2014年10月8日星期三

NFC East on Rise in Power Rankings



AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezDarren Sproles has scored one of the Eagles four special teams touchdowns so far this season.
The NFC East has seen a resurgence this season as the Philadelphia Eagles (fourth), Dallas Cowboys (sixth) and New York Giants (13th) all sit in the upper half of the league in this week’s ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings

The NFC East is a combined 12-8 this season, including a 10-6 out-of-division record. Half of the overall losses belong to the Washington Redskin (26th). 

The NFC East hasn’t finished above .500 – either overall or out-of-division – since 2009. 

While the Eagles have been in the top 10 all season long in the Power Rankings, the Cowboys and Giants have made big surges from earlier this season. All three teams have made a mark this season in different ways. 

Philadelphia Eagles (4-1) 
Lowest Rank: 7th (Week 1) 
Current Rank: 4th 

Many predicted a stout offense from the Eagles, and at 31.2 points per game, they are tied for the highest scoring average in the NFL. But the offense hasn’t been the biggest contributor to that total in recent weeks. 

In their past two games, the Eagles have scored two offensive touchdowns and an incredible five touchdowns via defensive or special teams plays. 

Overall, the Eagles have seven defensive or special teams touchdowns on the season, and no other team has more than two. 

The Eagles offense has struggled in recent weeks, as two of their offensive staples have gone dry. 

Philadelphia currently rank 23rd in rushing after boasting the best rushing attack last season. 

The passing attack has started to lose big plays as well. Nick Foles has gone 2-of-15 with a touchdown and three interceptions on passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield the past two weeks after going 8-of-24 with three touchdowns and an interception the first three weeks. 

Dallas Cowboys (4-1) 
Lowest Rank: 27th (Week 2) 
Current Rank: 6th 

DeMarco Murray has been the driving force behind a lot of the Cowboys success this season. He has gained 210 more rushing yards than any other back this season and he has outgained 27 NFL teams on the ground. 

Murray has gained at least 100 rushing yards in all five games this season. Emmitt Smithnever had more than four games in a row with at least 100 rushing yards. 

The rushing offense has helped Tony Romo pick up big gains. Romo has completed 72.7 percent of his play action passes, and his 12.2 yards per attempt on those plays are second most in the NFL (Kirk Cousins, 15.0 YPA). 

New York Giants (3-2) 
Lowest Rank: 30th (Week 3) 
Current Rank: 13th 

The quick release, short passing attack for the Giants has paid big dividends early on this season. 

A look at the charts shows how many mistakes Eli Manning made last season when trying to stretch the field, and how highly concentrated his passing has been this season. 


Manning has released the ball at the third-fastest rate this season and 20 other quarterbacks have thrown further downfield on average this season. Last season Manning had the highest average pass distance and 21 other quarterbacks released the ball at a faster rate. 

The quick release, shorter passes and improved decision making have aided the Giants early this season. 

New York has 16 offensive touchdowns, one off the league lead. The Giants have also scored at least 30 points in each of their last three games, something they haven’t done since doing so three straight games in 2009.

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