Four games in and the Dallas Cowboys are sitting pretty with 2 wins, and 2 losses. They could definitely be doing worse, just look at the Cincinnati Bengals or the Jacksonville Jaguars (both 0-3). But perhaps less than ideal for a team that’s reportedly gunning for the Super Bowl. At no point since their opening game against the Browns have they managed to look dominant on the field. Even the win against the New York Giants last night was a weak one, though their defense was excellent. Things are escalating now, and it’s late enough in the season that some commentators have started raining on the Cowboys’ parade.

Chris Canty, former defensive end for the Cowboys (2005-08), who retired in 2015, pitched in recently. He had a lot to say, practically dictating the shape the NFC East Division would take. He came straight out the gates with a bold claim, “NFC East is going to be a one playoff team division, and it ain’t going to be either one of them teams you watched last night.” Now, it’s not exactly controversial to suggest the Giants aren’t going to make it to the playoffs. Even though they have 4 Super Bowl wins, with their last one in 2011, they’ve made it to the playoffs a total of 2 times.

Cowboys fans have it a lot easier: the team has made the playoffs the last three years running. Fans were buoyed by news of Jerry Jones finally authorizing contract extensions for star duo Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Surely the team has faith in Prescott if they’re willing to make him the highest-paid player in the league, right? And of course, CeeDee Lamb was made the second highest-paid non-quarterback. So why all the doubt then? Canty called the Cowboys “one-dimensional” on offense, focused around CeeDee Lamb, “#88.”

Canty isn’t the only one who’s gone foul on the Dallas Cowboys, of course. Mike Golic Jr. had a change of heart, despite calling the team serious contenders before. On an offense that’s bet so heavily on

CeeDee Lamb, this one man’s misfiring has hobbled the whole team. Add to that the fact that Dak Prescott can’t seem to get into the game before things are already going downhill, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

So if it’s not the Cowboys or the Giants, who’s making the playoffs from NFC East?

The NFC East is pretty stacked in terms of former champions. The Cowboys themselves have five Super Bowl wins, the New York Giants have 4, the Washington Commanders have 3, and the lonely old Philadelphia Eagles are sitting pretty on 1. Now it’s still a little early to be ruling the Cowboys out entirely, but the Giants aren’t looking too healthy.

The Commanders have done pretty well so far, and their win against the New England Patriots was quite the upset. But the preseason favorites are the Eagles, of course, and the only game they’ve lost was by a 1-point margin to the Atlanta Falcons (22-21).

If you had to guess who Canty’s horse in the race is, the Eagles are a pretty good guess. Their quarterback, Jalen Hurts, hasn’t been performing as well since his 2022 campaign, but there’s hope. Head coach Nick Sirianni reports that Hurts has matured as a leader this year. Of course, take that with a grain of salt. This could be Sirianni’s last year with the Eagles if they don’t perform. Hence, maybe this could be all the more reason for him to push his team forward.