It's still early, but the Washington Commanders have defied many analysts' predictions and are leading the NFC East after four weeks.
Washington (3-1) has risen from being classified as a lowly rebuilding team to one of the most exciting franchises in the league. Jayden Daniels, who has collected several accolades for putting up record-setting numbers to start his career, leads an offense that ranks in the top 10 of many major statistical categories. The defense has been slower in its progression but took a major step forward in the team's 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals with four sacks on Kyler Murray.
The Commanders, currently the only team in the division with a positive point differential, has a 60% chance of making the playoffs and 40% shot of winning the division, according to The Athletic. The players are not buying into their own hype, though, and with the NFC East being one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL for the past decade, anything can happen over the next three months.
So, let's take a look around the division to see what's in store for the other three teams.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have been one of the more turbulent teams to start the season. After handing the Cleveland Browns a convincing 33-17 win in Week 1, they were on the other side of a blowout in a 44-19 defeat against the New Orleans Saints and couldn't mount a comeback against the Baltimore Ravens. They're coming off a 20-15 win over the New York Giants, making them the only other team in the NFC East besides Washington with a division win.
The Cowboys have the Pittsburgh Steelers up next on the schedule -- a team that suffered its first defeat of the season in Week 4. T.J. Watt, who leads his team with three sacks, has been the star of a defense that has allowed the second fewest points per game fourth fewest yards.
It should be the biggest challenge for the Cowboys' offense up to this point. The unit has the pieces that should add up to a talented group with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb but has yet to put together as strong of a performance as they had in Week 1. They have not scored 30 points since then, whereas they had three such games by Week 5 last season.
New York Giants
A team's record is its identity in the NFL, and the Giants are currently 1-3 as well as last in the division. However, that doesn't necessarily tell the full story, as they could easily be 3-1 with their last two losses coming by a combined eight points.
The Giants, whose previous opponents have a combined record of 10-6, will have another difficult test against the Seattle Seahawks, a team that is looking to bounce back after a loss to the Detroit Lions on the road. Geno Smith is playing better than he ever has in his career, as he leads the league with 1,182 passing yards with a 72.3 completion percentage. As a result, the Seahawks have one of the best offenses in football, ranking fifth in yards per game.
Outside of the 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, the Giants have managed to stick around against solid teams but struggle to be on the winning side of game-breaking plays. Perhaps that will change for Daniels Jones and Malik Nabers in Seattle.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles continue to be a mystery in 2024. They squeaked out wins against some of the league's best teams in the Green Bay Packers and Saints but dropped a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons and were thoroughly beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They're currently on a bye week, giving them some time to reset and see if they can get back to being more consistent.
Their next matchup will be against the Browns, who will be coming off a road battle with the Commanders in Week 5. Cleveland is not the feisty team it was in years past, thanks in part to injuries on the offensive line, but have shown flashes the indicate it could have a better roster as the season moves forward.
Like the Cowboys, the Eagles' biggest test will be the Browns' defense, which has played a large role in keeping the team in games and covering up its struggling offense by having the seventh lowest third-down conversion rate in the league. If the Browns do end up losing to the Commanders in Week 5, however, it will be their worst start since 2017, meaning the Eagles will host a desperate team looking for a win.
Click **HERE** to secure your ticket to the Commanders' Week 5 game against the Cleveland Browns.
