NFC East season review: Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys
Tuesday 23 February 2016 08:52, UK
2015 was not a vintage year in the NFC East. How bad was the division? After Week 13, the Dallas Cowboys were still in the play-off picture, despite being the proud owners of a 4-8 record!
In the end, a late-season four-game winning streak allowed Washington to distance themselves from their east coast rivals, winning the divisional title for the second time in the past four seasons. Their joy was short-lived, however, as they succumbed to the Green Bay Packers at home in the Wild Card round of the post-season.
The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles jettisoned their respective head coaches after thoroughly under-whelming campaigns while in Dallas, injury to quarterback Tony Romo derailed the Cowboys season after a promising 2-0 start.
Washington Redskins (9-7)
A regular season that began with talk about the health of Robert Griffin III ended with a trip to the play-offs, thanks to the emergence of Griffin's understudy Kirk Cousins as a franchise-calibre quarterback.
Cousins passed for 4,166 yards - a team record - and 29 touchdowns, leading the team to the NFC East title with five wins from their final six games. He also masterminded a dramatic comeback in Week 7 against Tampa Bay as Washington turned a 24-7 deficit into a 31-30 win, popularising the phrase "You like that?" in his victory celebration.
Star player: While the blossoming Cousins claimed the headlines, tight end Jordan Reed delivered a stellar season. With 87 receptions, 952 yards and 11 touchdowns, no one did more to turn Cousins' passes into first downs and scores.
Grade: B. Going from worst to first in the space of one season is an achievement, regardless of the quality or health of your divisional rivals. The future looks brighter in DC.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-9)
Handing head coach Chip Kelly responsibility for personnel decisions did not yield the results the Eagles ownership had hoped for.
From the acquisition of running back Demarco Murray to trading away fan favourite LeSean McCoy, nothing worked and Kelly paid the price, losing his job after the Week 16 defeat to Washington that decided the division and saw the Philadelphia fans predictably turn on the team.
Star player: With quarterback Sam Bradford inconsistent and Murray missing in action, the Eagles relied on receiver Jordan Matthews for offensive production. With 85 catches, 997 yards and eight touchdowns, Matthews staked his claim as the Eagles' No 1 receiving option for 2016.
Grade: C. The off-season acquisitions promised much but did not deliver, in a season where the division title was there for the taking. New coach Doug Pederson must develop an offence that brings out the best in his star players.
New York Giants (6-10)
After 12 seasons and two Super Bowl wins, Tom Coughlin's tenure as Giants head coach ended as Big Blue failed to reach the play-offs for a fourth successive year.
What will haunt the Giants is the fact that six of their 10 losses were by four points or less. In several of those close defeats, they surrendered fourth-quarter leads.
Star player: Look no further than wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The human highlight reel - check out his Week 12 catch against Washington - had 96 receptions, 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns. No player in NFL history can match the 2,755 yards Beckham Jr has gained in the first two seasons of his pro career.
Despite the gaudy numbers, Beckham Jr's late season suspension - handed out for his ill-disciplined performance against the Carolina Panthers - robbed the Giants of their biggest scoring threat heading into a season-defining game against Minnesota in Week 16. They lost the game 49-17.
Grade: C. Regardless of the narrow defeats, you are - as former Giants coach Bill Parcells famously opined - what your record says you are. And 6-10 is not good.
Dallas Cowboys (4-12)
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will likely file 2015 under 'what might have been'. His team opened with victories against the Giants and the Eagles, but the latter came at a high cost. Quarterback Tony Romo injured his shoulder and did not return until Week 11.
During Romo's two-month absence, the Cowboys couldn't muster a single win, the low point being a 16-6 defeat to Tampa Bay in which the Dallas offence went AWOL and failed to record a single touchdown.
Star Player: Losing running back Demarco Murray to Philadelphia left a lot of carries and yards up for grabs in the Dallas backfield. Darren McFadden answered the call, ending the season with 1,089 rushing yards.
Grade: D. But with a healthy Romo back at the helm next season, expect 2016 to yield a much-improved mark.
