The Cowboys, Redskins and Giants all have four wins through Week 5. But which of the them is the team to beat for the division title?
The debate over which division is the best in football is long over. The NFC East, featuring three teams with four wins, will remain as the undisputed heavyweight champion throughout the 2008 season.
But after wins by the Cowboys (4-1), Redskins (4-1) and Giants (4-0) this past Sunday, are we any closer to determining which of these teams will emerge as the winner of this powerhouse division?
The answer is hardly clear cut and certainly up for debate.
Who would have guessed the 'Skins would be where they are right now? Winners of back-to-back divisional road games and four straight overall, Washington overcame a 14-point deficit Sunday to beat the Eagles (2-3).
They did it by controlling the clock and running all over Philly to the tune of 204 total yards on the ground against the league's top ranked run defense, 175 of them by stud running back Clinton Portis.
Throw in the fact that quarterback Jason Campbell hasn't thrown a single pick in five games this season and it's becoming clear that rookie head coach Jim Zorn is pushing all the right buttons in the nation's capital. Looking ahead, a friendly schedule has the 'Skins facing Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis as their next three opponents. All of a sudden, a 7-1 record at the midway point, and making a legitimate run for the division title, is looking more and more like a real possibility for the upstart Redskins.
While Washington continues their dominant ways on the road, the Cowboys struggled in Big D for a second straight week. But unlike in Week 4, the 'Boys were able to win this time, surviving the half-hearted challenge and ultimate implosion of the hapless Bengals. If not for a fumble by Cincy's Chris Perry in Cowboys territory early in the fourth quarter, Dallas was staring a second straight home loss right in the mush.
Despite some inconsistencies on offense, running back Felix Jones showed again Sunday why he is an emerging game-breaker for Dallas, racking up another TD and close to 100 yards rushing on only nine attempts.
These guys are good, just maybe not quite as good as we thought they were after the first three weeks of the season.
Then there's the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. No Plaxico? No problem. Even without their suspended star, Tom Coughlin's crew, now winners of eight straight dating back to last season, disposed of the Seahawks at the Meadowlands Sunday with ease, scoring on each of their first six possessions. Their 4-0 start is the franchise's best since 1990, a season which saw the Giants go on to defeat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. After outscoring their opponents 127-49 in their four wins, the juggernaut Giants have positioned themselves as the team to beat in the NFC East, and the frontrunners to win the division.
Who do you think will win the NFC East? It's time to have your say.