Predicted Order of Finish
NFC East
1. Washington- Ron Rivera enters his second season as HC after winning the East and reaching the playoffs despite finishing with a 7-9 record, the offense sputtered for much of the year ranking in the bottom half of the NFL in almost every statistical category, after using four different starting quarterbacks in 2020 the WFT went out and signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to hopefully bring short term stability at the position, the receiving corps should be much improved with the additions of Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown alongside top target Terry McLaurin, the backfield will once again feature the duo of Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic, right guard Brandon Scheriff leads the O-Line that struggled last year but should benefit from the pickup of Ereck Flowers at left guard, the defense under the new staff carried the team to a division title finishing 4th in points allowed and 2nd in pass yards allowed, the defensive line is stout led by Chase Young who turned in a sensational rookie season, the team drafted Jamin Davis in the first round to strengthen the linebacker position which had some vulnerabilities last year, the secondary which forced 16 interceptions remains intact, adding Fitzpatrick should be enough to retain the East Division crown
2. Dallas- 2020 was a forgettable one for Cowboys fans, QB Dak Prescott was lost for the year in early October and the team went on to finish 6-10, Prescott is expected to return for the start of the season but the team only went 1-3 putting pressure on 2nd year HC Mike McCarthy to get things turned around, the passing game was serviceable without Prescott but Ezekiel Elliot struggled averaging only 65.3 yards per game while fumbling 6 times, Elliot is still the man but backup Tony Pollard should continue to see more action, Amari Cooper along with 2020 first round pick CeeDee Lamb lead a formidable group of receivers, the offensive line suffered major injury issues in 2020 but should be back to full strength heading into the season, defense was a nightmare last year and will turn to former Falcons HC Dan Quinn as its new coordinator, the unit is banking on first round pick Micah Parsons at linebacker to help lead the turnaround, the team also picked up 3 defensive ends in the offseason to add depth up front after finishing second to last in rush yards allowed last year, as usual the Cowboys have enough talent on paper but will that translate to success on the field
3. New York- despite a disappointing 6-10 in HC Joe Judge’s first season there is plenty of optimism heading into 2021, RB Saquon Barkley returns after suffering a torn ACL win Week 2, the Giants also added top receiver Kenny Golladay along with first round pick Kadarius Toney to provide QB Daniel Jones with more weapons to improve a passing game that ranked 29th in league last year, the young O-line must continue to improve and better protect Jones in the pocket, the defense more than held its own in 2020 finishing 9th in scoring and 10th in rushing yards allowed, defensive end Leonard Wilson is a force up front recording 11.5 sacks, the unit however did lose its captain in tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, the secondary gets a major upgrade adding Adoree Jackson from Tennessee at cornerback, the pressure is on former 1st round pick Jones to lead the Giants back to the playoffs
4. Philadelphia- the Eagles turned the page on Super Bowl winning HC Doug Pederson along with Carson Wentz who never materialized as the franchise’s QB, former Colts O coordinator Nick Sirianni takes over and will turn to 2nd year QB Jalen Hurts to run the offense, Hurts was inconsistent in his rookie season completing only 77 of his 148, RB Miles Sanders was a bright spot on offense rushing for 867 while missing four games, first round pick Devonta Smith will bolster a questionable receiving corps that lacked a go to guy a year ago, the O-line was hit hard with injuries last season but should show improvement with the addition of second round pick Landon Dickerson, the defense finished 20th in points allowed and struggled to stop the run, DT Fletcher Cox has made 6 straight Pro Bowls and will continue to anchor the line along with DE Brandon Graham who registered 8 of the team’s 49 sacks last year, the linebackers got a boost with the addition of Eric Wilson who is coming off a banter year with the Vikings, the secondary also added a former Viking in safety Anthony Harris who had a career high tackles in 2020,Hurts must develop quickly or the East Division basement for the second consecutive year is a likely destination
Buy- Washington
Sell- None
Best Bet- Washington OVER total wins