NFC East: Week 8 Preview and Point Spreads

The annual war of attrition has begun in the NFC East and once again, somehow, the New York Giants are emerging as the team to beat. Every preseason, pundits like to get cute and pick a different team to win the rugged NFC East. Some thought this would finally be Philly’s year. Others thought the Cowboys were due. Nope. Just the same old boring, well-coached, grind-it-out New York Giants. Indeed, there’s nothing sexy about it, but the defending champs once again look like one of the best teams in the league, despite their annual rash of injuries and one or two terrible games (Week 1’s opening wet fart against the Cowboys comes to mind).

Even though the 3-3 Cowboys and Eagles have a better record than the Redskins, I don’t think that they are in any way better. The ‘Skins showed last week in a nail-biting loss to the Giants that, despite their injury-depleted defense, they are in actuality the second best team in this division. They could really show that this weekend in a huge matchup against the Steelers. Let’s take a look at this week’s action in the NFC East.

Atlanta Falcons (+1) at Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, 1:00 p.m. EST

It’s a true testament to the inherent shakiness of this 6-0 Atlanta team that they aren’t favored in this game. It’s easy to see why: they have narrowly squeaked out wins over vastly inferior opponents for weeks, including their last game, an unnecessary nail biter in Oakland. I think the Eagles are an abominable team that is damn lucky to even be at 3-3, but it’s somehow easy to see why they’re favored.

Atlanta is a dome team, and this will be outdoors and cold, an environment where they typically don’t thrive. Also, their last few performances have badly shaken Vegas. Beating Oakland and Carolina in the waning seconds will do that. Still, if this Atlanta team is for real and a true contender for the NFC crown, they have to lay the smack down in this game and win by double digits. They need to show why they’re undefeated. Even though all the factors indicate the Eagles, I think Michael Vick’s former team gets it done. If I was betting real money, I wouldn’t touch this game with a ten foot pole, but I like the Falcons at +1.

Washington Redskins (+5) at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 p.m. EST

This Redskins team has shown a lot lately. First, RGIII had a performance for the ages against the Minnesota Vikings, and then he delivered two instant classic throws in last week’s game against the Giants. If you want to know why he is so special, watch the fourth-and-10 play he converted on the drive the Redskins had to take the lead. He scrambles around, eludes defenders and slips back and forth in the pocket. However, he never runs, and that is a testament to his future as an NFL QB. Instead, he delivered a strike to a backup tight end to move the chains on the most crucial down of his young career. Then he dropped a touchdown over Santana Moss’ shoulder for a perfect TD throw. The Redskins still lost, but I loved what I saw out of them. Take the ‘Skins with the points here.

New York Giants (-1) at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. EST

The Cowboys beat the Giants in Week 1 of the season. That will not happen again here. Since that game, these two teams have gone in opposite trajectories. The Giants again look like the class of the league while the Cowboys have muddled through several uninspiring games against the Buccaneers, Ravens and Carolina (two of those games were wins, but they were depressing wins). I love the Giants here.