What will the NFC East look like in 2022?
The NFC East has been one of the softest divisions in the NFL the past few years. Believe it or not, since the 2004 Philadelphia Eagles, no team in the NFC East has repeated as division champs. The division is also the most recent to have a winner with a losing record, happening in 2020 when Washington won it at 7-9.
Year-in and year-out, one team or another has been talked about as they are the next young great team, whether it’s the Dallas Cowboys with Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott or the New York Football Giants with Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley. But no team has lived up to their hyped-up potential. Let’s take a look into what the 2022 NFL season will bring for each team in the so called “NFC LEast.”
4. New York Giants
Let’s start with the bottom of the pecking order, the New York Football Giants. The Giants are going into the 2022 campaign with a new Head Coach and General Manager, Brian Daboll and Jeff Schoen, respectively. Daboll is coming over from Buffalo where he was the offensive coordinator for three seasons. He headed the development of young, athletic quarterback, Josh Allen. Daboll also oversaw the 2020 Bills season when Allen took the team to the AFC Championship game.
The Giants are hoping that Daboll can bring the same energy to Daniel Jones. Jones is entering year four of his NFL career and he is not off to a great start. He has had injury problems on top of his mostly poor play. Though his poor play maybe due to the numerous coaching and coordinator changes he has seen during his time in New York. Jones is coming off a year where he played just 11 games and went 4-11 in those starts.
Saquon Barkley is coming off his least productive season during his time with Big Blue. In 2020, Barkley suffered a torn ACL in week 3 which halted his season. Coming into 2021, there was extreme optimism in New York that Barkley would revert back to his rookie 2018 form – a season which he rushed for 1307 yards and 11 TDs. If the Giants have any hope for the 2022 season, Barkley is going to have to be more dynamic. He will likely be catching passes out of the backfield and even taking some snaps from the slot. Training camp is where Daboll will have Barkley show off what he has in store for 2022.
Additionally, keep an eye out for the Giants two first round picks, Kavon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal. Both look to help the Giants improve upon their atrocious 2021 season. Fifth overall pick, Kavon Thibodeaux has been mentored by Giants legend, Michael Strahan, who has showed him the ropes of how to be a great player, both on and off the field. Thibodeaux is a large personality who will shine in the spotlight of New York. I think it is realistic to expect the pass rusher to have 7-8 sacks this season as he continues to develop his skill set. Seventh overall pick, Evan Neal has played well in training camp, though he didn’t play his best in week one of the preseason in New England. Neal will be crucial in keeping a clean pocket to give Daniel Jones an opportunity to succeed during his contract year. Neal is also a huge body on the line as he stands at 6 feet, 7 inches and clocks in at 351 LBS.
2022 Record Prediction: 6-11
3. Washington Commanders
Washington is coming off a season in which they went 7-10 with Taylor Heinicke as their QB1. Heinicke played well for portions of last season but ultimately led to a double-digit loss season. Following the 2021 campaign, Washington traded two draft picks to Indianapolis in exchange for quarterback, Carson Wentz. Wentz is making his return to the NFC East for the first time since his departure from Philadelphia.
Carson Wentz went 9-8 in 2021, starting every game in which he played for the Colts. The team was one win away, in week 17, from going to the playoffs but Trevor Lawrence and company down in Jacksonville had something to say about that. Outside of week 17, though, Wentz played well, throwing for 27 TDs and over 3500 yards. Wentz is under contract for the next three seasons as he looks to prove to many doubters that he can be a winning quarterback at an elite level.
Coach Ron Rivera has said that he is “pleased” with Wentz’s performance in week one of the preseason although many have noted his inaccuracies. Rivera says that there is nothing he is “overly concerned” with heading into the regular season. There is definitely room for improvement for Wentz as he looks to connect with his young offensive weapons.
Star wide out, Terry McLaurin, signed a 3-year, $71 million extension this offseason making it sure that he will remain in Washington and end his contract dispute. McLaurin has been a solid receiver in his first three seasons in the NFL, going for 1,050+ yards in his last two seasons. Washington also has a young star running back, Antonio Gibson, who looks to continue his success after his first 1,000-yard season in 2021. Both Gibson and McLaurin will be key to Washington’s success as they need to find whose explosive chunk plays
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, the Commanders defense was very disappointing in 2021. After a playoff worthy defense in 2020, 2021 was a different story. Washington ranked 25th in points allowed per game which makes it extremely difficult to win football games. However, there is hope for the Washington defense as they have some elite level talents which include names like Montez Sweat, Chase Young, and Jonathan Allen. If the Commanders have any hope to win the NFC East in 2022, it will likely be on the backs of their defense.
2022 Record Prediction: 8-9
2. Philadelphia Eagles
In 2021, The Eagles transitioned to their second-round draft pick from 2020, Jalen Hurts. Hurts gave the Eagles a playstyle they haven’t seen since Michael Vick. The second-year quarterback offered a more mobile, athletic style of play than his predecessors. His play style was good enough for Philadelphia to go 8-7 in his starts and 9-8 on the season. The 9-8 record good for a post season berth and a wildcard spot. However, the team didn’t make it all too far as they lost 31-15 to the Buccaneers – Philadelphia was shut out through three quarters.
Looking back a year, The Eagles had the number one ranked rush offense in the league, averaging 159.7 yards per game. Running back, Miles Sanders went for 754 yards and Hurts went for 784 yards. This is something that Philadelphia needs to carry into 2022 if they are going to be successful. On top of the ground offense, the Eagle acquired AJ Brown during the 2022 draft via trade with the Tennessee Titans. This will give Hurts another weapon to feed as the offense looks to develop a better pass attack that ranked in the bottom third in 2021.
This team will be heavily dependent on their offense as they struggled to get to the quarterback in 2021. However, Philadelphia took massive strides forward to make improvements on the defensive side. They brought in James Bradberry from their division rivals, New York, as well as signing Hassan Reddick. Bradberry brings a CB2 to the Eagles that they severely lacked last year making Darius Slay no longer a one man show in coverage. Reddick will offer a better pass rush that will likely get to the passer at a much-improved rate than a season ago.
As we look ahead to the 2022 season, the Eagles have the second easiest schedule, only behind the Giants. This should give Philadelphia a real shot at taking home an NFC East division title. They need to show up in the big games against playoff teams this year which they have struggled to do in the past. That will be what makes or breaks this coming season for the Eagles.
2022 Record Projection: 10-7
1. Dallas Cowboys
Finally, let’s look at the odds-on favorite to repeat as NFC East Champions, Dallas Cowboys. Dallas, on paper, is probably the top team in the NFC East with the most potential to be real Super Bowl contenders. Owner and President, Jerry Jones, has voiced his confidence in his team, though there have been serious doubts due to their lack of success in the postseason. In respect to doubts about his head coach, Mike McCarthy, Jones said, “I want to be real clear: He wouldn’t be sitting here today if I didn’t believe he was the man to lead this team to a Super Bowl.”
In 2021, the Cowboys had the highest scoring offense in the league, averaging 31.2 points per game. The offense came from everywhere as they had the third most pass yards per game and the ninth most rush yards per game. Ezekiel Elliot looks to continue as a workhouse for the Dallas offense as he has been since being drafted in 2015.
After a pro bowl appearance in 2021, CeeDee Lamb will be Dak Prescott’s top target in 2022 after the departure of Amari Cooper, so I am expecting big things for the young star. The loss of Amari Cooper will be noticeable as Dallas lacks established talent at the WR2 position. With an injury to Michael Gallup, third round pick, Jalen Tolbert will get first team reps going into week 1. They will be heavily reliant on the veteran presence Dak Prescott Ezekiel Elliot to lead the offense.
The Cowboys defense played well in 2021 under first year defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. They were able to get pressure on the quarterback and force some errant throws which led to turnovers, but they also gave up too many chunk plays. In 2022, Quinn will have to reduce the amount of chunk plays given up while still getting pressure. Trevon Diggs, the interception leader in 2021, will need to play a bit more conservative and take less chances, thus avoiding giving up the number of yards and touchdowns. If he can do this, he could very well be one of the top corners in the NFL.
If the Cowboys can play as well as I believe they can and don’t play down to their competition, there is no reason they can’t repeat as division champions in 2022. Maybe in 2022 they will have more success in the playoffs and win a game or two, making a run for a sixth Lombardi.
2022 Record Prediction: 11-6
Drop a comment and let me know if you agree or disagree with these predictions!
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