Ray Hagan
Welcome to another round of Beat of the East. Last time out, we reviewed Week 7. Now let’s dig into the all-important Week 8 matchups for the rest of the division. Last week saw the ride on the struggle bus going 0-2 both straight up (6-5) and against the spread (5-6).
Let’s get to this week!
Philadelphia at Dallas (-4.5)
The Cowboys roll out of the bye week at home against our beloved Birds. Both teams rank in the top ten in both scoring and scoring defense. Unfortunately that doesn’t tell the whole story. When you look at the recent play of these two teams, Dallas is trending upward and Philadelphia… well… isn’t. Over the last three games Dallas’ average margin of victory is just shy of 12 points per game, while the Eagles are outscoring opponents by less than two points per game in the same span. Ezekiel Elliott is an unstoppable monster and that means that Dallas has an opportunity to do something big on the ground. Did you see the way that Matt Jones and Rob Kelley gashed this team two weeks ago? The Vikings’ anemic running game couldn’t do anything, but they’re one of the worst in the league. The Redskins’ mediocre tandem absolutely ran roughshod on this team. Now I know that teams have off days, and it’s possible it was one for the Eagles’ D that day in Washington. But a team can be clicking on all cylinders and will still struggle with Elliott. Elliott makes Dak Prescott’s job easier, and I don’t see a way that the Eagles win this game. Dallas 30, Philadelphia 21.
If betting were legal: Take Dallas laying the points.
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Cincinnati (-3) vs. Washington (in London)
I have yet to predict Washington correctly in the last few weeks. I cannot figure this team out. When I think they stink they keep finding ways to win, when I think that they’re legit they throw a clunker in there. Every stat points to Washington in this game. Cincy is being outscored by 6 points per game over their last three while Washington is at least on the plus side of the ledger. Josh Norman is traveling with the team, though he and Jordan Reed remain questionable. If Norman suits up it’s good news for a Washington defense that is going to be tasked with stopping AJ Green. Matt Jones is officially out for the Redskins so Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson will split the reps at running back. The Bengals faced some really tough opponents in two of their last three (Dallas and New England) while drawing the second bye week (Cleveland) in the other. So it’s hard to tell how much the stats for the last three matter when it’s likely so vastly skewed by the quality of opponent. Because of that I’m going out on a limb and I’m a believer in Cincinnati, and it looks like Las Vegas is too. Cincinnati 27, Washington 20.
If betting were legal: Take Cincy laying the points.
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Each week I’m going to take a look at three of the NFC East individuals that are flying high, and three that have come crashing to Earth a bit recently.
Three Up:
- Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back, Dallas
Elliott was on bye last week. Jay Ajayi has run for 200+ yards in two straight weeks; Elliott still has over 150 more yards than Ajayi. He leads the league despite the week off. He’s the best back in football without right now and I’m not sure there’s a back even on his level. He’s the only back averaging over 100 yards per game and he’s averaging almost 120. We tend to sort positions by tiers. X QB, Y QB, Z QB are in one tier and then A, B, and C are on the next level. Right now, Elliott is on a tier all alone when it comes to the running back position. He’s the reason I’m scared for my Eagles this week…and he worries me for years to come.
- Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver, Dallas
Bryant appears on track to return vs. The Eagles. In his last fully healthy game Bryant had seven catches for 102 yards. Bryant coming back gives Dallas one more weapon. I’m not sure how much he’ll impact this game, but he’s a special talent. He’s still a game-breaker when given the chance even if he’s likely not a top five receiver at this point.
- Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, Washington
Cousins has quietly been over 70% completions in three of his last four games. In that span he’s thrown for an average of over 250 yards a game. He’s also had eight combined touchdowns over that period, an average of two per game. Cousins is playing not at his 2015 peak, but certainly at a very high level. If he keeps playing like this he’s going to be part of a lot of winning football. I’m still not sold on him as the Redskins’ quarterback of the future, but as their quarterback of the present he’s playing very, very well.
Three Down:
- Matt Jones, Running Back, Washington
Jones absolutely tore the Eagles defense to shreds two weeks ago, but that anomaly of a game is sandwiched between two pretty terrible games. Jones mustered a 14 carry, 31 yard performance with a lost fumble against Baltimore prior to the Birds game. Against Detroit a week after his performance against Philadelphia he managed only 10 for 27 with a lost fumble. Now this week he’s out with a knee injury that could potentially open the door for Rob Kelley who has run very well in limited snaps (7.66 YPC the last three games) to possibly seize the job. Jones is definitely trending down.
- DeSean Jackson, Wide Receiver, Washington
Jackson occupied the same spot on this list last week, and he chased that performance with five catches for 35 yards. He’s surely not on the upswing, and it looking fairly marginalized in the ‘Skins offense. I don’t know if it’s the gameplan of the Redskins or if it’s an erosion of skills, but Jackson isn’t a dynamic player anymore. His impact is just not good enough. He’s got to elevate his game especially with the injuries to Reed and now Jones.
- Eli Manning, Quarterback, New York
Manning occupied the third spot on the good side of this list last week. But after being the best quarterback on the field in London ONLY because Case Keenum was SO bad. Manning has had two games this season with three touchdowns. In the other seven games he has a total of two. That’s just not going to get it done. The Giants need Manning to be good if they’re going to compete in this division, and right now, he’s playing badly enough that their 4-3 record looks more like an aberration than an indication that the Giants should be anything other than a sub-.500 football team.
Well folks, that’s it for this week. Don’t forget to check out all the other great content here at the site. Our writers are second to none. I’ll see you next week with a review of all the Week 8 action in the NFC East, thanks for reading. Want to discuss the column or football in general? Find me on Twitter (@faux_philly). Thanks for reading and have a great weekend of great football!