October is upon us, and four weeks of 2024 NFL football are in the books. There’s still a lot of season left, but at roughly the quarter mark of the regular-season calendar, it’s a little easier to gauge which teams are poised to contend, and which teams aren’t. Or is it? There is perhaps no more confounding division than the NFC East, which hasn’t had a repeat champion in 20 years and once again appears up for grabs.
Where, exactly, do the NFC East clubs stand after four games? Let’s take the pulse of the batch:
Record: 2-2 | Offense Rank: 13th | Defense Rank: 26th
Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have remained steady through the air, and the Micah Parsons-led pass rush has proven capable of suffocating inferior offensive fronts. Yet Jerry Jones’ perennially high-profile lineup has been one-dimensional with the ball in its hands, posing no real threat on the ground. New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has also overseen a streaky unit, particularly against the run. Coach Mike McCarthy still has enough talent at premium spots to be in the playoff mix, but with Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence the latest to get banged up, things might get bumpier before they get better.
Quarter-season grade: C
Record: 1-3 | Offense Rank: 22nd | Defense Rank: 13th
Coach Brian Daboll was tasked with reviving Daniel Jones for a second time in three years this season, and so far, that’s failed, with the G-Men averaging just 15 points per game — tied for third worst in the NFL. Rookie wideout Malik Nabers has been a revelation amid the expected hiccups, providing steady chain-moving speed and acrobatic hands, but the only other strength of this middling team — forever stuck in a rebuild, it seems — is Shane Bowen’s defense, which has proven scrappy despite uneven returns from the highly touted pass-rushing duo of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Quarter-season grade: D
Record: 2-2 | Offense Rank: 6th | Defense Rank: 29th
On one hand, sitting at .500 despite recently missing injured all-stars like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Lane Johnson bodes well for the long run. On the other, not since Jalen Hurts was dueling Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII has the Eagles’ offense looked consistently special, let alone reliable. The yards are there; the situational decision-making often is not. Coach Nick Sirianni is under major heat to get this team more prepared, more creative, more disciplined, which is the same thing we said late in 2023. The pieces (like new star Saquon Barkley) are there to course-correct. How about the leaders?
Quarter-season grade: C
Record: 3-1 | Offense Rank: 5th | Defense Rank: 27th
The Commanders went from one seasoned defensive coach to another this offseason, but under Dan Quinn so far, they’ve excelled more with the ball in their hands. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has been one of the NFL’s more conservative passers as a whole, but his zippy accuracy coupled with effortless mobility has made for a seamless pairing with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. If the iffy secondary doesn’t improve, it’ll be hard for them to sustain their success against elite foes. But the Daniels-led offense is spread out, involving everyone, and complementary on the ground, making them a potential spoiler.
Quarter-season grade: B+
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Author: Cody Benjamin
September 30, 2024 | 11:37 am
