Week 4 NFC East Power Rankings

NFC East Power Rankings

Week 4 was a rather difficult one for the NFL’s NFC East division. Collectively, the division’s four teams went 1-3 with the Washington Redskins picking up their lone win against the Oakland Raiders.

The Philadelphia Eagles fell quite handily to the Denver Broncos 52-20. Once again, quarterback Peyton Manning played very well and the defense for the Eagles wasn’t very effective. On offense, we are still looking for something similar to the Week 1 explosion that shot the Eagles to the top of this ranking.

For the New York Giants, the struggles continued against the Kansas City Chiefs. After keeping the game close until halftime, the defense came apart and the offense became turnover-prone. In the end, the Giants remain winless after losing 31-7.

The Dallas Cowboys got quite a shock from the San Diego Chargers (pun intended). Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates torched the Cowboys’ secondary as Gates had 10 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown. Danny Woodhead also had two touchdown grabs for the Chargers. The Cowboys took a 21-13 lead into the half but surrendered 20 second half points en route to their second loss of the season.

Even though the Redskins won, it wasn’t a pretty win. While they won by 10 points, it was a very narrow ten points. The offense still struggled, but the defense did tighten up a little bit. A win is a win, but it was certainly an ugly win over the Raiders.

Before you go through this weeks rankings, check out the Week 3 rankings. Last week, one reader said that “power” may be too strong a word for this ranking in particular, and they may be right. The NFC East seemed to be one of the toughest divisions on paper in preseason, but on the field it’s been a different story.

After yet another tough week for the division, let’s see where things shake out. After that, we’ll take a look at Week 5 and see what’s in store for these four teams.

Brian Skinnell is a writer for www.RantSports.com and YahooSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, Like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

4: New York Giants (Last Week: 4)

After another poor showing against the Chiefs, the Giants remain at No. 4 on this list. The running game is still nonexistent, the secondary is struggling and the “NASCAR” pass rush seems to have a flat tire. The G-Men have some serious soul searching to do to get ready for their next game.

3: Philadelphia Eagles (Last Week: 2)

After the way the Eagles got the season started, who could’ve guessed that they would be ranked third on this list and would be 1-3? They got blown out by the Denver Broncos (but, who doesn’t?) and the game was never in doubt. Chip Kelly’s fast paced offense has slowed considerably. The struggles that everyone knew about in preseason are still there, and they don’t appear to be improving anytime soon.

2: Washington Redskins (Last Week: 3)

The Redskins jump up one spot this week in the rankings, but part of that could be due to the fact that they were the only team that won. While you can make a case that it was just the lowly Raiders, the Redskins looked better this week. Defensively, the tackling woes were still there, but they wrapped up and some fundamental tackles were made. The front seven also did a good job getting pressure on Matt Flynn and sacked him seven times. On offense, Alfred Morris continues to run the ball hard, but we’re still waiting for the old Robert Griffin III to return.

1: Dallas Cowboys (Last Week: 1)

Yes, the Cowboys got picked apart by Philip Rivers, but they still took a 21-13 lead into the half and had some good things going. Tony Romo threw for 244 yards, two touchdowns and didn’t throw an interception. DeMarco Murray ran for 70 yards on 14 carries to lead them in rushing. Defensively, there are still some questions in the secondary.

Week 5 Division Outlook

In Week 5, the NFC East will get a matchup between two of its own while they also get another crack at knocking off the mighty Broncos. The Redskins will stay home as they are on their bye week.

The Giants and the Eagles will square off with the Giants looking to pick up their first win of the season. If the Eagles win, it will put them right back on top of the division. Should New York pull out the victory, it will put them at second in the division.

The Cowboys have to distinct honor of playing the Broncos. Denver is currently 2-0 against the division with wins against the Eagles and Giants and have outscored the NFC East a whopping 93-43.