NFC East Week 3 winners & losers: Cowboys fall apart, Giants find life

The Dallas Cowboys didn't have many winners in Week 3, but their NFC East counterparts fared better.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys suffered another embarrassing loss this weekend, falling 28-25 to the Baltimore Ravens. The score seemed close, but a 19-point fourth quarter made it appear as if the Cowboys were a tough opponent for Baltimore, but they really only put up a fight for 15 minutes.

As for the rest of the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders improved to 2-1 with wins over the New Orleans Saints and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. The New York Giants got their first win by shocking the Cleveland Browns — meaning only Dallas lost this week.

With all that dust settled, here are the winners and losers from the NFC East.

MORE: NFL Power Rankings after Week 3: How far did the Cowboys fall?

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Winner: Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Dallas Goedert caught everything that came near him on Sunday. The veteran tight end helped fill the void left by A.J. Brown's absence as he had 170 yards on 10 receptions.

MORE: Did Brandon Aubrey dethrone Justin Tucker as the NFL's best kicker?

He never got into the end zone but was a huge piece of the puzzle as the Eagles knocked off the Saints, 15-12. Yes, the same Saints that dropped 44 on Dallas in Week 2.

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Loser: Micah Parsons, EDGE, Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Social media is having a field day with Micah Parsons, who looked lost during the Cowboys Week 3 defeat. To be fair to him, defending Lamar Jackson is no easy task but in order to be considered one of the best in the business, you have to perform well against the best.

Micah Parsons did not look like he was having a good time defending Lamar Jackson runs pic.twitter.com/Q1ZIJyngfO

— Dan Pizzuta (@DanPizzuta) September 23, 2024

Parsons didn't do that on Sunday, and he's hearing it from the fans.

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Loser: All of the Cowboys running backs

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Once again, the Cowboys ground game was a problem. They watched Derrick Henry — who openly campaigned to join the team this offseason — rack up 151 yards and two touchdowns. They countered this with 51 yards and a touchdown (courtesy of Dak Prescott) on 16 attempts. That's an average of just 3.2 per attempt.

The line is to blame, to a certain degree but the trip of backs did nothing to help. They were unable to make anyone miss and now through three games, have accumulated zero missed tackles among the group.

MORE: Cowboys named potential trade destination for former Pro Bowl RB

Jerry Jones looks foolish for avoiding Henry and skipping on a back in the draft. This committee is bad, and there's no sign they'll improve.

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Winner: Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off to running back Saquon Barkley (26) / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

While Dallas ignored running backs, the Eagles landed the best in the open market, Saquon Barkley.

He almost single-handily won the game for Philadelphia on Sunday by going for 147 yards and two touchdowns. His first touchdown was a 65-yarder and the second proved to be the game-winner. Barkley ran one in from four yards out with 1:01 to play.

He's now topped 100 yards twice and his lowest output was 95 yards in Week 2.

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Loser: CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

CeeDee Lamb fumbled away points for Dallas and from that point on, his body language was atrocious. He finished with 67 yards on four receptions but even that sounds better than what he actually did on the field.

Lamb was signed to a massive contract this offseason and so far, he's been a major disappointment.

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Winner: Malik Nabers, Giants, WR

New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

While Lamb struggled, Malik Nabers had another monster outing. The rookie from LSU had 78 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions as his Giants upset the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.

MALIK NABERS. STOP IT!!!pic.twitter.com/Lu7NKnazx1 https://t.co/PHJd1pkGXn

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 22, 2024

Nabers is so good that he might actually save Daniel Jones' job. That's quite an accomplishment.

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Winner: Jayden Daniels, QB, Commanders

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Jayden Daniels continues to prove he's the real thing. He led Washington to a win on Monday Night Football and had an impressive stat line. He went 21-of-23 passing for 254 yards with two touchdowns. For good measure, he added 39 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Washington is off to a 2-1 start and shares the NFC East lead with the Eagles. Not a bad way to kick off a career for Daniels.

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