The NFL is nine weeks into the season, and the NFC East is still up for grabs. Although the Philadelphia Eagles sit at the top of the division with three wins, every other team has two. Here's a look at where each NFC East team stands as we enter the second half of the season.
Philadelphia Eagles (2-1 division, 3-4-1 overall)
Philadelphia will head into Week 10 with fresh legs after its bye week. Although the Eagles didn't play, they remain at the top of the division because of losses by Washington and Dallas.
As stated in last week's NFC East roundup, Philadelphia has perhaps the toughest schedule amongst all other teams in the NFC East. (Its non-division opponents have a combined record of 28-12.) That means if the Eagles want to finish on top, they'll have to upset at least a couple of teams.
This week, the Eagles will be going up against the New York Giants for the second time this season, this time on the road. In the last matchup between the two teams, the Eagles came back from an 11-point deficit and took the lead with 40 seconds left to prepare. Carson Wentz will be looking to lead his team to a sweep over the Giants to extend its least in the division.
Washington Football Team (2-2, 2-6)
The demise of the Washington Football Team this season has been turnovers and the Giants, as Washington's 23-20 loss Sunday marked its second loss to New York.
The first half was a series of unfortunate events for Washington. It started with Antonio Gibson fumbling on Washington's first offensive snap of the game, and later in the first quarter, Isaiah Wright muffed a punt at Washington's 16-yard line. The Giants capitalized on both of these turnovers to make the score 10-0. To top it all off, starting quarterback Kyle Allen went down with an ankle injury and was out for the rest of the game.
The momentum began to switch in the second half as quarterback Alex Smith led Washington to more than 250 yards of total offense and 17 points in the final two quarters. It still wasn't enough to pull out a win, though, as two interceptions in the final minutes sealed Washington's defeat.
Despite starting the season 2-6, head coach Ron Rivera remains optimistic for a variety of reasons, starting with the division still being up for grabs.
"We're still in it," Rivera said. "I mean let's be realistic -- what's the best record in our division? ...See my point? Keep your fingers crossed. You just never know. But, at some point, you have to win football games, and that's the truth of the matter."
Check out photos of the Washington Football Team during its Week 9 matchup against the New York Giants. (Photos courtesy of Amanda Bowen/NFL, Elijah Walter Griffin Sr/Washington Football Team and Emilee Fails/Washington Football Team)
Dallas Cowboys (1-2, 2-7)
The Cowboys entered Week 9 having started three different quarterbacks, and they added a fourth to the list on Sunday by going with Garrett Gilbert, who had quite the debut against the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers. Ultimately, though, Pittsburgh came from behind secure a 24-19 victory.
Sunday's game came down to the wire as Dallas held a lead until late in the fourth quarter. With three minutes left and Dallas leading,19-18, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense marched down the field in six plays to pull ahead, 24-19. Despite getting two chances in the final two minutes, Dallas was unable to get in the end zone, sealing its closest defeat in four weeks.
Although Dallas has had trouble at the quarterback position, this past Sunday gave the team some clarity as Gilbert finished the day with 21 completions for 243 yards and one touchdown. The Cowboys will be looking to improve next week as the head north to face the 3-5 Minnesota Vikings.
New York Giants (2-2, 2-7)
After having single-digit losses for multiple weeks in a row, the Giants were able to pull off their second win over Washington -- this time a 23-20 victory at FedExField -- to improve to 2-7.
Daniel Jones and the Giants' offense were off to a fast start as they were able to capitalize on all of Washington's mistakes and played turnover-free football. By halftime, New York held a 20-3 advantage.
The Giants' defense put forth a solid outing against Washington by forcing three interceptions and two fumbles. Two of their interceptions came in the last two and a half minutes of the game to seal their second win of the season.
The Giants will be looking to extended their winning streak when they host the Eagles for another NFC East battle.
