Giants were one of the worst ensembles we saw last year in the NFL.
As mentioned before, that can change on a year-to-year basis.
The Giants have talent on the defensive side of the ball. Whatever happened last year, the defensive unit that was so good in 2016, didn’t show up. I’m banking on a much better defense this year. The pieces are there, so with a different coaching staff, that should gel better.
And with more weapons and a better offensive line, getting to eight wins shouldn’t be out of the question. — Verdict: Over
Philadelphia Eagles, over/under 10.5
It’s tough to pick against Philadelphia.
The offense and defense were ranked in the top-half of the NFL last year. And the offensive line won’t have the injury issues it did last year.
This team is put together for another Super Bowl run as long as it doesn’t lose focus. On paper, there’s no reason why this team can’t win 12 to 13 games, so I’d be confident in booking the Eagles. — Verdict: Over
Washington Redskins, over/under 5.5
I’m in the minority, but I believe Kirk Cousins covered up a lot of warts for the Redskins. He played well in that system that is now occupied by Alex Smith, who isn’t as good as Cousins.
Without that ability to move the ball through the air, I don’t anticipate the Redskins to offer much resistance against the opposition.
The defense is a bottom-half unit that didn’t get much better in the offseason and I anticipate a drop-off offensively, showcasing Smith for what he truly is — a below-average quarterback.
Oddsmakers are right in booking this number so low. But they didn’t go low enough. — Verdict: Under
