NFC East not a beast this season
Let’s take a knee for the NFC East, the onceproud maker of Super Bowl champions.
The division morphed into a fullblown dumpster fire Sunday after the quarterback of its only winning team sustained a season-ending broken leg and the alleged best quarterback in the loop was blown out on the field and mocked in a selfie by the team that beat him.
Start with the brutal injury to Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, whose tibia and fibula shattered when his right foot was pinned the wrong way beneath Houston Texans’ 295-pound defensive end J.J. Watt. The injury was so severe that Smith required immediate surgery and puts his career in jeopardy.
The only thing dangerous about the division these days is how badly it can deflate the TV ratings, starting Thanksgiving when the stick-a-fork-in-them-they’redone Redskins (6-4) hit the road to play the ordinary Dallas Cowboys (5-5).
Next weekend the awful New York Giants (3-7) oppose the going-nowherefast Eagles (4-6), who lost for the fourth time in six games, Carson Wentz absorbing a 48-7 whipping from the New Orleans Saints.
The Eagles were publicly humiliated. After Wentz threw his third interception, late in the game, the Saints’ defenders mocked him by posing for a group selfie in the end zone. Clearly, they studied what Wentz and his receivers put on tape – including the gratuitous selfie - in their loss the previous week to the Cowboys.
While we’re on the topic, Wentz really ought to study Drew Brees, not smugly act like he doesn’t have time to do anything but focus on the next opponent, as he did this past week. Wentz’s stats aren’t horrible but the won-loss record in this his third professional season is 3-5. He’s supposed to make a difference, not be part of the problem.
The Eagles trailed, 24-7, at the half and were shutout the rest of the way. If they start slow next weekend at the Linc, they’ll need armed guards to reach the parking lot.
But back to the NFC East. All that talk about the division being up for grabs is rubbish. It’s about whoever wants it the least. A losing record might be able to accomplish that. Check the schedules below.
The Redskins at least showed a pulse Sunday as they were beaten, 23-21, when a 63-yard field goal attempt by Dustin Hopkins bounced the wrong way off the crossbar. Colt McCoy gave them a chance, throwing a touchdown pass and leading a comeback to gain the lead in the fourth quarter. There’s a reason he’s the backup, and the next man up (McCoy and Smith are the only two quarterbacks on the roster) better be ready.
The Redskins were comfortable with Smith, who gave them the ball security they lacked throughout the Kirk Cousins era. Smith had just four turnovers before Sunday, and the Redskins were tied for a league-low seven giveaways entering the day.
Ironically Smith’s broken leg is 33 years to the day when then Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann suffered a hideous career-ending broken leg on a sack by Lawrence Taylor.
The Cowboys rallied in Atlanta to defeat the Falcons, 22-19, with Zeke Elliott rushing for 122 yards and a TD, and catching seven passes for 79 yards. It was the first back-to-back wins this year for the Cowboys, both on the road, where they were 0-4 away from AT&T Stadium before opposing the Eagles last week at the Linc.
For the Eagles, hosting the Giants next week is no sure win. Odell Beckham Jr. is in a groove, Saquon Barkley is an every-down threat and the G-Men (37) suddenly have won two straight games.
No team has ever won the NFC East with a nonwinning record.
That sure looks like it will change this year if you look at the records and remaining schedules:
Redskins (6-4): at Cowboys (5-5), Eagles (4-6), Giants (3-7), at Jaguars (3-7), at Titans (5-5), Eagles (4-6).
Skinny: Unless McCoy is Nick Foles 2.0, the Skins are finished.
Cowboys: (5-5): Redskins
(6-4), Saints (9-1), Eagles
(4-6), at Colts (5-5), Buccaneers (3-7).
Skinny: No Cowboys team has reached the playoffs after a 3-5 start but … Jason Garrett was 0-3 against the Falcons before Sunday.
Eagles (4-6): Giants (3-7), Redskins (6-4), at Cowboys
(5-5), at Rams (9-1), Texans
(7-3), at Redskins (6-4). Skinny: Considering the injuries and the lack of effort, it will be amazing if the Eagles win another game the rest of the way.
Giants (3-7): at Eagles (46), Bears (6-3), at Redskins
(6-4), Titans (5-5), at Colts
(5-5), Cowboys (5-5). Skinny: Eli Manning just completed 17 of 18 passes for 231 yards and two TDs.
••• Andrew Luck threw three touchdowns Sunday to run his record to 10-0 over the Titans, who entered the game with considerable momentum. The Titans had allowed no more than 23 points in eight straight games before getting trashed, 38-10, by the Colts.
That gives Luck 161 touchdown passes, putting him in the exclusive company of Dan Marino and Aaron Rodgers as the only players to produce that number in their first
80 regular-season games. It was the seventh straight game of three or more TD passes by Luck, who has thrown 24 scoring passes against six interceptions in the streak.
The Colts are 4-3 in that time and 5-5 on the season in what looks more and more like an amazing coaching job by Frank Reich, formerly of the Eagles.
There were whispers entering the season that Luck was done, the labrum and the AC joint in his throwing shoulder requiring surgery after back-to-back injuries, the latter sustained while snowboarding. Reich has found a way to not only restore Luck’s confidence but put the talent in the thick of the MVP talk.
Luck feels safe and plays that way. He hasn’t been sacked in 155 pass attempts covering five straight games.
•••
With their win over the Redskins, the Texans prevailed in their seventh straight game after an 0-3 start. They lead the AFC South. The Texans (7-3) also improved to 8-9 in games after coming off byes.
••• Lamar Jackson rushed for 117 yards and passed for
150 to lead the Ravens to a 24-21 win over the Bengals. The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for head coach John Harbaugh, now 9-2 coming off a bye.
•••
NOTES >> Carson Wentz is
2-2 on the road with eight TDs and four interceptions … Cam Newton threw three TD passes Sunday, giving him a club-record of two or more in nine straight games. The Panthers lost on the two-point conversion throw he didn’t make against the Lions … The Eagles actually held Brees under his 77.3 completion percentage yet still were routed. Brees was
22 of 30 (73.3) for 363 yards, four TDs and a 153.2 rating. It was his 23rd game with at least four TDs and no interceptions … Adrian Peterson rushed for two scores, giving him 105, sixth-most on the all-time list. That’s one more rushing TD than Hall of Famer John Riggins. Jim Brown (106 TDs) is next on the list.