The NFC East is a mess -- but the Cowboys or Eagles could take a step toward winning it Monday — SkimNews
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- NFC East became the first division in NFL history to go winless in consecutive weeks (Weeks 5 and 6) with all four teams playing, with the New York Giants (4-2-1), Washington Commanders (1-4-1), Eagles and Cowboys all at a collective 2-4 or worse.
- Jalen Hurts is out for the season with blood clots in his lungs, and Philadelphia has scored 24 points or fewer in nine straight games and lost four straight, with Tanner McKee — a 2023 sixth-round pick out of Stanford making his fourth career start — going 26-of-45 for 215 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions against Carolina.
- Philadelphia's offense ranks last in the NFL in second-half points per game (5.0), total yards (101.2), first downs (5.3) and three-and-out rate (50%), under first-time coordinator Sean Mannion, whose communication and in-game adjustments have drawn concern; Andy Dalton was demoted after a costly Week 3 interception and then released.
- Nick Sirianni faces scrutiny despite a 61-28 record, five straight playoff appearances and two Super Bowl appearances, with a depleted roster — injuries, Lane Johnson's retirement, the Cam Jurgens trade — cited as the primary culprit behind a 5-9 stretch over the past 14 games.
- Dak Prescott is healthy at 33 and signed through 2028, yet he has thrown four interceptions in the past two games as Dallas has totaled 29 points; the Cowboys have lost six games in the past two years after scoring 24 points, tied with Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams for the most in the NFL.
- Christian Parker was hired as Dallas' defensive coordinator after two seasons as Philadelphia's passing game coordinator and secondary coach, but his unit notched its first interception and first three-sack game only in Sunday's 23-13 loss to Green Bay, prompting the addition of Mike Pettine as senior defensive assistant.
- Brian Schottenheimer is 9-13-1 in his first 23 games, with his game management under question after the final 28 seconds of the 34-31 Week 3 loss in Rio de Janeiro turned a potential overtime win into a defeat; Jerry Jones has made only one in-season coaching change during his ownership, in 2010.
Why it matters: Both favorites are 2-4, leaving the 4-2-1 Giants — a squad that came in without great expectations — atop the first division in NFL history to go winless in consecutive weeks. Sirianni's 61-28 Philadelphia run faces scrutiny over a 5-9 stretch in 14 games; Schottenheimer, 9-13-1, faces loud coaching-change calls if Dallas finishes below .500 a third straight season.
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