Sometimes, a fact makes such little sense that you have to do a spit take when you read it. Week 5 in the NFC East certainly fits that bill, as they became the first division in NFL history to go winless in a week where at least two of their teams played each other, which shouldn't be possible — unless of course you saw how badly the Giants and Commanders botched the overtime period of their Week 5 tie.
By rule, the winner of that division will host a playoff game, which seems like cruel and unusual punishment for football fans used to such ineptitude out of the NFC South. We'll dive deeper into the trustworthiness of the NFC East, why the Jaguars are being slept on, whether Bo Nix is regressing and more in the latest edition of the NFL Skinny.
The Giants’ division lead hasn’t erased the reasons for doubt
- Trust level: Not sold
There may not be one good team in the bunch out of the NFC East, which has seen its fair share of sloppy football over the first five weeks of the season. The Giants somehow lead the division at 3-1-1 despite losing quarterback Jaxson Dart for the season, but their defense has given up at least 24 points in three of their past five games, while the offense is a weekly choose-your-own-adventure book based on which version of Jameis Winston shows up. Add in the fact that the Giants are hanging on against a pillow-soft schedule, and it looks like rough times are ahead for John Harbaugh's group.
The Cowboys’ defense makes Dallas difficult to believe in
- Trust level: Not buying it yet
Dallas has been the most inconsistent team in the NFC East, alternating losses and wins for the first five weeks, thanks in part to a defense that continues to hemorrhage points despite how many high-impact players Jerry Jones adds to it. Christian Parker's unit has given up 395.4 yards per game, ahead of only the awful Lions' defense in that category, and Dallas recently added veteran coach Mike Pettine to try and help Parker get more out of an underachieving group.
The Commanders have too many questions beyond Jayden Daniels’ health
- Trust level: Reason for doubt
Then we have Washington, which has a win over the Seahawks to their credit but will live or die with the availability of Jayden Daniels, whose brain cramp on the final drive of overtime on Sunday cost them a key divisional win. The road ahead is stiff for the Commanders, who are 0-2-1 in the NFC East so far, and have a tough gauntlet of the 49ers, Eagles, Rams and Giants in their next four games.
The Eagles’ losing streak is exposing more than bad luck
- Trust level: Losing confidence
Philadelphia has dropped three in a row, thanks in part to some poor game management from Nick Sirianni, but they could easily be 0-5 if a few bounces of the football went the other way in Weeks 1 and 2 when they beat the Commanders and Titans by a combined six points. Injuries are ravaging the Eagles, who have seen Saquon Barkley, Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert go down, while the offensive line is in flux following Lane Johnson's retirement and the trade of Cam Jurgens to Baltimore.
Forecasting a winner in the NFC East is going to be quite challenging, although the fact that the Giants already have three wins in the bank gives them a leg up. The best unit in the whole division is probably still the Eagles' defense, but they will need to get some skill position players back to put up enough points to not waste their efforts.
Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars deserve to be taken seriously in the AFC
- Trust level: Buying in
When most people discuss the best teams in the AFC, they often cycle through some combination of Kansas City, Buffalo and Baltimore. Few mention the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have quietly won 12 of their last 13 regular season games following Sunday morning's win over the Eagles in London.
Jacksonville is two games clear of the rest of the AFC South to date as Trevor Lawrence continues to make beautiful music with Liam Coen, completing 67.3 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns against three picks in his first five games this season. The defense is also the epitome of bend but don't break, giving up 330 yards per game but ranking second in the league by allowing only 14 points per game, with a +5 turnover differential proving to be key.
The 49ers are building a cushion their injuries could make essential
- Trust level: Buying in, with concerns
Things continue coming up aces for the 49ers, who are 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the NFC West with road wins over both the Seahawks and Rams. Los Angeles' loss to Buffalo on Monday night means that San Francisco is three games clear of the preseason Super Bowl favorites, a cushion they could very well need given their continued attrition at wide receiver.
Deebo Samuel became the latest 49ers' receiver to go down after hurting his hamstring in Sunday's win over Seattle, leaving Brock Purdy's top pass catchers as veteran Mike Evans, tight end George Kittle, second year man Jordan Watkins and recent free agent pickup Brandin Cooks, who caught a touchdown on Sunday. The 49ers' bye is two weeks away, which could prove quite useful to getting some of their injured players back before a tough stretch run.
Bo Nix’s regression is becoming harder to dismiss
- Trust level: Losing confidence
Sean Payton re-assumed play calling duties from Davis Webb for the Broncos and it didn't do much to help the struggling Nix, who is regressing from a breakthrough first two seasons. Nix had a tough go of it against the Chargers in Los Angeles, completing 16-of-27 passes for just 123 yards with a score in a 23-17 victory.
The Broncos have seen Nix's completion percentage and yards per attempt both dip year-to-year, a concerning downward trend after he set solid totals as a rookie. There are plenty of weapons for Nix to work with, including a strong trio of receivers in Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant, so it is a definite concern that Nix appears to be going backwards in the third year of his career.
This week's Thursday night matchup feels like a key litmus test for two potential Super Bowl contenders who have had inconsistent form early in the season. Seattle feels much more complete than Denver, which has the lingering Nix questions they will have to figure out and likely needs this game far more than the Seahawks do right now.
The Saints are running out of reasons to believe in a turnaround
- Trust level: Not buying it
The Saints were a trendy sleeper pick in the NFC South after finishing the 2025 season strong. While the South is still in play with Carolina leading at just 2-2, the Saints have their work cut out for them after Sunday's loss to Minnesota dropped them to 1-4 on the season.
Tyler Shough had his worst day as a pro on Sunday, appearing completely perplexed by the complicated defenses that Brian Flores threw at him. New Orleans also needs more out of its defense, which is giving up a whopping 30.2 points per game, ahead of only the Arizona Cardinals for the worst in football in that department.
Jordan Love is giving the Packers a reason to believe again
- Trust level: Buying back in
It felt personal for the Packers in Chicago on Sunday, and Love made it his mission to get revenge on Ben Johnson and the Bears for knocking them out of the playoffs one year ago. Love was dominant through the air, completing 25-of-31 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns to Watson to help Green Bay blow out Chicago and climb right back into the NFC North fray.
The Rams’ special teams are making Los Angeles harder to trust
- Trust level: Losing confidence
Sean McVay has admitted his special teams unit has issues and they reared their ugly head again on Monday night. Kicker Harrison Mevis missed both of his field goal tries, including having a potential game-winner blocked in overtime, while the Rams' kick coverage unit was routinely gashed for long returns, setting up shorter fields for Josh Allen and Buffalo's offense. There is no doubt that the Rams need to find a way to fix this mess if they hope to reach their goals of contending for a Super Bowl in their building on Valentine's Day.
Add us as a preferred source on Google