ESPN: Dak Prescott's dandy play; predicting playoff future for teams in NFC East

Cotton

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Dak Prescott's dandy play; predicting playoff future for teams in NFC East

Todd Archer, John Keim, Tim McManus and Jordan Raanan

The Dallas Cowboys are attracting a lot of attention around the league with their rookie sensations, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, and winning results. But the rest of the NFC East isn't so bad, and as Week 12 approaches, NFL Nation reporters Todd Archer (Cowboys), John Keim (Redskins), Tim McManus (Eagles) and Jordan Raanan (Giants) rank the quarterbacks in the division and predict the playoff future.

1. How would you rank the quarterbacks in the NFC East this season?

Archer: Over the summer, I would have said Tony Romo is the best quarterback in the division. I’ll keep it with the Cowboys now. I don’t know how you start this list without Dak Prescott as No. 1. He has as many touchdown passes as Kirk Cousins and Eli Manning. Cousins and Manning have more yards, but Prescott has the better completion percentage. Carson Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick, started hot but has tailed off, as have the Eagles. A quarterback’s No. 1 job is to win. Prescott has the best record in the NFL. After Prescott, I would go with Cousins, Manning and Wentz.

Keim: This is a tough question because for the most part the quarterback play has been solid for the entire division. But for now, I’ll go with Prescott, Cousins, Manning and then Wentz. Cousins is playing at an exceptional level of late, but he and Prescott have thrown the same number of touchdowns, and Prescott has been picked off only twice (five fewer than Cousins). He has done a remarkable job, even if he is playing behind the best line in football and has one of the top running backs in Ezekiel Elliott. Cousins is playing behind a good line and has the best receiving corps in the division. However, his past five games have been terrific and arguably his best because of how he’s doing it: accuracy, recognition, decision-making. Prescott rates an edge because he has posted better numbers than Cousins on third down and in the red zone. As for the other two, Wentz has the least to work with, but he’s 31st in third down total QBR and 32nd in the red zone. Manning is 17th and 13th, respectively. A few weeks ago, I would've put him ahead of Cousins, but Manning makes more mistakes (10 picks).

McManus: 1. Dak Prescott 2. Kirk Cousins 3. Eli Manning 4. Carson Wentz

Prescott is blessed with an abundance of talent around him, but with a 68 percent completion rate, 17 touchdowns to two interceptions and a number of clutch moments to his name, he has turned into a legitimate MVP candidate. Cousins owns a slight edge over Manning in most statistical categories and appears to be playing himself into a nice payday. Wentz was supposed to be the star rookie quarterback of this division, and he has shown some flashes over 10 games, but he has fallen off significantly after a hot start, thanks in part to a shaky supporting cast.

Raanan: Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins, Eli Manning, Carson Wentz. It’s hard to knock anything Prescott has done this season. The rookie has been close to flawless, as evidenced by his 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. Also, consider me sold on Cousins. He has the Redskins in playoff position and is asked to do even more than Prescott. He’s playing at Pro Bowl level, and that will get him paid handsomely this offseason. If this question asked which quarterback I would want for the playoffs, though, Manning would be my answer. He’s playing better of late but has been too erratic this season. Wentz is a rookie. Although there have been flashes, he has played like a rookie at times.

2. Will the NFC East produce both wild-card teams?

Archer: Who knew the NFC East would be so strong after struggling to find respectability last year? I think both wild-card spots will come from the East, in part because the North, South and West are so mediocre. I don’t know that the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Arizona Cardinals -- or any other potential contenders -- can maintain any sort of success. Washington might have the best chance to win a wild-card spot because they have an easier close to the schedule than the Giants, with games against Arizona, Carolina and Chicago outside the division. The Giants have Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Detroit, which could be a huge tiebreaker game, remaining outside the division. Cleveland should be a win, but the Steelers and Lions are toss-up games.

Keim: After last season, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think they will. As of now, it would be the Giants and Redskins who make the postseason in addition to Dallas. But it isn't a far-fetched scenario, considering both are in the lead for the wild-card spots. Check out the landscape, and there aren’t many teams in good position to challenge them (the Eagles can, of course, but that would still leave the NFC East with three playoff teams). Minnesota is the only other NFC team in wild-card contention currently over .500. Tampa Bay, the next competitor, is two games behind the Giants and 1 1/2 behind Washington. If the Vikings don’t stumble to the finish line, they can catch one of these teams; they lost to Washington but defeated the Giants. At 4-5-1, Arizona does not look like a team ready to turn its season around. Nor does Green Bay, which is 4-6 along with New Orleans and Carolina. Another factor is that both New York and Washington are playing well. The Redskins are 6-1-1 in their past eight games, while the Giants have won four straight.

McManus: Yes. The biggest threat currently lies in the NFC North, where the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings sit at 6-4. (Those teams will square off on Thanksgiving). The bet here is that Minnesota will end up capturing the division while the Lions tail off some. The NFC East can help its cause, as Detroit has games at the Giants and at the Cowboys remaining. The Giants own just a plus-two point differential on the season but somehow sit at 7-3. With a game against the winless Cleveland Browns next, they should be set up for the home stretch. Cousins and the Redskins appear to be rounding into form, meanwhile, as their 42-24 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday helped demonstrate. They play their next three on the road -- at the Cowboys, Cardinals and Eagles. Successfully navigating that stretch will be key.

Raanan: No. They will knock each other off. The Cowboys, Redskins and Giants can’t all continue to win when they have to play one another. My guess is the Redskins will hit a wall. They have three straight road games (at Dallas, Arizona and Philadelphia) coming up. That’s tough. Let’s say the Vikings or Bucs get to 10 wins to end the Redskins' season prematurely.

3. What will keep the team you cover from making the playoffs?

Archer: I guess I could go extremely snarky and say the end of the world, but I don’t know how the Cowboys could miss the playoffs without a complete implosion. Given how this team has talked about their tightness and chemistry, I don’t see that happening. If something were to happen to Prescott, the Cowboys have Tony Romo in reserve. That’s a huge plus. If something happens to Ezekiel Elliott, they have Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden in reserve. They have already shown they can win games without Dez Bryant. The Cowboys have started 9-1 three times -- 1976, 1983 and 2007 -- and have not won a playoff game. But they at least made the postseason those years, and they’ll make it this year without question.

Keim: The inability to stop the run and red zone offense. The Redskins have played well versus the run the past two weeks, but neither Minnesota nor Green Bay offered much in the way of running backs. Most of Green Bay’s positive rushing numbers stem from before Eddie Lacy was hurt or Aaron Rodgers scrambles. But the Redskins haven’t stopped the run the past two seasons. In 2016, they’re allowing 4.59 yards per carry, which ranks 31st in the NFL. The Redskins are middle of the road in other defensive categories, but this one hurts because it sets up too many positive third-down situations -- and they rank 28th. Offensively, the Redskins have converted only 43.9 percent of their red zone chances into touchdowns; four teams are worse. A key reason they overcame a bad defense and won nine games last season? Excellent red zone production (61.9 percent). Three of their last six games are against teams that rank in the top four in red zone defense (Eagles, Panthers, Giants).

McManus: Lack of impact skill-position players on offense. The Eagles’ pass-catching group is one of the most unproductive in the league. They have just one player (Jordan Matthews) who ranks in the top 100 in receiving yards but four who are within the top 30 in drop percentage, per ESPN Stats & Information. The operation runs much more smoothly when coach Doug Pederson leans on the ground game and plays a ball-control style of offense, but he has not stuck to that formula consistently enough, particularly on the road, where the Eagles are 1-5. Then again, an attack can get awfully predictable when the vertical passing game is a nonfactor. Consider: In his past seven games, Wentz has completed just 40 percent of his passes of 10-plus yards, with zero touchdowns and five interceptions, according to ESPN Stats & Info. That speaks to not just a dip in QB play but also the lack of weapons that Wentz has at his disposal on the outside. Expect a play-making wide receiver to be atop the priority list for the Eagles this offseason.

Raanan: The Giants’ offense. It just hasn’t clicked from start to finish in any game this season. The offensive line has struggled, the run game has been bad for most of the season, and even the passing game hasn’t hit its stride. Put it all together, and it could come back to bite the Giants at the worst possible time.
 

Angrymesscan

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Keim: The inability to stop the run and red zone offense. The Redskins have played well versus the run the past two weeks, but neither Minnesota nor Green Bay offered much in the way of running backs. Most of Green Bay’s positive rushing numbers stem from before Eddie Lacy was hurt or Aaron Rodgers scrambles. But the Redskins haven’t stopped the run the past two seasons. In 2016, they’re allowing 4.59 yards per carry, which ranks 31st in the NFL.
Music to my ears and the reason I'm starting to breath a little easier regarding turkey day...
 

ravidubey

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Music to my ears and the reason I'm starting to breath a little easier regarding turkey day...
When we played Washington in week two, Zeke and Dak were just figuring out out to play in the NFL. We are much better.

But Washington has also improved. Their passing game is a lot better... remember the wide open receivers Cousins kept missing? Or the gift endzone pick?

Can't count on those.
 
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