NFC East roundtable: Commanders-Eagles showdown, how to fix Cowboys and Giants

By Ben Standig, Dan Duggan, Brooks Kubena and Saad Yousuf

With over half of the 2024 NFL season completed, we thought it was a good time to check in with our NFC East writers ahead of a pivotal divisional matchup between the Washington Commanders (7-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) Thursday night.

The Eagles enter Week 11 with the second-ranked defense in yards allowed per game. The Commanders enter with the fourth-ranked offense in average yards gained. Something has to give. Which unit are you giving the upper hand to Thursday night?

Ben Standig: Tough one right at the top. Washington continues scoring at an impressive clip, but the offense's efficiency dropped recently. The absence of running back Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) the past two weeks hurt. The only two games this season where the Commanders rushed for under 100 yards were without Robinson. He's set to play Thursday night, and there's optimism that right tackle Andrew Wylie will return from injury this week. Jayden Daniels is coming off a wobbly game based on his sensational standards. I think Washington will generate points, but I see it producing under its 377 yards per game average.

Dan Duggan: With Robinson back, I'll give the edge to the Commanders' offense. Robinson is such a physical runner who is the perfect complement to Daniels. The Commanders have such a diverse attack, with Robinson's ability to grind yards between the tackles, a creative screen game that gashes defenses, a true No. 1 wide receiver in Terry McLaurin and Daniels' magic with his legs.

Brooks Kubena: A few of the biggest question marks for the Eagles' defense entering the season have turned into their biggest strengths. How good would their linebackers be? Who would play nickel? Zack Baun , the reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week, has found his fit as a rangy inside linebacker. Nakobe Dean , back from last year's season-ending foot injury, has been a consistent tackler and effective blitzer. Coupled with Cooper DeJean , who's twice made fourth-down stops this season at nickel, this is the group to watch as they face their toughest dual-threat quarterback yet. Baun told me chasing Jalen Hurts during training camp helped prepare the team for Daniels. We'll see. I'm betting on defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to field a sufficient answer for Daniels with 10 games of tape to work with.

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Saad Yousuf: The Eagles' pass defense is legit, but it also helps when 33 percent of their games have come against Deshaun Watson , Daniel Jones and Cooper Rush . If you remove those three contests, the Eagles' 220 passing yards allowed per game would rank 23rd in the league. You can do a similar exercise for other teams and it would boost everybody's numbers, so this isn't to discredit the Eagles' defense. But it is to say that it isn't invincible against quality quarterbacks. I do believe Fangio is a talented defensive mind, and I'm intrigued to see his chess match with Kliff Kingsbury and Daniels. Given the way Daniels has operated this season, I would give a slight advantage to the Washington offense.

The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants appear to be headed south this season. Which team would you say has the bigger mess to clean up going forward? And how do you fix it?

Duggan: The Cowboys have gone off the rails, but they're better equipped for a turnaround. They'll undoubtedly fire coach Mike McCarthy, so there's reason to believe they can upgrade that position (Bill Belichick?). They also have an elite quarterback in Dak Prescott , whose injury sank this season . They have other star players, such as wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons, and a demonstrated history of drafting well. The Giants need a quarterback in a draft class that offers no slam-dunk saviors. They're likely going to retain coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen off what is headed toward a second consecutive season of double-digit losses. There's some talent on the roster, but fixing this mess is contingent on them hitting on a quarterback in the draft . That's easier said than done. They have the scars from six years of trying to force Jones as a franchise QB as evidence of that.

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Yousuf: Both teams appear to be headed for a change at head coach, but the Cowboys at least don't have a question mark at quarterback in 2025. Prescott needs to be better, but he's proven to be a bona fide franchise quarterback in the NFL, which isn't something the Giants can say they have right now. I would say the Giants have a bigger mess to clean up. The Cowboys are in a better position because of their top-end talent — Prescott, Parsons and Lamb — but they're hamstrung by the stubbornness of Jerry Jones as the general manager. It's the oldest talk-radio segment in the book in Dallas, that "Jerry the Owner" needs to fire Jerry the GM, but it isn't going to happen. Even so, the Cowboys do have a lot of pieces on the roster that were central points to three consecutive 12-win seasons before this year. The last time the Giants had double-digit wins in a season was 2016. To fix the Giants, they need a new head coach and an answer at quarterback, two major problems for which the solution is much easier said than done.

: As we all know, the issue with Dallas is you can't fire the owner. The next issue, after the inevitable McCarthy firing, is finding a strong head coach willing to work under Jerry Jones, the team's owner/GM. Look at the list of coaches since Jimmy Johnson bolted to understand that challenge. Questions about Prescott's ceiling remain. So, yeah, this is tough. The "solution" is Jones letting a personnel executive (Will McClay?) run the front office without interference. Since that's not an option, hire Deion Sanders, rake in even more money and hope for the best.

Kubena: The Giants have bigger issues than just an obstinate owner getting in their way. They're reaching rock bottom in the wake of poor decisions made both on the field and in the front office. Schoen and Daboll were both hired in 2022, and they're both to blame. They chose to invest $160 million in Daniel Jones, who's been sacked a fourth-most 29 times, while 2022 first-round pick Evan Neal can't stay on the field partly because the team misdiagnosed his ankle fracture. The on-field product is terrible, suggesting a reset of both the system and roster, and I don't think owner John Mara can trust that Schoen and Daboll are the ones who can fix it — not after his nightmare materialized when former franchise player Saquon Barkley embarrassed them in a 28-3 loss to the Eagles (in which Jones was benched).

What's the most encouraging or discouraging thing about your respective team at this point of the season?

Yousuf: The most encouraging thing for the Cowboys would be the play of DeMarvion Overshown or Brandon Aubrey . The list of most discouraging things would run longer than Santa's next month. It's inexplicable that a team that spent the last two regular seasons riding a 16-game home winning streak is 0-4 at AT&T Stadium this year. The Cowboys can't take care of the ball or force turnovers, landing them an abominable minus-10 turnover margin. There's no answer at defensive tackle and the offensive line has been shaky. You can pick any of those problems, among others, for what has been most discouraging.

Kubena: Barkley is so good and warrants so much offensive attention that DeVonta Smith is on pace to record career lows in both catches and receiving yards. This is an offense that's finally doing what its fan base has long demanded: " RUN THE BALL ." And I don't think it has to. I think there's a game plan that's collecting dust where the Eagles can win with Hurts chucking the ball to Smith, A.J. Brown , Dallas Goedert and Jahan Dotson . I think it's an advantage when that's a secondary option. Why sling the ball around when Barkley, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, can shape defenses into favorable forms that turn fewer pass attempts into more explosive ones? Why not play to the strength of an improving defense that's forced eight turnovers in the last three games?

Duggan: The most encouraging aspect of the season is the performance of the rookie class. First-round pick Malik Nabers already looks like a No. 1 wide receiver, and fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. has strengthened the belief that teams don't need to spend to have a quality running back. Mid-round picks Tyler Nubin , Dru Phillips and Theo Johnson are starters and have flashed varying degrees of promise. The most discouraging thing about this season is the quarterback this regime awarded a four-year, $160 million contract to 20 months ago has a 3-13 record over the past two seasons. The swing-and-miss on Jones casts a shadow over everything else this regime has done.

Standig: Have you watched Daniels? The rookie quarterback has turned into a league-wide rock star without changing his approach or demeanor. Daniels' pinpoint throws, Matrix-like ability to avoid defenders and maturity beyond his 23 years have helped turn this longtime languishing franchise into a source of pride, fun and hope in seven months. The best part is waiting to see what heights Daniels reaches next.

Who wins Round 1 between the Commanders and Eagles Thursday night, and why?

Kubena: The Commanders have the NFL's fifth-worst run defense in yards allowed per game (142.7). That's enough for me to think the Eagles can control this game with Barkley. Philadelphia's defensive surge came against inferior competition. But there have been fewer holes in the secondary since DeJean, this year's No. 40 overall pick, established his foothold at nickel safety. I think DeJean and a linebacker corps that's no longer a liability — but good — can contain the stellar Daniels. The Commanders will cash in on opportunities past Eagles opponents have squandered. So long as Philadelphia plays clean, it'll seize control of the NFC East with a 28-23 win Thursday night.

Standig: Again, no significant worries with Daniels and the offense. Robinson and Wylie playing is crucial. The defense that has allowed at least 95 rushing yards each week and gets lit up by top wide receivers — new cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) will go another week without making his Washington debut — is something else. Eagles, 24-21. The good news is Washington has the easier remaining schedule on paper between the two teams.

Yousuf: I know we have to see this sort of thing for multiple seasons from Daniels before we crown him, but he's been so impressive as a rookie. He can make any play and has shown the poise of a veteran. With that being said, playing in Philadelphia is not an easy task. I think Daniels will find that out Thursday night. I don't think Daniels will look overmatched, but I do believe the Eagles, who possess the second-best rushing offense in the league, will be able to control things on the ground against the fifth-worst run defense. Eagles, 28-24.

Duggan: I gave the edge to the Commanders' offense against the Eagles' defense. On the flip side, I think the Eagles' offense will have its way with Washington's defense. This should be a close, relatively high-scoring game. As impressive as Daniels and the Commanders have been this season, I think the Eagles have a bit more firepower and experience. Eagles, 27-24.

(Top photo: Greg Fiume, Mitchell Leff / )