Are the Commanders the Front Runners to Win the NFC East?

After a terrible season last year that saw the Washington Commanders go 4-13, they have resurrected this franchise behind the all-time play of their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. With his play, the Commanders are out to a hot start to the season as they improved this past week to 3-1, which is the best record in the NFC East. Their offense has been able to move the ball incredibly well, which has resulted in them scoring the third most points in the league. With the Commanders’ recent success, should NFL fans start to consider them the favorite to win the division over the Eagles and Cowboys?

Let’s start by evaluating the other teams in the NFC East besides the Commanders. The Giants have a tough defense, but their offense, led by Daniel Jones, is on the verge of a disaster. Their only offensive bright spot is Malik Nabers because they let Saquon Barkley walk this offseason to their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, with Saquon Barkley, have looked explosive at times, but Jalen Hurts has been incredibly turnover-prone. This, combined with a lot of internal conflict between Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirranni, could result in this organization flaming out, much like they did at the end of last season. The Cowboys have a lot of question marks themselves, as their defense is a far cry from where it was last season. Last year, they were a top-tier defense, but this year, they have given up the fourth most points and the seventh most yards per game in the NFL. This lack of defense will be the Cowboys’ undoing if it continues.

This Commanders offense has been prolific and incredibly efficient. Although the offensive line was a massive question mark entering the season, the threat of Jayden Daniels taking off with his legs has prevented the pass rush from coming in as fast, which has really benefited his offensive line. Through the first four games of the season, Jayden Daniels actually now holds the record for the highest completion percentage of any quarterback in NFL history at 82.1%. Now, there are some concerns for the Commanders before we anoint them as the front runner in the NFC East. This defense has not played well. Despite paying big money to their defensive lineman, they haven’t generated the type of pass rush that you’d expect. If the Commanders can avoid making every game a shootout, this team could absolutely win the NFC East and could make a good playoff run this year.