The 2013 season saw the NFC East get flipped on its head, with 2012 Division winner Washington going from first to worst, while 2012 bottom feeder Philadelphia went from worst to first. After seeing that unpredicability, what does 2014 have in store?
2014 NFC East Predictions
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:
2013 Season Record (10-6)
Nick Foles was the surprise of the NFL in 2013. He was brilliant, amassing 27 TD’s to only 2 interceptions, and garnering the highest passer rating in the league at 119.2. I was truly impressed with his mature command of the offence and his pure athleticism. He is actually a lot more mobile than I expected as he rushed for three scores on the ground and 225 yards.
The rest of the NFL will have taken notice and studied plenty of game tape on both Foles, and Chip Kelly’s offence. With the departure of DeSean Jackson to the Redskins, along with the loss of Jason Avant, Foles will have more struggles in 2014. Expect TE Zach Ertz to fill the void nicely, and speedy Darren Sproles to be more involved as well.
Playing in what I believe is the weakest division in football, the Eagles should be able to remain the top team and make the playoffs in 2014. When you have the dynamic RB LeSean “Shady” McCoy, who is a modern day version of Barry Sanders, your team is bound to be successful. He can literally turn on a dime, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 1,700 yard rushing season this year.
2014 Projection (10-6)
WASHINGTON REDSKINS:
2013 Season Record (3-13)
The 2013 season was an absolute nightmare for Redskins fans. After such a promising rookie season for Robert Griffin III, he struggled all season long. Down the stretch he was fighting with coaches, bad-mouthing teammates and was benched for the final three games of the season. I never thought he was the messiah that they made him out to be after the 2012 season, but he is taking way to much criticism for the failed season.
Washington was as much to blame as RG3 in rushing him back way too fast. A major knee injury like that usually takes a long time to recover from, especially for such a mobile QB. This year he will be the comeback player of the year now that he is healthy. The addition of speedster DeSean Jackson will help a lot as he is always a threat for a game-breaking play. I don’t expect Jackson to be as much of a target as other people do, however. His presence will open up the field to the likes of the very under rated Pierre Garcon and newly acquired WR Andre Roberts. Roberts never received the public attention playing behind Larry Fitzgerald in the desert in Phoenix, but is a good slot receiver and will help with the the resurgence of RG3 in Washington, as well as opening up the field for phenom TE Jordan Reed.
Expect a big season from Reed. He lit up Chicago’s secondary for 134 yards and was well on his way until a concussion sidelined him in week 11. Despite only playing in nine limited games, he was still named to the Pro Football Weekly all-rookie team, and will have a breakout year in 2014.
The Redskins have the potential to go from worst-to-first in this weak division, but more than likely will finish around the .500 mark. A giant step forward for RG3, and the nation’s capital.
2014 Projection (8-8)
NEW YORK GIANTS:
2013 Season Record (7-9).
Eli Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champ, and a two-time Super Bowl MVP. His legacy will always echo these amazing achievements, and rightfully so. Eli may be the younger brother of Peyton Manning and part of maybe the greatest NFL family ever. But, we have to start facing the facts. Eli is in a major decline.
In 2013 he was horrific. He seemed to always be running for his life, as the the Giants O-line offers little protection. On top of being sacked 39 times, Eli threw for a career worst 27 interceptions. The fact the Giants still went 7-9 is quite surprising.
This season the Giants added a few interesting pieces. They get back a familiar face in WR Mario Manningham, and drafted an up-and-coming receiver in Odell Beckham. Add this to Victor Cruz, who is one of the ten best WRs in the NFL, and Eli will have no excuses this year. The defence has a whole pile of issues, but the CB position will get a nice boost with the additions of both Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond.
The problem is that the Giants do not have a lot of other talent. They will sorely miss Justin Tuck on the defence, as well as running back Andre Brown on the offence. I do enjoy watching the exciting Cruz, as he is a great receiver, and a pretty good salsa dancer to-boot. But I do not have a lot of faith in Manningham, Rueben Randle or the injured rookie Beckham. They have some major holes at the RB position now that Brown has departed. David Wilson has shown flashes of being good, but injuries have plagued him thus far. That leaves ex-Raider Reshad Jennings, a journeyman backup, as the next man up to lead the rushing attack.
Expect another long season in the big apple, and a sub .500 season that will lead to a rebuild in 2015.
2014 Projection (6-10)
DALLAS COWBOYS:
2013 Season Record (8-8)
Whenever America’s team struggles, the man to always shoulder the blame is Tony Romo. Romo faces more flack than any other athlete I can think of. Statistically this is not fair, nor is it justified at all. He had a great season compiling 31 TD passes to only 10 interceptions. He had the eighth highest QB rating in the NFL at 96.7.
Many casual uninformed fans will recite the local sportscaster and state how Romo doesn’t fair well in the fourth quarter. Yet, for his career, Romo has a fourth quarter passer rating of 102.9. This is the highest in the history of the NFL. Higher than Manning, Montana, Brady, and Elway. He also has more fourth quarter comebacks over the past three years than any other QB.
If we talk about clutch performances, that is another story. Come December, Romo folds up his tent under pressure and can’t win the big game, which is all that Dallas fans care about. Combine that with the fact that the 34-year-old signal caller is coming off his second back surgery and the struggles will be plenty in 2014.
The Cowboys defence was abysmal in 2013, allowing 6,645 total yards. This was the third most in NFL history. This year that defence will be without legendary DE DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher. They also lost Sean Lee this offseason with a torn ACL. Expect things to get worse in Dallas before they get better. They start off the season playing San Fran, St Louis, Seattle and New Orleans all in the first six weeks of the season. I anticipate the Cowboys to be in a huge hole early. One that will be too deep to overcome.
2014 Projection (4-12)
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