The NFC East playoff picture continues to take shape after Week 12. The NFC East has been one of the best divisions in all of football since the start of the season with all four teams eyeing a playoff bid. All teams have a winning record and have a path to a playoff berth in front of them.
Updated NFC East Playoff Picture
Philadelphia Eagles Atop the NFC East
The Philadelphia Eagles sit atop the NFC East as well as the rest of the NFL. Jalen Hurts has the Eagles soaring with a league-best 10-1 record. Hurts is playing some of the best football in the NFL and could win the NFL’s MVP. He has amassed 2,560 passing yards hitting 67.3% of his pass attempts. The young star has passed for 17 touchdowns already and added a massive 597 rushing yards with eight scores.
Is @JalenHurts the MVP?! 🧐 pic.twitter.com/75y7677jBQ
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) November 28, 2022
Aside from Hurts, the Eagles are of the more complete teams in the NFL. Their offensive line is crucial to their dominant rushing attack as well as protecting the quarterback paving the way for big receiving games from both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Both Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson continue to lead this Philadelphia team setting the pace offensively, protecting the quarterback, and opening up big rushing lanes to control the clock.
Dallas Cowboys Right Behind Philadelphia
The Dallas Cowboys are off to a tremendous start at 8-3 after losing the season opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cooper Rush and the Cowboys saved their season by going 4-1 while Dak Prescott recovered from a thumb injury. The defense has been the MVP for the Cowboys thus far.
Micah Parsons, Demarcus Lawrence, and Osa Odighizuwa have been tremendous rushing the passer and controlling the run game. Trevon Diggs has also been tremendous in the secondary instituting his own no-fly zone. This is a complete defense up and down and will continue to put the Dallas offense in an excellent position to win games.
📈@dallascowboys defense leveling up pic.twitter.com/MEdCF2YUnB
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 22, 2022
New York Giants & Washington Commanders
Both the New York Giants and the Washington Commanders are much improved this season with records of 7-4 and 7-5, respectively. Brian Daboll made an immediate impact on the Giants. Both Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley are revitalizing their careers under the new head coach. Jones already has 2,165 passing yards and 10 touchdowns with only four interceptions. These numbers are much better than previous seasons with only 10 touchdowns all of last season. Barkley has racked up 992 yards thus far on 4.4 yards per carry with seven touchdowns. The former Penn State Nittany Lion has also reemerged in the passing game with 223 yards on 35 receptions.
The Commanders are finding ways to win this season defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, and Atlanta Falcons all by one score. The Commanders are also the only team to defeat Philadelphia this season.
NFC Least No More
As the playoffs begin to take shape the NFC East currently occupies all three Wild Card spots. Philadelphia looks to win the division with a two-game lead on Dallas. The Eagles have some key matchups remaining and could give up the lead in the NFC East with the Tennessee Titans, Giants twice, and Cowboys still on the schedule. However, the Commanders have been the only team able to slow down Hurts and that electric offense.
At the moment, the ENTIRE NFC EAST is in the playoffs 🤯 (via @gmfb) pic.twitter.com/N8pM4HCdV3
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 28, 2022
If the Playoffs ended today the Cowboys, Giants, and Commanders would occupy all three Wild Card spots. Teams in the hunt include the Seattle Seahawks at 6-5, the Falcons at 5-7, and the Detroit Lions at 4-7. The entire division has improved from top to bottom and could easily all be playing in the second round of the playoffs.
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