By Annie Ross
The NFC East has fallen on hard times.
Over the past two seasons, it is the only division in football without a single postseason win. The combined winning percentage (.461) and point differential (-221) of the NFC East teams—Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Eagles and Washington Redskins—trail all but the AFC South.
This run of futility comes after a stretch in which the NFC East was the NFL’s strongest division. From 2005 to 2011, it was the leader in point differential (plus-725), playoff teams (14), winning percentage (.541), postseason wins (13) and fewest losing teams (six), according to Stats LLC.
The Eagles, last season’s NFC East champions, struggled with their pass rush, ranking 31st in sack rate. The Cowboys set the lowest bar defensively last season, finishing last in the NFL in yards allowed, sack rate and first-downs allowed.
The Redskins were last in the league in yards allowed per pass play. Since 1970, the team that allows the most yards per pass play loses nearly 75% of the time, explaining last year’s 3-13 record. And the Giants’ offense and quarterback Eli Manning were set on self-destruct most of last season, with the highest turnover rate in the NFL.
The preseason suggests that troubles remain. The New England Patriots’ Tom Brady last week lit up the Eagles’ first-string defense (photo above) , which again was unable to apply serious pressure. The Cowboys lost perhaps their best defensive player, cornerback Orlando Scandrick, to a four-game performance-enhancing-drug suspension. And Manning hasn’t adapted well this summer to new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s offense, generating just 14 yards on his 19 pass plays, including three sacks.
