The short answer is "not good." Or, more accurately, "horrible." After Week 1, the division emerged as potentially one of the worst in the league. After Week 2, it moved to probably one of the worst in the league. And after an 0-4 Week 3, it has firmly established itself as the worst in the league. The only question now is whether or not it will end up historically bad.
The NFC East is the only division in football that isn't home to a team with a winning record. It's also the only division in the league in which every team has a negative point differential. It now trails the NFC South by two games for the fewest wins in the league, and it is the only division in the league with two winless teams. Making matters uglier, of the two wins the division has secured one was an absolute giveaway from the Falcons to the Cowboys, and the other came from one bad team in the division beating another bad team in the division. It's a bad scene. Anyway, here's the current state of the division.
Washington Football Team (1-2)
Washington retains its hold on first place despite a thorough defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, a team that as a -13 point differential despite a 2-1 record. Despite outgaining the Browns 309-300, Washington suffered a 14-point defeat courtesy of five, yes five, turnovers. Statistically, the game was close and Washington even got the better of some categories, but virtually no team in the NFL is going to overcome five turnovers. Not being able to get out of its own way is a very NFC East kind of way to lose, and Washington certainly continued the theme.
Next: Ravens
Dallas Cowboys (1-2)
The Cowboys were unable to build on the gift they were given by the Falcons in Week 2, falling to the Seahawks 38-31. Certainly, there's no shame in losing to a very good Seattle team, but it was a missed opportunity for Dallas to take control of the division and also to provide some kind of respect for the struggling group of NFC East squads.
Dak Prescott piled up 472 passing yards, but also tossed two interceptions. Ezekiel Elliott was limited to just 34 yards on the ground, and the Cowboys had no answer for MVP candidate Russell Wilson, who torched the Dallas defense for five passing touchdowns. A 14-6 second quarter in favor of the Seahawks proved to be the difference in an otherwise close game.
Next: Browns
Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-1)
The Eagles managed to move out of the cellar with their ugly tie against the Bengals. We don't need to rehash things too much, as we've covered the debacle elsewhere on the site, but Carson Wentz was bad, the offensive line was bad, the linebackers were bad, and Doug Pederson was bad. The Eagles can't seem to get a good day from more than one or two units at a time, nor has any unit really been able to string together consecutive good weeks. One week it's the tight ends, one it's the offensive line, one it's the defensive line, but with so many other units struggling it hasn't been enough. Continuing turnover issues and inconsistency only serve to exacerbate the problems.
Heading into the season, we would have expected the Eagles to be at least 2-1 at this point if not 3-0. Instead, they're still looking for their first win and are entering a brutal stretch of schedule. Between the play on the field so far and the upcoming opponents, it's hard to be optimistic about this team turning things around. The fact that there's a lot of football left to be played is really their only asset right now, and a lot of people, from the GM all the way down to the players, have a lot to prove as the ship quickly sinks.
Next: at 49ers
New York Giants (0-3)
The Giants have settled into their expected position at the bottom of the standings after a 36-9 drubbing at the hands of an injury-decimated 49ers team. New York mustered just 231 yards of total offense and committed three turnovers. It will be another long fall/winter for the Giants as their rebuild continues.
Next: @ Rams
