2024 NFC East Preview – Odds – Sleeper Pick

Scott Morris | August 13, 2024

The Dallas Cowboys went 12-5 in 2023 to take the NFC East crown for the second time in three years. The Cowboys are once again among the favorites to win the division, but can they hold off the Philadelphia Eagles? The two teams have essentially owned the NFC East for much of the last decade. Of the last ten division titles, Dallas can claim five and Philadelphia three.

The 2024 season should be much of the same as far as the NFC East is concerned. It’s a two-team race between the Cowboys and Eagles, both of which made the postseason last year. Both Dallas and Philadelphia lost their wild card round playoff games. The Eagles were spanked by Tampa Bay 32-9. Dallas dropped a 48-32 decision to Green Bay in a game that was never close.

Washington (4-13) welcomes a new quarterback, No. 1 draft pick Jayden Daniels, as well as a whole new coaching staff under head coach Dan Quinn. Daniels will operate the Air Raid offense under former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. The Commanders are the only other NFC East team to win a division title in the last decade. Washington won the NFC East in 2015 and in 2020 with a 7-9 record.

The Giants made the playoffs in 2022, head coach Brian Daboll’s first season. Last year, New York didn’t fare all that well, finishing 6-11. They lost All-Pro RB Saquon Barkley to the Eagles in the offseason. The defense was awful and it’s easy to see why the Giants are listed at +1400 to win the division this year.

Who Will Win the NFC East in 2024?

Well, once again, the NFC East will be a battle of two teams – Dallas and Philadelphia. Both teams have elite level quarterbacks as well as the playmakers to make their respective offenses go. The Cowboys also have one of the better defenses in the NFL.

Last season, Dallas finished fifth in the NFL in pass defense, total defense, and scoring defense. If there’s a difference between the Cowboys and Eagles, it’s on the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles relied on a high-scoring offense to bail out their defense. Philadelphia had the third-worst scoring defense in the NFL last year.

The Eagles did add Barkely, which will help the running game as well as time of possession. If the Eagles plan on winning the division this time around, the defense is going to have to be much better. That is especially true in division games.

In 2023 against its NFC East opponents, the Eagles allowed 30 or more points three times in six games. Philadelphia allowed an average of 29.2 points per game in division play. Still, the Eagles wound up 4-2. If the defense doesn’t get better, the Cowboys will be the NFC East’s first back-to-back champions since the days of Andy Reid’s Eagles in the early 2000s.

Top Contenders

If Philadelphia is the early favorite, Dallas is the top contender. The Giants (+1400) and Commanders (+1000) are essentially out of the race. Washington had the worst defense in all of football last season. Quinn will fix that, but he can’t do it overnight. The Giants were also one of the poorer defenses in the NFL last season and they will be without Barkley on offense.

That leaves Dallas (+160) and Philadelphia (-125). These two teams have combined to win seven of the last eight NFC East division titles. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott finished third in the NFL in passing yards with 4,516 and 36 touchdowns. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw for 3,858 and 23 touchdowns and also rushed for 605 yards and 15 more scores. Both offenses are elite and the division crown will come down to which team plays better defense in 2024.

Who Will Make the Playoffs?

In each of the last three seasons, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles have both made the playoffs. Why should 2024 be any different? These are the two best teams in the division and two of the best in the NFC. Plus, the Eagles have the ninth-easiest schedule in 2024.

Dallas isn’t all that far behind with the No. 15 schedule in terms of strength. The NFC East crosses over with the AFC North, which is a tough one, but they get the luxury of playing the entire NFC South, arguably the NFL’s weakest division. Also, both Dallas and Philadelphia get nine home games in 2024. Expect both teams in the postseason for a fourth consecutive year.

The NFC East Sleeper

QB Jayden Daniels Is there really an opportunity for the Giants or Commanders to sneak in and win the division in 2024? The short answer is no. Quinn will certainly change things up in Washington, but he’s a long way away from being competitive. He’ll have a rookie quarterback in Daniels and the defensive roster needs to be overhauled. When Quinn took over in Atlanta back in 2015, he needed a year before his Falcons won the division and made the playoffs.

The Giants just don’t have the roster to compete with Dallas and Philadelphia. Daboll was lucky to go 9-7-1 in 2022. He was probably lucky to go 6-11 last year. The Giants (No. 13) and Commanders (No. 12) have easier schedules, but getting over .500 is going to be very difficult for both teams in 2024. That means no sleeper in the NFC East this season.