At the end of the 2014 Philadelphia Eagles season, it was clear that—while the team was good—they were still not of the same caliber as the elite teams in the NFC. The following statements were beyond dispute:
- The offense wasn’t good enough to beat the elite defenses: Seattle, Arizona, San Francisco, etc.
- The defense wasn’t stout enough to shut down elite offenses: Green Bay, Dallas,
After an offseason of overhaul, how do the Eagles compare to their 2015 opponents? Which offenses this season will get over on the Eagles’ (presumably) improved defense? Which defenses will stymie Chip Kelly’s offense: with new pieces at running back, offensive line, wide receiver and, potentially, quarterback? We’ve already looked at the NFC South, the AFC East, and the Lions & Cardinals games. Saving the best for last, this week is the NFC East & a game-by-game prediction for the season.
New York Giants
More so than any other team in the division, I don’t know what to make of the Giants. They have enough offensive weapons to score on any defense in the league. Odell Beckham Jr is expected to have a monster sophomore campaign. If Victor Cruz is healthy, the WR stable—OBJ, Cruz, Reuben Randall, & James Jones—will give the Eagles re-vamped secondary fits. Shane Vereen & Rashad Jennings form a competent, though not nearly exceptional, backfield. The issues for this unit will be on the offensive line. Ereck Flowers will be asked to start immediately at left tackle in the wake of Will Beatty’s injury. Not unlike the Eagles, they lack quality depth on the offensive line. If the OL is serviceable, this offense could roll.
This defense was a lot more intimidating before Jason Pierre-Paul blew his hand off last month. Incidentally, don’t mess around with fireworks if you are in a contract year…or ever, really. Dummy. If JPP is limited, there aren’t many other guys on the defense that scare you. Rookie Landon Collins could be a guy that develops into a nice player in this league. The rookie joins Prince Amukamara, Cooper Tayloe, & Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the secondary. That isn’t a unit that is shutting down the Eagles pass catchers on their own. If Sam Bradford’s jersey is clean at the end of the game, it is safe to assume Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Zach Ertz, etc. will have had big days.
Washington Redskins
This is just not a good football team. They have talent in some positions: WR & RB, most notably. But the roster, top to bottom, isn’t on par with what the Eagles have. Then again, it wasn’t last year either & the Eagles split those games. Everywhere Bill Callahan goes, the running game improves. Alfred Morris, Silas Redd & rookie Matt Jones will benefit from his arrival. DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Andre Roberts, & Jamison Crowder are all talented in their own right but, as with an WR corps, they are at the mercy of quarterback play. If Robert Griffin III can prove he is a legitimate NFL starter, the offense could be good. Even still, last season they were the 20th best offense in the NFL & they are unlikely to be a top-10 caliber unit in 2015.
This defense was a unit that needed overhauling. The Redskins did just that this offseason. Chris Culliver, Stephen Paea, Ricky Jean-Francois, Dashon Goldson, & Junior Gallette are all new to the organization. This isn’t a novel modus operandi for the Daniel Snyder-era Redskins. They have no problem spending the money in free agency. They have a problem in buying the right talent. Snyder has a God-complex second only to Jerry Jones. The hope in DC is that new GM Scot McCloughan has the freedom to make personnel decisions. McCloughan played major roles in the development of the championship caliber rosters in San Francisco (2005-2009) and Seattle (2010-2013) before sitting out of the NFL the last two seasons. The acquisitions detailed above have his fingerprints all over them. It remains to be seen how those additions come together on the field. Incidentally, living in Richmond, Virginia, I hear the same sentiments about the Eagles from the local Redskin faithful. The difference is that the Redskins are a perennial dumpster fire.
Dallas Cowboys
Don’t kid yourself. Even without DeMarco Murray, this is an offense that can roll. The WR corps is talented & deep. The offensive line is every bit as good as (widely) advertised. Tony Romo played, perhaps, his best NFL season last year. Is there a glaring hole at running back? Yes. Did the Cowboys epically fail to address that need in the draft? Definitely. Am I enjoying writing this? Damn right. Even still, this offense can go. If the Cowboys manage to get to 1800 rushing yards, they could be back in the playoffs.
No coordinator in the NFL did their job better than Rod Marinelli last year. He took over a historically bad defense & turned them into a playoff unit. The defense got better in the draft alone. Byron Jones & Randy Gregory will come in and start immediately. Greg Hardy, though a terrible person, is a good football player. Marinelli got every bit of talent out of his guys last year. I don’t see them being a top 5 or 10 defense in the NFL this season—ranking 19 overall last year—but I do see them being in the teens again. The Cowboys, again, are the Eagles biggest competition for the division title going into the season. The Birds will split with the Boys but win the division.
Prediction time: 11-5 (4-2) (home games in bold)
- Week 1: Atlanta Falcons (Win)
- Week 2: Dallas Cowboys (Win)
- Week 3: New York Jets (Loss)
- Week 4: Washington Redskins (Win)
- Week 5: New Orleans Saints (Win)
- Week 6: New York Giants (Win)
- Week 7: Carolina Panthers (Loss)
- Week 8: BYE
- Week 9: Dallas Cowboys (Loss)
- Week 10: Miami Dolphins (Win)
- Week 11: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Win)
- Week 12: Detroit Lions (Win)
- Week 13: New England Patriots (Loss)
- Week 14: Buffalo Bills (Win)
- Week 15: Arizona Cardinals (Win)
- Week 16: Washington Redskins (Win)
- Week 17: New York Giants (Loss)
