This story was originally published by Dead Spin
NFC East division preview
2024 predicted order of finish, record
Philadelphia Eagles (12-5)
If Saquon Barkley stays healthy, Philly avenges last year’s collapse to extend the trend of a different division winner every year since 2004.
Dallas Cowboys (11-6)
MVP runner-up Dak Prescott and three-time top-3 DPOY finisher Micah Parsons may get their first trophies, but will Jerry Jones ever get his fourth?
Washington Commanders (6-11)
Washington last won a home playoff game on Jan. 8, 2000 — 11 months before the birth of potential franchise savior Jayden Daniels.
New York Giants (4-13)
Coach Brian Daboll looks slim, but so do New York’s odds of winning its first division title since the 2011 squad that won Super Bowl XLVI.
Three MVP candidates
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
Hard to believe, but America’s Team has never had an MVP QB. Prescott nearly achieved something Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach and Tony Romo never did, placing second to Lamar Jackson in 2023 — 30 years after Emmitt Smith became the Cowboys’ only MVP winner. A fifth season with double-digit wins could push Prescott to the trophy.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts
In 2022, Hurts became the second player in NFL history with 3,500 yards and 20 touchdowns through the air and 12 or more scores on the ground, joining Cam Newton (2011). In 2023, he became the first to do it twice. A third such effort will put the 2022 MVP runner-up in the running to become the first recipient in Philadelphia history.
Cowboys Edge Micah Parsons
Hall of Famers Alan Page (1971) and Lawrence Taylor (1986) are the only defensive players to claim MVP honors. Page was 26 and Taylor was 27 when they won, giving the 25-year-old Parsons — who finished eighth in the voting in 2022 — a chance to become the youngest of his kind if he increases his sack total for a fourth straight campaign.
2024 Breakout players
Eagles WR Johnny Wilson
Is Wilson the second coming of 6-foot-8 Eagles great Harold Carmichael? His work in camp vaulted the skyscraper-sized 2024 sixth-rounder from roster longshot to potential WR3 alongside stars A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, at least until newly acquired Jahan Dotson gets up to speed.
Eagles DT Milton Williams
Opportunity is banging down the door for Williams, who enters a contract year after the retirement of six-time Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox. He tallied a career-high 25 pressures while playing only 46 percent of the snaps in 2023.
Cowboys WR Jalen Tolbert
Michael Gallup’s exit elevates Tolbert to the No. 3 role in Dallas and fellow wideout Brandin Cooks says he’s ready. “Whatever the expectations are for him out there, I’m telling you he’s gonna crush it,” he told the team website.
Cowboys OLB DeMarvion Overshown
After missing his rookie year with a torn ACL, 2023 third-round pick Overshown is itching to show what he can do in new coordinator Mike Zimmer’s defense. “He jumps off the tape at you,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said.
Giants TE Daniel Bellinger
Darren Waller’s retirement makes the Las Vegas-born Bellinger a safe bet to boost his receiving stats in his third season. The sure-handed, 6-foot-6 tight end caught 87.3 percent of his targets across his first two campaigns.
Giants CB Deonte Banks
Already the second-best corner in the Big Apple behind the Jets’ Sauce Gardner, Banks allowed only 53 catches on 96 targets (55.2 percent) as a rookie while shadowing the likes of CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels
The new Commander-in-chief in Washington, Daniels takes office with lofty expectations as a Heisman winner and No. 2 overall draft pick. Much like Kyler Murray, the dual-threat QB should have fun in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
Commanders FS Quan Martin
Used primarily as a slot corner in Ron Rivera’s defense as a 2023 second-round choice, Martin has the size, speed (4.46 in the 40), athleticism (44-inch vertical) and football IQ to make an impact alongside veteran Jeremy Chinn.
Week 1 outlook
Packers vs. Eagles, Friday, 8:15 p.m. ET (Brazil)
Green Bay started 3-6 last season and wound up winning a playoff game at Dallas. Philadelphia started 10-1 and limped into the postseason, only to be trounced in Tampa. Their quest to reach Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans begins in Brazil in the first NFL regular season game in South America. New running backs share the spotlight in Sao Paulo, with three-time 1,000-yard rusher Saquon Barkley joining the Eagles and 2022 rushing king Josh Jacobs now powering the Packers.
Vikings at Giants, 1 p.m. ET
The last time these teams met, New York QB Daniel Jones delivered his only playoff victory to date with a 31-24 wild-card win in Minneapolis on Jan. 15, 2023. Both teams regressed last season, with Jones playing only six games before tearing his ACL and Vikings star Justin Jefferson missing seven games with a hamstring injury. Jones is back for a make-or-break season, while ex-Jets first-rounder Sam Darnold returns to MetLife Stadium as the new QB for Minnesota.
Cowboys at Browns, 4:25 p.m. ET
Three quarterbacks are under the microscope in this game: Dak Prescott of the Cowboys (can he win the big one?), Deshaun Watson of the Browns (can he return to his Pro Bowl form?) and the G.O.A.T. himself, Tom Brady, who is making his much-anticipated FOX broadcasting debut. Home-field advantage could weigh heavily in this early clash of Lombardi Trophy hopefuls. The Browns were 8-1 in the Dawg Pound last season and the Cowboys were 4-5 on the road.
Commanders at Buccaneers, 4:25 p.m. ET
New Washington coach Dan Quinn went 6-4 against the Bucs when he coached in the NFC South with Atlanta from 2015-20. A baptism by fire awaits Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in his debut against a Tampa Bay defense anchored by LB Lavonte David and All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield. Bucs QB Baker Mayfield excelled under former OC Dave Canales (now head coach in Carolina) but has a new play-caller in Sean McVay disciple Liam Coen.
