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NFC East Notebook: The Divisional Round

The NFC East still has three teams in the playoffs as the Divisional Round kicks off on Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know.

Andrew Parsaud

NFC East Notebook: The Divisional Round
NFC East Notebook: The Divisional Round /
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There were two NFC East teams celebrating at the conclusion of Wild Card Weekend. The New York Giants walked into Minnesota and exacted their revenge on a Vikings team that defeated them just three weeks prior. 

The Giants put up 31 points en route to their first playoff victory since Super Bowl XLVI. In what has been an insane turn of events in East Rutherford from just a year ago, the Giants are a serious threat to make a deep playoff run in the NFC. 

Daniel Jones threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns while Saquon Barkley did a lot with little touches, rushing for two scores on the day. Dexter Lawrence and the defensive line continue to dominate, holding the Vikings to just 61 rushing yards on the day.

The Dallas Cowboys destroyed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14, handing quarterback Tom Brady his first career loss to the Cowboys. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was stellar, throwing for over 300 yards and four touchdowns while adding one more on the ground. It was a no-fly-zone for the Buccaneers, as the Cowboys accumulated 12 pass breakups and one interception.

The Giants, Cowboys and Eagles all remain in the postseason tournament. This means at least one NFC East team is guaranteed to make the Championship game. There’s even a divisional matchup as the Giants head back to Philadelphia for a third game against the Eagles. 

The Cowboys visit the red-hot 49ers in what should be a fun game to watch. There’s going to be good games from the NFC East this weekend so let’s take a look at how each team will fare in the Divisional Round.

1

New York Giants (+7.5) at Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5)

The Giants and Eagles are a rivalry that’s lasted for a long time. The two teams will meet for the fifth time in the playoffs, the series tied at two games each.

Under first-year head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants surprised everyone with a 9-7-1 record with an added playoff win. The Giants are certainly not finished and are playing with loads of confidence heading into Philadelphia. They played their best football over the last month, and it shows in the stats.

They’re averaging 28 points per game over the last three contests. Take away Week 18, when they rested their starters, and the Giants averaged almost 35 points per game over the last two games, including the playoffs. Daniel Jones is playing his best football currently, taking command of the offense and looking comfortable in year one of this new system.

One big reason the offense has started to click late is that they’re not forcing the run game. They had one of the best-rushing offenses in the regular season with Saquon Barkley leading the way, but they’ve pivoted to entrust Jones with winning the game solely on his arm. This allows the run game to flow naturally, giving Barkley opportunities to shine in clutch moments. He had two big rushing touchdowns in the Wild Card win vs. Minnesota.

The Giants’ receivers have taken criticism all year from analysts and fans, but they’ve stepped up to the challenge. Isaiah Hodgins had 105 yards and one touchdown last weekend. Darius Slayton had 88 yards on just four catches. Richie James has made key first-down plays all season, and it showed up again against the Vikings.

The defense did not play their best game against the Vikings. In their first matchup on Christmas Eve, they totaled four sacks and 11 quarterback hits. This time, they had the same number of QB hits but no sacks. TJ Hockenson gave the secondary fits all game, totaling ten catches for 129 yards. However, there was one major win for the defense, and that was containing Justin Jefferson. Jefferson had just seven catches for 47 yards on the day.

The Eagles, on the other hand, are not the Vikings. Coming off of a first-round bye, star quarterback Jalen Hurts is healthy and ready to go after dealing with a shoulder injury the last few weeks. 

The Eagles have weapons at their disposal and will get the chance to display them on Saturday night. Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith had 1,000-yard receiving seasons, while running back Miles Sanders had his first 1,000-yard rushing season.

On the other side of the ball, the Eagles have one of the most talented units in the league. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry always lock down their respective sides of the field. 

The Eagles have four players with over ten sacks: Haason Reddick (16), Javon Hargrave (11), Brandon Graham (11), and Josh Sweat (11). Philadelphia had 70 sacks in the regular season, the most by any team this season. The Eagles' ability to get to the quarterback could pose problems for the Giants’ offensive line.

One team was expected to be here, and the other wasn’t. It’s shaping up to be a great game between these two long-standing rivals.

2

Dallas Cowboys (+3.5) at San Francisco 49ers (-3.5)

On Monday night, the Cowboys won their first road playoff game in over 30 years.

They certainly looked dominant. Dak Prescott tossed four touchdowns and rushed for another. Two touchdowns went to Dalton Schultz, while the other two went to CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. The Cowboys defense also stopped any chance of the Buccaneers getting back into the game after mounting an 18-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Cowboys now head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. The Niners look like one of, if not the best, team in the NFC. After trailing 17-16 to the Seahawks heading into halftime, the Niners exploded for 25 unanswered points and ultimately won 41-23. San Francisco’s offense is just a juggernaut right now. Led by rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, the Niners have established a dream scenario for a young rookie quarterback.

The Cowboys will be tasked with stopping Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey. Don’t forget that the Niners also have one of the best offensive lines in the entire league, led by left tackle Trent Williams. McCaffrey is one player they’ll need to keep a close eye on. Since joining San Francisco, the star running back has totaled 1,210 yards and ten touchdowns. He’s become a focal point of the offense and is a threat both in the run and passing game.

The Cowboys are looking to finally get over the hump of losing in the playoffs as their last Super Bowl win was almost 30 years ago. Beating a tough 49ers team and heading to the NFC Championship will only gain them respect moving forward in the tournament.

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Andrew Parsaud
ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams. 

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