FansOfFans Projected NFC East Team Standings for 2022

It’s just about that time of year; the time to ignore your significant other (or others for the luckier ones of us), put the kids in a playpen somewhere, and hunker down for with a 6 or 30 pack for 18 phenomenal weeks of regular season football. Over here at FansofFans we live and breath football, and with that being said, taking into account drafts, free agent signings, trades, notable additions and loses, we will rank where each team will finish in all 8 NFL divisions. Today we cover the NFC East.

Division Winners: Philadelphia Eagles

Dallas Cowboys fans look away. You had your year, the hype was there, and you did nothing with it. The Eagles were on a hot streak at the end of the 2021 season, going 6-2 once Nick Sirianni realized that his teams offensive strength was in its run game.  The combination of Hurts, Sanders, and Gainwell, should do well to help the Eagles repeat their success in 2021 with the most rushing yards and the most rushing TDs in the league. And in an effort to diversify its offense, the Eagles have added top 10 receiver A.J. Brown to pair with breakout star DeVonte Smith to stretch the field. Defenses will have to pick their poison as they either commit to stopping Hurts legs and the run game, or Brown and Smith on the outside. No to mention the additions of big man Jordan Davis and LBs Nakobe Dean and Haasan Reddick applying pressure to opposing offensive lines in the NFC East.

Second Place: Dallas Cowboys

This is where the Dallas Cowboys land in the division, and that honestly may not be a bad thing for America’s team. For the past two decades, the Cowboys have always been considered in the upper echelon of NFL teams, and have little to nothing to show for it. Maybe being overlooked and underrated is the best way to finally prove the doubters wrong and make a much needed extended playoff run. However, not all is rainbows and butterflies in Dallas, after the team lost both their leading receiver when they traded Amari Cooper to Cleveland and edge rusher Randy Gregory (who backed out of his agreement with Dallas when he decided to take essentially the same contract with the Denver Broncos). Not to mention breakout receiver Cedric Wilson joined Tyreek Hill and Tua in Miami; now CeeDee Lamb has to be that number one receiver that Dallas drafted him to be while Michael Gallup continues to recover from his ACL injury. The defense should still be formidable as it still boasts Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs at the second and third levels respectively, but as long as Mike McCarthy continues to coach this team, or fails to do so, no level of defense can make up for the a team that leads the NFL in penalties. Don’t get me started on Zeke still getting the nod out of the backfield over Tony Pollard. Anywho…………

Third Place: New York Giants

The only reason that the Giants finish third is because 1: I believe Carson Wentz really is a downgrade from backup Taylor Heinicke at this point in his career, and 2: I also believe that before the halfway mark of the season, Tyrod Taylor will be the starting QB for this team. Daniel Jones is struggling, and yea maybe its because he’s on his 3rd coach since having been drafted, or maybe its because Saquon Barley missed significant time with an ACL tear, but it should be noted some players just don’t make a successful transition to the next level. Jones may very well be one of these players, and with the Giants declining to pick up his 5th year option, this is a make or break year that may decide whether Jones continues to start in the NFL or whether Sam Darnold won’t be the only ex-NY QB drafted in the past 5 years out of a starting job in 2023.

Last Place: Washington Commanders

Last place in the NFC East shouldn’t even be a question. With Quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, and Jimmy G available this offseason, the Commanders didn’t even hesitate to take Carson Wentz, who arguably looked worse than backup Taylor Heinicke did in 2021. Yes Wentz’s 27-7 TD to Interception ratio looks better than Heinicke’s 20-15, but look what they both had to work with. Wentz played with arguably the best runningback in the league last year, Michael Pittman Jr., and other household names like Mo Alie-Cox, T.Y. Hilton, and Zach Pascal; while Heinicke surely had Scary Terry, but outside of him, his playmakers included fumbling Antonio Gibson, and guys like Adam Humphries and DeAndre Carter. And this is no disrespect to those guys, the point is when you compare the numbers for the receivers on both squads, they are eerily similar down the depth chart. So what kind of upgrade is Wentz actually providing here? Sure Heinicke could cut down on interceptions, but when the team’s defense ranks in the bottom third of the league in total defense, sometimes airing the ball out is the only way to get back into games. Additions like WR Jahan Dotson and RB Brian Robinson Jr will surely help the offense, but with so many questions at defense still, and Wentz on his third team in as many years (not to mention all of the front office issues), Washington needs to hope for any kind any kind of success this year if they want to replicate their 1992……….er I mean, 1991 season.

What say you? Which NFC East team do you think will win the division in 2022? Let us know in the comment section below!