NFC East Preview: Philadelphia Eagles attempt rare divisional round repeat
The Philadelphia Eagles enter the regular season as -135 odds as favorites to win the NFC East in back-to-back years, which is a lot harder than you think. The highly competitive National League East has not had a champion since 2004.
The National League East Championship is a hot potato. It has been nearly 20 years since winning back-to-back division titles. The Eagles won the NFC East three consecutive years from 2002 to 2004.
Over the past three seasons, three different teams have won the NFC East, leading experts to wonder if the New York Giants could win and complete a perfect cycle. The Giants haven't won the NFC East since 2011. Over the next 11 years, their rivals won multiple division titles. The Eagles and Dallas Cowboys each won four championships, and the Washington Commanders won the division three times.
The NFC East does not have a losing team in 2022, with the last-place Commanders finishing the season with an 8-8-1 record.
Three teams from the NFC East qualified for the playoffs. The Giants and Cowboys are NFC wild-card teams. The Eagles went 14-3 and clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye.
The Giants and Cowboys won first-round games on wild-card weekend, but both teams lost in the NFC divisional round.
The Eagles defeated the struggling 49ers to win the NFC Championship. But they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LXXVII.
Philadelphia Eagles: Another Chance at the Super Bowl
- NL East Odds: -135
- Super Bowl Odds: 650
- 2022 Balance Sheet: 14-3
- 2023 Win Total: 11.5 o/u
Winning teams can become victims of their own success and have their coaching staffs attacked by other teams in the offseason. It's an ongoing problem for head coaches like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, who can't retain their coordinators until another team offers them a head coaching job. .
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni lost two trusted assistants this offseason following a Super Bowl appearance. Former Eagles offensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon becomes the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and former defensive coordinator Shane Steichen becomes the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
As the Eagles adjust to a new coordinator, they have played four of their first six games on the road. After a bye in Week 10, the Eagles will play non-division road games against the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks. They also hosted the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers.
The Eagles had the NFL's best record last season at 14-3, but their projected win total this season is just 11.5.
The Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and also have a top-notch defense. They have a dangerous deep threat duo in quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver AJ Brown.
The Eagles have a +250 chance to win the NFC Championship in back-to-back years, and they'll open the season as the consensus favorite. The Chiefs are the favorite to win the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons at +600, but the Eagles are not far behind at +650.
Dallas Cowboys: Texas Coast Offensive
- NL East Odds: 195
- Super Bowl Odds: 1400
- 2022 Record: 12-5
- 2023 Win Total: 10.5 o/u
The Cowboys fired offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, which is a bit surprising considering Dallas averaged 27.7 points per game over the past four seasons under Moore. The dynamic Chiefs are the only team averaging more points per game since 2019 (28.8 points per game).
Owner Jerry Jones threw Moore under the bus after a 19-12 loss to the 49ers in the NFC divisional round. Moore was unemployed for a short time before the Los Angeles Chargers hired him as an offensive lineman.
The Cowboys hired Brian Schottenheimer as their new offensive coordinator. But head coach Mike McCarthy will take over game management. McCarthy has not played in a game for the Green Bay Packers since the 2018 season.
Quarterback Dak Prescott joked that he ran the "Texas Coast Offense," a pun on McCarthy's fondness for the popular West Coast offense. Schottenheimer acknowledged that Moore has used 70 percent of his scripts and phrasing over the past four seasons.
Running back Ezekiel Elliot is no longer with the Cowboys, leaving Tony Pollard as the focal point of their rushing attack. Wide receivers have struggled with injuries in recent seasons, but the Cowboys have a reliable trio in CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup.
The Cowboys will have challenging non-division road games against the 49ers, Chargers, Bills and Dolphins.
New York Giants: The Best Team to Bet on in 2022
- NFC East Odds: 900
- Super Bowl Odds: 6500
- 2022 Record: 9-7-1
- 2023 Win Total: 7.5 o/u
Despite winning 9 games last year, the Giants finished with an overall win percentage of 7.5 o/u due to a difficult schedule. They could start with a 1-5 record and four road games in five weeks. The Giants posted the NFL's best betting record last season at 13-4 in Brian Daboll's first season as head coach. They are also 10-2 ATS underdogs.
Entering the 2023 season, the Giants were considered underdogs in eight of their first 12 games.
The Giants face outside-division road opponents, including the NFC West favorite 49ers as well as the Dolphins, Bills and New Orleans Saints. They also have home games against the Seahawks, Jets and Patriots.
Oddly enough, two of the final three games of the season were against the Eagles.
The Giants have a +160 chance to make the playoffs, according to DraftKings betting. At -190 odds, they are the favorite to miss the playoffs. Quarterback Daniel Jones received a hefty raise, a four-year, $160 million extension, which worried many fans who weren't 100 percent convinced his performance in 2022 wasn't a fluke.
He wasn't thrilled when running back Saquon Barkley was unable to negotiate an extension with the Giants this offseason. They gave him the franchise tag, and Barkley signed a $10.09 million buyout offer before the start of training camp, avoiding potential delays.
Commander Washington: "Riverboat" Ron is in trouble
- NL East Odds: 1300
- Super Bowl Odds: 6500
- 2022 Balance Sheet: 8-8-1
- 2023 Win Total: 6.5 o/u
The Commanders hired Eric Bieniemy as new offensive coordinator. After winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs, Bieniemy is considered the best offensive coordinator in the NFL. He could have been offered the head coaching position, but the commanders convinced him to join them as head coach.
Bieniemy will be tasked with overhauling their offense.The Commanders named Sam Howell the starting quarterback, but the committee will add running backs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.
The Commanders finished fourth in the conference and missed the playoffs in 2022 with an 8-8-1 record. At +300 odds, they're a long way from the playoffs, and at -370 odds, they miss the playoffs for the third straight year.
Head coach Ron "Riverboat" Rivera entered the season believing that if he didn't have a winning record, he would lose his job. He compiled a 22-27-1 record in three seasons as the Commanders' head coach. He earned a playoff berth in 2020 after the Commanders went 7-9 and captured the division title.
The division was so bad in 2020 that fans shared memes showing dumpster fires and trash cans with the NFC East logo on them. The NFC East, on the other hand, got out of trouble in two years and sent three teams to the playoffs in 2022.
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