Giants Country

NFC East Week 7 Preview

Let’s take a look at the matchups for each NFC East team heading into Week 7.

Andrew Parsaud

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The NFC East continues to win. Three out of four teams in the division won their Week 6 games, with the Philadelphia Eagles taking down the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, the New York Giants coming back to beat the Baltimore Ravens, and the Washington Commanders winning a snooze fest against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.

For the first time in a long time, most of the teams in the division have winning records. Aside from the Commanders, who are 2-4, the Eagles, Giants, and Cowboys are all over .500 and keep finding ways to win. 

The Giants are possibly the most surprising team out of the bunch, led by first-year head coach Brian Daboll. The Eagles, who get a Week 7 bye, are the only undefeated team in the league, and the Cowboys are n track to get starter Dak Prescott back under center in the coming week.  

Here’s everything you need to know about each NFC East team this week.

NYG-JAX
USA Today Sports

New York Giants (5-1) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4)

Spread: Jaguars -3.5

The Giants continue to find ways to win, which is a big part of why they have jumped out to a 5-1 record. New York has already surpassed their win total from 2021 in just the season's first six weeks. Head coach Brian Daboll has been running a successful campaign so far, and they hope to do it again this week in Jacksonville.

Running back Saquon Barkley continues to be a force on offense, totaling 616 rushing yards this season, which is second in the league to Browns running back Nick Chubb. Barkley is also the league’s scrimmage yards leader, with 771 yards of offense. The star running back has more rushing yards through six games than he had all of last season. Barkley is back, and the Giants are benefiting from it.

The offense is starting to progress, but mostly in the second half. The Giants are averaging 14.5 points in the second half, tied for second most in the league with New Orleans and Kansas City. However, they’re one of the worst teams in the first half, averaging just 6.7 points.

The defense has also been playing well, with nine forced fumbles, tied for second most in the NFL, and recovering seven which is the most in the league. They haven’t forced many more turnovers other than fumbles, but they finally grabbed their first interception of the season against Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The Giants face another young, athletic quarterback this week in Trevor Lawrence. With a defense filled with young talent, it’ll be a good matchup for the 5-1 Giants to seek their sixth win of the season.

Philadelphia Eagles / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles (6-0) - Bye 

The Eagles are the hottest team in football currently. Sitting at a 6-0 record heading into their bye week, they couldn’t have asked for a better start to their 2022 run. After beating their division rival Cowboys on primetime, the Eagles now prepare for their Week 8 matchup against the Steelers.

One of the Eagles’ offseason additions in safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson came up huge in their 27-16 win over the Cowboys, as he intercepted two passes. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for just 155 yards but had two passing touchdowns. Wide receiver A.J. Brown is already over 500 receiving yards on the season after a 67-yard, one-touchdown performance last week.

They’re clicking on all cylinders right now. The only worry the Eagles have is that their bye week won’t ruin their early season momentum.

DET-DAL
USA Today Sports

Green Bay Packers (3-3) at Dallas Cowboys (4-2)

Spread: Cowboys -6.5

The Cowboys are getting their quarterback this week. Dak Prescott was medically cleared to return from injury and is expected to start this week against the Detroit Lions. Prescott had been out since injuring his right thumb during their Week 1 matchup. After surgery, he’s back and ready to lead the Cowboys from here on out.

The Cowboys are hoping to bounce back this week after a tough division loss to the Eagles last week. Running back Ezekiel Elliott, however, became the third Cowboys running back to move past 10,000 career scrimmage yards. Elliott now joins two Hall of Famers in Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.

The Cowboys' defense has been dominant all season, allowing just 16.3 points per game which is third least in the league. They couldn’t keep up with the Eagles' dominant offensive line and scheme. The Lions' offense has been near the top of the league in scoring, averaging 28 points per game, trailing only Buffalo and Kansas City. Their defense is why they’re 1-4, but their offense is capable of getting into shootouts and possibly stealing a win.

The Cowboys will have a chance to put up a good amount of points this week, as they face a Lions team that’s giving up 34 points per game, the most in the league. Dallas has been near the bottom of the league in points per game, with just 18.3. With Prescott back, the Cowboys could turn things up to another level to win their fifth game of the season.

GBY-WAS
USA Today Sports

Green Bay Packers (3-3) at Washington Commanders (2-4)

Spread: Packers -4.5

The Commanders are coming off a much-needed win last week in Chicago on Thursday night. They’re still at the bottom of the NFC East with a 2-4 record, but any win at this point helps the team claw their way back to possibly competing with the top teams in the division.

The big news from Washington this week is that quarterback Carson Wentz fractured the ring finger on his throwing hand and will be out this week against Green Bay. Who will take his place? Taylor Heinicke, the quarterback who made his first career start in the 2020 playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, throwing for over 300 yards and one touchdown. Heinicke is a familiar face in the Commanders’ locker room, and head coach Ron Rivera has all the confidence in him to succeed again.

Other injury-related news for the Commanders pertains to rookie wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who is still nursing a hamstring injury. Things appeared to be looking up for Dotson until, in Thursday’s practice, he had to be looked at by trainers after running a route. Dotson had been a huge boost to the Commanders’ offense early on, catching four touchdowns before getting hurt.

The Commanders face the Packers this week; however, Green Bay has not looked like themselves the last two weeks. The Packers have lost to the Giants and Jets in back-to-back weeks and only put up 10 points last week. If the Commanders want to climb back into the competitive NFC East, they’ll need a big win against Green Bay this week.

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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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