Predicted order of finish
1. Giants
2. Eagles
3. Cowboys
4. Redskins
The outlook for New York
There has rarely been a better six-game winning steak than the one the Giants had last season en route to another Super Bowl championship. And virtually all the players that led that run return. But New York has been famously inconsistent under Coughlin, and the Giants seek to be something close to what they were at the end of 2011, rather than the mediocre bunch that muddled through most of that campaign. Coaches reminding players ceaselessly this preseason that the Giants ranked last in the NFL in rushing and were 29th in pass defense (the team ranked 19th against the run and fifth in passing offense). It may prove more important this year for the Giants to get off to a big start, because after a Thanksgiving bye week they finish with four of six games against playoff teams, featuring road contests against Atlanta and Baltimore in weeks 15 and 16. Quarterback Eli Manning is the key, though even there lies an indication of the bumps New York must iron: Manning set an NFL record with seven fourth quarter comebacks last season, a stat he says proves the Giants didn't play well enough for the first three quarters of most games. He has a pair of 1,000-yard wideouts but Victor Cruz is the only one healthy at the moment. The Giants went heavy on offensive players in the draft, after loading up on defenders the past couple of years. One of those picks, 2011 first-rounder Prince Amukamara, must step up at cornerback as the secondary, racked with injuries in 2011, looks to improve. The defensive line, anchored by Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umeniyora, remains the best in football, but there, too, injuries have limited them over the long haul.
Sept. 5 Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 Tampa Bay, noon
Sept. 20 at Carolina, 7:20 p.m.
Sept. 30 at Philadelphia, 7:20 p.m.
Oct. 7 Cleveland, noon
Oct. 14 at San Francisco, 3:25 p.m.
Oct. 21 Washington, noon
Oct. 28 at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.
Nov. 4 Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.
Nov. 11 at Cincinnati, noon
Nov. 18 BYE
Nov. 25 Green Bay, 7:20 p.m.
Dec. 3 at Washington, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 9 New Orleans, 3:25 p.m.
Dec. 16 at Atlanta, noon
Dec. 23 at Baltimore, noon
Dec. 30 Philadelphia, noon
The outlook for Philadelphia
If there's a wild card in the division at the season's outset, it's Philly. No one knows how the team might react to the death of Coach Andy Reid's son. Conventional wisdom held quarterback Michael Vick would be hard-pressed to replicate his phenomenal 2010 season last year, and that proved correct. After having a touchdown/interception ratio of 21/6 in 2010, Vick finished at 18/14 last season. He remains the most dynamic and unpredictable quarterback in the NFL, but he must find a way to make the Eagles a solid playoff team, probably by reigning in his individual playmaking that often leads to injuries. With Vick's wayward passing and unpredictable health, and the lack of a 1,000-yard receiver, the Eagles have relied overly on running back LeSean McCoy. His great year -- 1,309 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns -- isn't the sort many backs can enjoy for long stretches in the NFL. Defensively the Eagles got off to a rough start and sparked much in-house bickering. In the end, they finished 10th and 16th against the pass and the rush. Big-ticket free agent Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was supposed to team with Nnamdi Asomugha and give the Eagles the best cornerback tandem in football; the pair had three interceptions, all by Asomugha. In the draft, the Eagles went heavy on defense, taking three defenders in the first two rounds starting with first-round pick Fletcher Cox, a defensive tackle from Mississippi State. The Eagles must find a way to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks and do so early: six of Philadelphia's games in the first half of the season are against 2011 playoff teams, ending with a road trip to New Orleans on Nov. 5.
Sept. 9 at Cleveland, noon
Sept. 16 Baltimore, noon
Sept. 23 at Arizona, 3:05 p.m.
Sept. 30 N.Y. Giants, 7:20 p.m.
Oct. 7 at Pittsburgh, noon
Oct. 14 Detroit, noon
Oct. 21 BYE
Oct. 28 Atlanta, noon
Nov. 5 at New Orleans, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 11 Dallas, 3:25 p.m.
Nov. 18 at Washington, noon
Nov. 26 Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 at Dallas, 7:20 p.m.
Dec. 9 at Tampa Bay, noon
Dec. 13 Cincinnati, 7:20 p.m.
Dec. 23 Washington, noon
Dec. 30 at N.Y. Giants, noon
The outlook for Dallas
Tony Romo remains the mystery of Dallas: an outstanding quarterback statistically who can't seem to be featured as often in Sports Illustrated as he is in People magazine. Romo stayed healthy last season and passed for 4,184 yards and 31 scores en route to a passer rating of 102.5 -- better than Eli Manning's. The Cowboys' aerial attack finished seventh, yet the team finished 8-8 and, after losing a close one to the Giants at home Dec. 11, lost two of their remaining three games, concluding with a New Year's Day blowout loss on the road in New York. Romo and the Cowboys can't finish. They could also start the season without top wide receiver Dez Bryant, for whom no timetable has been set to return from a knee injury, and looking to re-establish another wide receiver, Miles Austin, who was held out of the preseason. Tight end Jason Witten may not be 100 percent early in the year because of a bruised spleen. Running back Felix Jones has had an indifferent training camp, and more than ever the Cowboys will rely on DeMarco Murray. Still, the Cowboys' defense has been less than stalwart. Looking to improve that, they moved up on draft day to take LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware remains one of the most fearsome players in football, but the Cowboys could use more push in their 3-4 out of aging defensive ends Kenyon Coleman, 33, and Jason Hatcher, 30.
Sept. 5 at N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 at Seattle, 3:05 p.m.
Sept. 23 Tampa Bay, noon
Oct. 1 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 BYE
Oct. 14 at Baltimore, noon
Oct. 21 at Carolina, noon
Oct. 28 N.Y. Giants, 3:25 p.m.
Nov. 4 at Atlanta, 7:20 p.m.
Nov. 11 at Philadelphia, 3:25 p.m.
Nov. 18 Cleveland, noon
Nov. 22 Washington, 3:25 p.m.
Dec. 2 Philadelphia, 7:20 p.m.
Dec. 9 at Cincinnati, noon
Dec. 16 Pittsburgh, 3:25 p.m.
Dec. 23 New Orleans, noon
Dec. 30 at Washington, noon
The outlook for Washington
In the past two decades, the once-proud Redskins have made the playoffs a grand total of three times. The road to excellence may still lie over the horizon, but the path to respectability seems well-lit with the selection of quarterback Robert Griffin III, for whom they swapped four future picks to make the No. 2 overall selection. The Skins further tried to bolster their future (and Griffin's) by taking offensive linemen with three of their next six picks. Griffin's improbable run to the Heisman Trophy last year, a one-man highlight reel, has Washington fans seeing a return to glory. However, the Redskins simply don't have enough good players to make a real run, and some of their best -- Brian Orakpo, for instance -- have a tendency to get nicked. Free agent wide receiver Pierre Garcon should help the rookie quarterback and free receiver Santana Moss on the other end from permanent double coverage. What would help Griffin even more would be a running game, and there Washington still seems iffy. Tim Hightower is the featured back, and though he is only 26 years old, he is coming off an injury-shortended 2011 and his touchdown productivity has declined every year. On defense the good news for Washington is that neither Orakpo nor strong safety Brandon Meriwether will need surgery for injuries sustained in the preseason. The Redskins will also count on the continued development of Ryan Kerrigan, who had a terrific rookie campaign with 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception. If Washington can hang on through its first 10 games -- only four of which are against 2011 playoff teams -- it will then learn just how far it has to go with three consecutive division showdowns.
Sept. 9 at New Orleans, noon
Sept. 16 at St. Louis, 3:05 p.m.
Sept. 23 Cincinnati, noon
Sept. 30 at Tampa Bay, 3:25 p.m.
Oct. 7 Atlanta, noon
Oct. 14 Minnesota, 3:25 p.m.
Oct. 21 at N.Y. Giants, noon
Oct. 28 at Pittsburgh, noon
Nov. 4 Carolina, noon
Nov. 11 BYE
Nov. 18 Philadelphia, noon
Nov. 22 at Dallas, 3:25 p.m.
Dec. 3 N.Y. Giants, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 9 Baltimore, noon
Dec. 16 at Cleveland, noon
Dec. 23 at Philadelphia, noon
Dec. 30 Dallas, noon
NFC East
Best offense -- Eagles
Best defense -- Eagles
Best quarterback -- Eli Manning, Giants
Best playmaker -- Michael Vick, Eagles
Best defender -- DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys
Best coach -- Tom Coughlin, Giants
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