Ryan Dunleavy previews the NFC East as The Post gives division-by-division breakdowns ahead of the 2021 NFL season.
1. Washington Football Team
Coach: Ron Rivera
2020 record: 7-9
O/U wins: 8.5
Key additions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Curtis Samuel, OL Ereck Flowers, LB Jamin Davis, CB William Jackson
Key losses: QB Alex Smith, RT Morgan Moses, DE Ryan Kerrigan, CB Ronald Darby
First-and-goal: The defensive front of Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne — four first-round picks — could wreck games. But don’t sleep on the rest of the defense, either, especially the cornerback pairing of Jackson and Kendall Fuller. Washington won the division last season with a losing record and four different starting QBs. So, you can call Fitzpatrick a roller-coaster ride, but he also is an upgrade. Washington has a sneaky good cast of young playmakers led by RB Antonio Gibson and WR Terry McLaurin.
Fourth-and-long: The NFC East hasn’t had a repeat winner since 2004, but you might be surprised to hear Washington has won the title three times since 2012. Will Fitzpatrick win more games with huge passing numbers than he loses with foolish turnovers? Best bet is to hope the numbers offset and the rest of the team does its job. One thing to keep an eye on is the short patience Ron Rivera (a cancer survivor) has for unvaccinated players. If the Bills’ locker room is most likely to be disrupted by vaccination status, Washington is the NFC leader.
Dunleavy’s Decision: 9-8. The NFC East’s heyday is a long time ago now. Washington is the best of a mediocre bunch.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Coach: Mike McCarthy
2020 record: 6-10
O/U wins: 9.5
Key additions: S Keanu Neal, LB Micah Parsons, DL Brent Urban
Key losses: QB Andy Dalton, CB Chidobe Awuzie, OLB Aldon Smith
First-and-goal: QB Dak Prescott is the best in the division. That’s a huge head-to-head advantage over Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones and Ryan Fitzpatrick. And, as usual, the Cowboys have the most-talented top-to-bottom roster in the division. A lot of “ifs” come with that. If … Ezekiel Elliott returns to form he can win a third rushing title (he is only 26 years old), if the once-dominant offensive line led by mainstays OT Tyron Smith and OG Zack Martin stays healthy, if DeMarcus Lawrence is still a game-wrecking pass-rusher … then the Cowboys could win the division.
Fourth-and-long: Talent alone hasn’t gotten the Cowboys very far in the last 25 years. McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner, was supposed to get them over the hump but wound up on the hot seat after just one season. He hired DC Dan Quinn — an architect of the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” — to fix a historically bad pass defense, but the personnel didn’t receive a major upgrade, so a lot is reliant upon Quinn’s schemes. On top of recovering from a season-ending compound ankle fracture, Prescott’s shoulder bothered him all summer. It’s unlikely he makes 17 starts.
Dunleavy’s Decision: 8-9. The Cowboys were a surprisingly boring “Hard Knocks” team. Maybe that bodes well for limiting in-season drama.
3. New York Giants
Coach: Joe Judge
2020 record: 6-10
O/U wins: 7.5
Key additions: WR Kenny Golladay, WR Kadarius Toney, TE Kyle Rudolph, CB Adoree Jackson, OLB Azeez Ojulari
Key losses: OG Kevin Zeitler, WR Golden Tate, DT Dalvin Tomlinson
First-and-goal: After ranking No. 31 in scoring offense last season, the Giants prioritized adding playmakers. Golladay, Toney and Rudolph fit the bill, but the biggest addition would be a fully healthy RB Saquon Barkley, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 2 last season. With this lineup, the Giants should be able to make more downfield throws and be more effective in the red zone rather than playing to avoid turnovers. Potential exists for a top-10 defense with a star at every level: DL Leonard Williams, LB Blake Martinez, CB James Bradberry and S Logan Ryan.
Fourth-and-long: The offensive line could implode a promising season. It’s five starters age 25 or younger with high upside but a history of inexperience, struggles or both. The safest bet is C Nick Gates, in just his second year at a new position. QB Daniel Jones was a turnover machine for the first 21 games of his career but curtailed the problem at the end of last season. Did he nip ball security in the bud for good? Golladay, Toney, Rudolph and Barkley all missed about 90 percent of training camp, so chemistry with Jones will be a work in progress.
Dunleavy’s Decision: 7-10. A 9-8 finish would satisfy fans and ownership, but all the playmakers in the world won’t matter if the blocking fails.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Coach: Nick Sirianni
2020 record: 4-11-1
O/U wins: 7.5
Key additions: WR DeVonta Smith, DE Ryan Kerrigan, S Anthony Harris
Key losses: QB Carson Wentz, WR Alshon Jeffrey, WR DeSean Jackson, CB Jalen Mills, P Cam Johnson
First-and-goal: Teams with top-notch lines on both sides of the ball rarely finish in last place. And the Eagles still have Super Bowl holdovers RT Lane Johnson, OG Brandon Brooks and C Jason Kelce on offense, and DE Brandon Graham, DE Derek Barnett and DT Fletcher Cox on defense. Including last season’s unexpected debacle, the Eagles have finished worse than 7-9 just twice since 2006 — and both times the head coach (Andy Reid, Doug Pederson) was fired. QB Jalen Hurts showed promising flashes as a rookie.
Fourth-and-long: Teams with question marks at head coach and quarterback rarely make the playoffs. The Eagles didn’t want to fire Pederson, but he forced their hand by refusing ownership-recommended tweaks. The Eagles didn’t envision Hurts as a starter in the second year of his career, but Wentz forced a trade by essentially quitting during tough times. It feels like this roster might be overdue for an overhaul — and Giants fans know all too well what happens when nostalgia lets a team grow stale. TE Zach Ertz, a prominent team leader, is disgruntled.
Dunleavy’s Decision: 6-11. National perception of the Eagles is a bottom-10 team. Vibes out of Philly is a sleeper playoff team. Something has to give.
