This week we have the pleasure of watching the New York football Giants against the Washington Commanders. The NFL decided to flex this game because of the playoff implications and the importance of this game. Two weeks ago these teams played to an anti-climatic tie. This week both teams will try and bring their A game, and with a win puts themselves in the driver seat for a wild card spot. As I analyze this game, I believe one of these teams has a slight edge over the other. The Commanders are coming off a bye and are well rested. The Giants on the other hand, are licking their wounds from an ugly loss against the fierce Philadelphia Eagles. Granted Saquon wasn’t 100%, but there are more issues with the Giants and why they lost that game. This game will be a home game for Washington, and the biggest reason they have an edge is their defense. You can go back to when the tides turned for them and it’s when the defense turned things around. William Jackson III was jettisoned off the team, Kam Curl started playing well, in addition to Bobby McCain. This team changed their mentality and focus and it shows, as in their last 8 games they are 6-1-1. Their loss was a close one and in that game they were up 17-7 against a good Vikings team.

The Commanders are playing well led by their underdog quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Taylor has done just enough for this team to make them dangerous. He makes the big play when it’s needed and his elusiveness in the pocket make it hard on the defense. Sunday’s game will be one of Taylor’s biggest ones. The lights will be on and he has a chance for his team to be in cruise control into the playoffs. What will happen? That remains to be seen, and I believe this game is Washington’s to lose. If they take care of the ball, run for 100 yards or more and play good defense, they will come out with a victory.

Prediction: Washington 24 Giants 14

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By: Jake Rajala

Entering the 2022 NFL season, it seemed more probable that the New York Giants would start 1-6 than 6-1. Yet, the GMEN stand proud at 6-1 — which is a more potent record than every team in the gutsy AFC West & NFC West. Nonetheless, it must be noted that the not-so-little Giants are second in their division (behind the 6-0 Philadelphia Eagles). The Giants still need to keep the gas on the pedal & stride to win the NFC East for the first time since 2011. Hence, I’m going to untwine a few reasons why the Giants can legitimately win the NFC East.

• Saquon Barkley

The biggest asset to the Giants squad is undoubtedly the former Penn State football & weight room legend, Saquon Barkley. The Giants RB1 is second in the league in rushing yards and he has more carries than any other half-back this season. The re-birth from Barkley is also a monster reason why the Giants offense ranks fifth in the time of possession (TOP). The Giants lean on Barkley to erase opponents by a thousand cuts.

• Battle-tested

The Giants have won six games this season, but it should be noted that the Giants victories have been against playoff-caliber teams. The Giants beat the Lamar Jackson-led Ravens two weeks ago & the mighty Aaron Rodgers-led Packers three weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Eagles have only played one brutal opponent: the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles did play against the Boys, but let’s not forget that Jerry’s team was led by none other than Cooper Rush.

• Kavyon Thibodeaux

The Giants rookie pass rusher Kavyon Thibodeaux didn’t notch a sack last week, but he didn’t stop pressuring Trevor Lawrence. Thibodeaux unequivocally has the makeup to be an All-Pro in this league. It’s completely okay if the Giants pass-rusher doesn’t play like Lawrence Taylor in his rookie season — as J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack combined for 9.5 sacks in their rookie campaigns. I expect the Giants DE that missed the first couple of contests to improve his craft & be unstoppable as the season progresses.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (who tossed 3,144 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to 9 interceptions in 2021) has a chip on his shoulder this off-season after Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers mopped the floor against the Eagles in the recent NFC Wildcard round. Hurts gained a shiny new toy in A.J. Brown (who has 2,995 yards and 24 TDs in his three seasons) – as Brown and DeVonta Smith are unequivocally the best WR tandem in the NFC East.

Hurts also has the very best offensive line in the NFL (as Philly showcases Jordan Mailata, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson). The Eagles OL was a vital reason why Jalen Hurts was able to rush for 784 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns last season.

With that enunciated, I believe that the third-year Eagles QB is honestly underrated entering the 2022 season. Marcus Mosher from The Game Day pegged him as the 22nd best QB in the NFL (behind Justin Fields, Trey Lance, and Trevor Lawrence). PFF slated him as the third-best QB in their Tier D QB group (after Daniel Jones). Not only have the previously mentioned signal-callers been undoubtedly less impressive than young Hurts in recent memory, but I love the direction with Hurts.

Hurts may be a less talented passing version of Josh Allen or even Kyler Murray at the moment, but he should absolutely blossom in his junior season. Hurts will be sharper in Nick Sirianni’s scheme, Brown will be big-play waiting to happen, and it shouldn’t be underestimated the growth that DeVonta Smith should take in his sophomore season. It should also be noted that the Eagles dual-threat QB isn’t unfamiliar with proving his doubters wrong.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles added a lot of new talent and swagger this off-season. Of course, A.J. Brown is the most gifted figure that Philly brought over in 2022. Well, Brown surely sees the light at the end of the tunnel for himself and Brown. Per NFL.com, Brown stated, “Smitty is a wide receiver No. 1. And he’s going against a cornerback No. 2, I expect Smitty to dominate. Just taking pressure off each other. Even being on the same sides, so you can’t really double. It’s great having another great wideout besides you.”

The Eagles had the 28th ranked passing attack (passing YPG) last season. If Jalen Reagor can improve his craft, the Eagles could really have an explosive passing game.

Outside of notable player news, there were changes made to the Eagles front office. Dave Caldwell, who spent a year as a personal executive in PHI in 2021, was promoted to senior advisor to the GM. It’s important that the Eagles can continue to stay creative in June, July, and August. Well, it appears that Caldwell will continue to brew excellent ideas for Howie Roseman.

The Eagles have won the NFC East twice in the last five seasons (2017 and 2019). If the Eagles want to de-throne the reigning NFC East champions (Dallas Cowboys), they need to grow strong chemistry now — especially on defense. The Boys dropped 41 points and 51 points in each of their games against the Eagles last season. It’s important the Philly blood Haason Reddick and first-round pick DT Jordan Davis can be effective early and often for their defense in 2022.

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By: Jake Rajala and Charlie Vakassian

The NFC East was a scrappy, unique, and competitive division in 2021. The Dallas Cowboys, who were led by Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, claimed division gold and won the NFC East. Many fans are wondering if Jalen Hurts will take the league by storm, or if Washington will add a talented QB and return to the playoffs. So, which squad will win the polarizing division in 2022? Well, here are our picks to win the NFC East. 

Dallas Cowboys (Jake): 

The Dallas Cowboys have underperformed in the post-season with Dak Prescott, but I expect them to achieve regular-season dominance next season. Prescott threw a career-high 37 passing touchdowns last season and it seems the 28-year-old still has his best football ahead of him. 

Prescott will be complemented well in 2022 and beyond by LB Micah Parsons. The Cowboys LB won Defensive Rookie of The Year and ousted one of the best rookie performances from any position of all time. 

I expect the Cowboys to be more than okay without Michael Gallup, especially because their offense was firing on all cylinders without him for eight games last season. I assume they will keep Cooper in 2022 while letting Gallup test free agency. 

I wholeheartedly believe the well-balanced Cowboys are one of the clearest division favorites in the entire league. Since 2016, they’ve won their division three times. If Prescott stayed healthy in 2020, they would have likely won the East two seasons ago. 

The Eagles asserted their dominance on their NFC East rivals in 2021 and there doesn’t appear to be any signs that their division foes are close to edging them out. The Cowboys demolished the Commanders 56-14, the Eagles 51-26, and the Giants 21-6 in the back half of last season. 

The Giants appear to be rebuilding as Joe “run a lap” Judge was booted from the Giants head coaching gig. The Giants could also trade Saquon Barkley and it appears Evan Engram will depart from the Big Apple. The Philadelphia Eagles should take positive steps with Jalen Hurts, but I don’t see the Eagles possessing a scary ceiling in 2021 with their mediocre defense. Washington is a dark horse team to make some noise next season, especially if they add a modest QB in their offensive attack. I still don’t expect the Commanders to obtain a signal-caller like Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, or Aaron Rodgers. If they add Marcus Mariota or Matt Corral, they could have a similar result as the 2021 Eagles (9-8). I don’t see them being an NFC heavyweight like the Cowboys if they have a great offseason.

Washington Commanders (Charles):

The NFC East was once one of the proudest divisions in football. The 1980s and ’90s were filled with intense competition and elite talents, with several Super Bowl appearances and wins among the 4 teams. 

Zoom ahead to the present, and things don’t look quite as rosy. Since 2017, there have been at least two teams each season finishing below .500, and in 2020 every single NFC East team finished with a losing record. 2021 was barely any better, with only Dallas doing enough to be competitive, and Philadelphia sneaking in by the skin of their teeth.

2022 projects to be a very different set of scenarios for the East. The Giants have a new GM and HC, and a fresh outlook. The Cowboys have some tough decisions to make, being over the cap and needing help on offense. Washington seeks an upgrade under center, and the Eagles need a bit of everything. 

While a case can be made for just about any team, given the history of randomness in the NFC East, I am selecting the Washington Commanders to take the division crown for the second time in two years. With a ridiculously talented front seven (Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, Jaimin Davis, Cole Holcomb) and an underrated secondary, led by William Jackson and Kam Curl, Washington takes the cake on defense. The offense was their big issue heading into 2021 and continued to be. Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip injury that knocked him out in Week 1, and Taylor Heneike filled in admirably, but still struggled for the most part. The offensive line was a pleasant surprise and ranked 6th overall according to PFF. They will need to re-sign star guard Brandon Scherff, as tagging him for the third year in a row would result in an exorbitant one-year price tag. 

With the offseason fast approaching, Washington looks to upgrade their QB room. Head coach Ron Rivera has already commented on bringing in an established veteran, similar to the Rams getting Matthew Stafford. Keep an eye on Russel Wilson, as he would be the big name to go after. If the draft is the lane they take, then Matt Corral out of Ole Miss is the guy. A cannon of an arm with sneaky athleticism, I would have Corral as the second-best quarterback in the NFC East, ahead of Daniel Jones and Jalen Hurts. With elite options in RB Antonio Gibson and WR Terry McLaurin, along with dependable TE Logan Thomas, the Commanders have weapons to make even a slightly competent QB succeed. 

The Cowboys are on paper the best team in the NFC East, but they are $22M over the cap, and will likely have to make some cuts in order to just get under. Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence could be cap casualties. Not to mention offensive weapons Dalton Schultz and Michael Gallup are heading to free agency, leaving the assets at Dak Prescott’s disposal perilously thin. The offensive line has been suffering injury after injury, leaving the dependability of Tyron Smith and Zack Martin in question.

The Eagles don’t seem to know what direction they are heading in. Jalen Hurts shows flashes of skill and then makes ridiculously dumb decisions in the same game. They have no wide receivers outside of Devonta Smith. The defense lacks playmakers, with Darius Slay and Fletcher Cox already past the age of 30. 

The Giants are looking to be headed for a retool if not a rebuild. Players like James Bradberry and Saquon Barkley may be traded to free up the cap, worsening the roster in the short term. 

Washington has enough talent on offense, and an elite defense, to bounce back and take the NFC East in 2022. Mark my words.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The NFC has been an interesting conference in recent years, from the Eagles winning the Super Bowl against the dynasty that is/was the Patriots, to the Panthers making Super Bowl 50, to our current reigning champions the Buccaneers.  The conference could be looking to have new appearances both for division winners as well as Super Bowl contenders, which always makes things interesting.  In this article, I will be going over who I believe will win each NFC division, as well as why they make sense to do so.

NFC North ”“ Green Bay Packers

To be completely fair, this division is getting closer as of late, with players like Justin Jefferson and Justin Fields being added in recent years we see improvements from the other three teams.  With that said, as long as the Packers have Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, they have a good chance to win.  They were able to lock up Aaron Jones for a few more seasons, and we should see a true debut year from A.J. Dillion at RB2 now that Jamaal Williams is gone.

Additions such as Eric Stokes, De’Vondre Campbell, Amari Rodgers, and Randall Cobb should be definitive pieces to the puzzle for Green Bay as they make another playoff push.  They have not significantly improved their team this offseason, that much is clear, but being able to retain Rodgers for another year and keep the focal points of their offense allows them a chance.

NFC East ”“ Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys had two major issues last season that prevented them from going anywhere.  The first being lackluster QB play, which they fix with the return of Dak Prescott.  The other issue was their defense, which struggled immensely, which they have fixed by taking 8 defensive players of their 11 draft picks this year, with their first six all being defensive players.  Just to list them off, they got Micah Parsons, Kelvin Joseph, Osa Odighizuwa, Chauncey Golston, Nashon Wright, Jabril Cox, Quinton Bohanna, and Israel Mukuamu.

This influx of defensive players, as well as the return of Dak, should make this team the best in the NFC East, on top of their top tier receiving core and solid offensive line which just takes them over the top.

NFC South ”“ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The reigning Super Bowl champions were able to retain all 22 of their starters from last year, and the last time that happened it was the Pittsburgh Steelers who went on to repeat and win another SB.  Now, will that be the case?  That is yet to be seen.  But winning the division has to come first, and they have prepared to do so with solid offseason acquisitions.

So far they have brought in players like Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, KJ Britt, Chris Wilcox, and Ladarius Hamilton.  As well as the return of O.J. Howard, Kenjon Barner, Shaq Barrett, Jack Cichy, and A.Q. Shipley from late-season IR.  

NFC West ”“ Los Angeles Rams

Finally, we have the NFC West, which is probably the strongest division all-around in the league, never mind the conference.  With that said, the Rams are probably the most complete team of them all right now, with playmakers at every level of offense and defense.  To state the obvious first, Matt Stafford is going to drastically improve the team’s offense, and the addition of Sony Michel is one that despite losing Cam Akers should be able to create some productivity.

They obviously still have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey on the team too, both of whom are top players at their position.  Overall the explosiveness that Stafford could bring to this offense could put this team in deep playoff contention this season.

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By: (@AdamHulseSports)

The Dallas Cowboys are a team that is a real Super Bowl contender heading into the 2021 NFL season. They have a head coach in Mike McCarthy who has already won a ring with the Green Bay Packers, one of the best offensives in the NFL lead by superstar quarterback Dak Prescott, and an improved defense with a brand new, and highly respected, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. They are the current betting odds favorite to win the NFC East Division at +135 according to the Draft Kings Sports Book and they actually have the second easiest strength of schedule ranking. There are many reasons to believe that the Cowboys can compete for a Super Bowl this season.

Dak is Back

After missing the majority of the 2020 season due to injury, Dak is back and ready to go for the 2021 NFL season. He has consistently been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL and there is no reason to believe that won’t continue as long as he is fully healthy. In his last full season in 2019, he put up the best numbers of his career including 4902 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns, both of which were career highs. In fact, because he has consistently trended up each year in terms of production, it’s still very possible that he will be even better this coming season than ever before. The best version of Prescott may still be on it’s way and that’s a very exciting thought for the Cowboys.

Elite Offense

The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the entire NFL. Last season, even without Prescott for eleven games, the Cowboys still ranked 14th in total offense at 371.8 yards per game and 17th in scoring offense with 24.7 points per game. This demonstrates that even with the terrible quarterback play, and a ton of injuries to the offensive line as well, their offensive weapons were still good enough to produce. Now that Prescott and the line are both healthy again, they can get back to being the dominant force that they were in 2019 or even better. That season the Cowboys ranked 1st in the NFL in total offense with 431.5 yards per game and 6th in scoring offense with 27.1 points per game.

The CeeDee Lamb Factor

In addition to Ezekiel Elliot, Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup, who were all a part of the team in 2019, is the now second year wide receiver in CeeDee Lamb. He had a very impressive rookie campaign in 2020 with 74 receptions for 935 yards and 5 touchdowns in a crowded passing offense. The fact that only five of his sixteen games played were with Prescott makes his season even more impressive. Most importantly, his best games of the year were when Prescott was playing including both of his games where he eclipsed 100 receiving yards, his only game with multiple touchdowns, and his most receptions with eight in a single game. This connection between Prescott and Lamb is something to keep an eye on in the 2021 NFL season and will likely be a huge weapon for the Cowboys.

Improving Defense

The Cowboys were a disaster defensively in the 2020 season. They ranked 23rd in yards allowed with 386.4 per game and 28th in points allowed with 29.6 per game. Despite not losing much in terms of personnel, this was a huge drop-off from their solid 2019 season where they ranked 9th in yards allowed with 327 per game and 11th in points allowed with 20.1 per game. This is why defensive coordinator Mike Nolan was fired after just one season with the Cowboys. They upgraded in a big way this offseason by hiring Dan Quinn to be the new DC, who was the mastermind of the famous Legion of Boom defense in Seattle with the Seahawks. With stars like Jaylon Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence to pair with exciting newcomers like Micah Parsons, Quinn has an excellent opportunity to get Dallas back into the top ten defenses in the NFL.

Season Outlook

Playing in the NFC East division that is fairly weak compared to the rest of the NFL gives the Cowboys an excellent chance to make a postseason appearance. The Eagles are in a complete rebuilding year, the Giants are improving but don’t appear quite ready to compete yet, and the defending division champions, Washington, are a solid team but definitely beatable and not as talented as the Cowboys are as a whole. This is why the Cowboys are the favorites to win their division and make an appearance in the playoffs. If Dak Prescott can continue to improve, and Dan Quinn lives up to his expectations of greatly improving the defense, then the Cowboys will be right in the mix as a Super Bowl contender.

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By: Jeremy Trottier

The New York Giants have had a very impressive offseason, bringing in a lot of new members to the team and really improving it in all facets.  The Giants also only missed the playoffs last season by one game, and even though they were in a notoriously weak 2020 NFC East, they were still able to be in that position with rather lackluster receiving options and lacked depth.  In this article, I will be going over three reasons the New York Giants can return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Hugely Improved Roster

As I previously mentioned, the Giants have made some significant improvements to their roster and 

have really given Daniel Jones every single opportunity to succeed in the 2021-2022 season.  The most notable two additions for Jones will be Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney, who both bring some elite separation factor to the roster, granted in different ways.  Toney reminds me of almost an Alvin Kamara of sorts in terms of how insanely elusive he is, obviously not that level of playmaker yet but his shifts and lateral agility are absolutely off the charts.  Having a short-range receiver like that who can turn five yards into 25 is massive.  

Outside these two additions they also brought in players like Azeez Ojulari and Elerson Smith to help the linebacking front, Rodarius Williams for CB depth and even potential to start eventually, and OL depth in Jake Burton and Raymond Johnson III.  It is also notable that they will have a returning Xavier McKinney for a full season of play potentially and his young capabilities should sure up an already solid secondary.

Daniel Jones is Ready for the Next Step

One of the most notable things in the NFL is when quarterbacks really learn the NFL landscape and make the jump from solid to good.  Josh Allen did it last season (year three), Baker Mayfield really improved from season two to season three, even players like Ryan Tannehill improved extremely when getting more weapons around them, in his case a new system and team. 

Daniel Jones did have a relatively down year in 2020, no doubt, throwing almost as many TDs as interceptions and less than 3000 yards, however, who can blame him?  When your primary receiving threats are a not yet developed Darius Slayton, Sterling Shephard who has been mediocre and struggles with separation, and Evan Engram who despite being a Pro-Bowler last season really has trouble holding onto the ball, you are bound to have issues passing.  Also take note he did not have Saquon Barkley out of the backfield to pitch to when he was under pressure.  With that said, he has the weapons, he has a somewhat developing O-line, and a phenomenal defense to get him the ball back.  He should perform at a new high level in 2021 based on all of this.

The NFC East is”¦Interesting

Finally, we take a look at the surrounding teams, all of which have huge deals of question marks.  Starting with the Dallas Cowboys, who yes, should be contending for the playoffs, however, this is provided Dak Prescott is actually able to play at the high level he did previously, and the injury did not change him heavily.  Even if so, the Cowboys did go 2-3 prior to Dak’s injury last season, and one game was pure because the Atlanta Falcons had a miscue on special teams.  

Then you have the Washington Football Team, who yes are also primed to make a playoff push potentially.  With that said, again, is their QB a set thing?  Ryan Fitzpatrick did do well with the Miami Dolphins, but this is a completely different offense, and many forget Fitz was not extraordinary and consistent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers not too long ago.  The WFT also are missing strength along the O-line to protect Fitz, and could definitely use some more in terms of secondary depth and potentially even another CB.  

Finally, the Philadelphia Eagles, who most have written off as the bottom team in this division right now, as they are mainly banking on Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith to push this team forward.  With a continually aging offensive line, a relatively dismantled defense outside a few players like Fletcher Cox and Darius Slay, they really look like they will struggle unless something sparks heavily.

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Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot had a career-low single-season performance in the 2020 season. Elliot muscled out a career-low rushing yards per game (65.3), career-low rushing yards per attempt (4.0), and a personal career-low single season rushing touchdown mark (6). It’s safe to say that Zeke’s signature “feed me” gesture wasn’t regularly used. 

Zeke will have his sights set on a stronger rushing effort next season and hope to successfully prove his six-year – 90 million contract extension signed in 2019 was worth it. Zeke should prove to be a reliable, talented RB for his Cowboys offense led by the healthy Dak Prescott at QB. However, there is a question worth pondering: will we see the 2019 Zeke (1,378 rushing yards) or a RB closer to the 2020 version? Is Zeke truly going to show he’s a Top 5 back again? 

With that being said, I’m going to outline the Top 10 RBs heading into next season and where I believe Zeke stands amid the NFL’s top RBs. 

1. Derrick Henry 

The clear top RB in the league is 2020 Offensive Player of The Year Derrick Henry. Henry joined fellow Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson as the second Titans ball carrier to have a 2,000 yard rushing season. Henry was just recently named as ESPN’s top RB in the league. The 6’4 240 RB will not see even see fewer defenders in the box with Julio Jones at the wideout position.

2. Christian McCaffrey

The second-best RB in the league belongs to one of the few RBs ever to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. CMAC will be healthy and seeking vengeance with his new QB in 2021.

3. Dalvin Cook

Dalvin Cook is one of the most electric RBs to play the game in the last decade. Cook has battled nagging injuries, but that hasn’t stopped him from being one of the most productive RBs in the NFL. Cook is coming off a very impressive (1557 yds, 16 TDs), despite missing two games. 

4. Alvin Kamara

Cook and Alvin Kamara are both coming off fantastic seasons and appear to be at the utmost prime of their careers. Kamara proved his contract right with 1,688 total yards and 21 total touchdowns last season. AK was even named ESPN’s second top RB in the league. 

5. Saquon Barkley

ESPN had Saquon Barkley pinned as the No. one RB headed into the 2020 season, but Barkley suffered a devastating leg injury in just Week 2. Barkley fell to number sixth on ESPN’s top ten RB list heading into the 2021 season, but I believe his talent at this stage in his career is enough to keep him labeled as a top 5 back. 

6. Nick Chubb

It doesn’t matter who Nick Chubb has next to him in the Browns backfield, he will be a very efficient RB at all times. Chubb averaged a whopping 5.6 YPC, unleashed 1,067 yards, and cranked out 12 touchdowns in 12 games last season. Chubb’s rushing success over the past few seasons is why an NFL exec boldly stated that he is the best pure runner in the league. 

7. Josh Jacobs

I believe that Josh Jacobs is right in the prime of his career. He’s consistently hard to bring down and he doesn’t slow down when defenses adjust to make him the priority. Jacobs may not be on a sexy team, nor coveted by a season of All Pro honors, but he’s shown to be an elite, reliable talent. Jacobs is 23 years old and he’s due to unveil a career season in 2021 or 2022. 

8. Ezekiel Elliot 

The Cowboys RB is surely a Top 10 RB headed into the 2021 season. ESPN puts Zeke at number seven, but I don’t believe he’s the same player he was and he’s capable of returning to a 1,300+ rushing yard season. The RB with 979 rushing yards last season should be around a 1,100 yard back moving forward, but I believe his prime is behind him and Dak’s return would justify him over the names mentioned above him. 

9. Joe Mixon 

I like Joe Mixon’s pure RB ability and his outlook moving forward. Mixon should capitalize off the improved Joe Burrow in the offense. I believe the RB that missed 10 games last season but unleashed 1,100+ yards in each of the previous two seasons, should be placed in the Top 10. 

10.  Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor and Aaron Jones are tight for this spot, but the Colts RB with 1,169 rushing yards, 5 YPC, and 11 rushing touchdowns deserves to grab a spot. Aaron Jones is a talented all-around back, but It’s very possible that the strong Colts RB ousts a 1,300 yard+ season in 2021.

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Daniel Racz @Danny___Dimes 

Introduction

The 2019 draft brings up confusing memories for most Giants fans. The expectation was that the Giants were going to put together one final attempt to win with Eli Manning. The perceived weak QB class made pass rushers like Josh Allen and Brian Burns the top targets in most mock drafts. However, the Giants’ front office shocked the world when they took Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth pick in the draft. 

Jones’ first two years in the NFL have been a series of ups and downs. His rookie year featured extreme volatility. Though he posted 26 total touchdowns, he also gave the ball away 27 times (not good!). With a depleted weapons group in Jones’ sophomore year, he cut back on the turnovers at the expense of the big plays. That said, there are numerous reasons to expect Jones to cement himself as the face of the New York Football Giants.

Tireless Work Ethic

Daniel Jones may be the subject of memes and mockery on the internet, but he does not let that phase me. Between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Jones loaded up on muscle intending to eliminate his fumbling issues. While he coughed up the ball eight times in 2020, that is much better than the fifteen lost fumbles from 2019. 

Multiple Giants have preached about Jones’ commitment to the game. The phrase “First guy in, last guy out” is frequently repeated when those in the know within the Giants’ organization are asked about Jones. Does this work ethic mean that Jones will take a leap and assert himself as a premier quarterback? Of course not. Nonetheless, it is a positive sign for a young quarterback like Daniel Jones.

Year Over Year Improvement

Fumbling is not the only area where Jones has progressed. While Daniel Jones posted better counting statistics during his rookie season, he had a better handle of the position his sophomore year. In the pocket, Jones was less susceptible to pressure, leading to fewer turnovers. This comfort also aided Jones as a passer. Despite a putrid offensive line, Jones managed to rank as NextGenStats’ number one graded deep passer in 2020. 

Daniel Jones also established himself as a force on the ground during his sophomore season. Jones went from 279 rushing yards his rookie year to 423 in 2020 despite playing the final few games on a bum leg. Jones should be expected to take another jump in 2021 with the return of Saquon Barkley too. 

Respectable Supporting Cast

For the first time in Daniel Jones’ short career, he has a dynamic group of weapons around him. Jones’ partner in crime in the backfield, all-pro running back Saquon Barkley, returns from his ACL injury. For better or for worse, most of the 2020 offensive line is coming back. At the wide receiver position, the Giants are as stacked as they have been in nearly a decade. Possession wide receiver Kenny Golladay signed with the Giants in free agency. The Giants also added tight end Kyle Rudolph and gadget wide receiver Kadarius Toney. The Giants now have big-bodied red-zone threats in Golladay and Rudolph. Though Toney is raw as a route runner, he is a solid athlete and phenomenal in the open field. Daniel Jones played with a 1990 Toyota for his first few years, and he has just been handed a Ferrari. 

The Giants also improved their defense via the additions of pass rusher Azeez Ojulari and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson. Jones will have the chance to lead a top offense, and Big Blue’s defense will ensure that the team will be competitive in every game. 

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