Dallas Cowboys: 10 – 6
The season got off to a bit of a rocky start. After going 3-5 in the first 8 games of their season, Jason Garrett’s seat was getting hot and things were looking down for the Cowboys. Shortly thereafter they managed to trade for Amari Cooper and two weeks later caught a lucky break when Alex Smith went down.
Things turned around for Dallas (not really, the rest of the NFC East just sucked) and they went on to win 7 of their remaining 8 games to capture the division title and clinch a home playoff game.
Dallas won a playoff game, which is great because that practically ensures Dak is paid and Garrett is safe until Jerry dies.
All in all, it was a good season for Dallas and their obnoxious fans have a lot to be excited about moving forward.
Season Stats:
Their Offensive were consistently mediocre:
Points Per Game – 21.2 (22nd)
Yards Per Game – 343.8 (22nd)
Pass Yards Per Game – 221.1 (23rd)
Rush Yards Per Game – 122.7 (10th)
DVOA: -6.5%
Their Defensive stats were a bit more impressive:
Points Per Game – 20.2 (6th)
Yards Per Game – 329.2 (7th)
Pass Yards Per Game – 234.7 (13th)
Rush Yards Per Game – 94.6 (5th)
DVOA: -3.5%
Philadelphia Eagles: 9 – 7
The Eagles season started off strong with a season opening win over the Atlanta Falcons, before they (Falcons) were totally decimated by injury. However, the fun soon ended there. Philadelphia fell to Fitzpatrick’s hot hand when that was a thing earlier this season, and they dropped a frustrating game to the Titans two weeks later then also fell to the Vikings the following week. The Panthers managed to embarrass the Eagles in Week 7 and at that point, the season felt like it was lost.
Pederson, Schwartz and Co. were catching some heat, whether deserved or not. The Eagles played up and down the rest of the season and looked nothing like the reigning Superbowl Champions. Players were out with soft tissue injuries for prolonged stretches, which seemed odd. It all came to a head when the Wentz back injury was announced.
Doug Pederson and the Medical staff came under fire for perceived mismanagement of Wentz injury.. but then then Golden Boy came in and beat the Rams the following Sunday. The season undeniably turned when Foles came in. There are many reasons why you could argue the team got better, but it’s clear that Rams win was a turning point in this trying season.
The Eagles managed to sneak in to the playoffs thanks to the Vikings and Alex Smith’s broken leg. They needed that Week 17 win over the Redskins to get the Wild Card. The Eagles had no business making the playoffs, but won a game on the road against the leagues top defense but then they fell to The Saints the following week.
The Eagles 2018 season ended up feeling like a success despite the struggles.
Season Stats:
Offense:
Points Per Game – 22.9 (18th)
Yards Per Game – 365.3 (14th)
Pass Yards Per Game – 267.2 (7th)
Rush Yards Per Game – 98.1 (28th)
DVOA: -0.3%
Defense:
Points Per Game – 21.8 (12th)
Yards Per Game – 366.2 (23rd)
Pass Yards Per Game – 269.2 (30th)
Rush Yards Per Game – 96.9 (7th)
DVOA: 0.0%
Washington Redskins: 7 – 9
Despite their top RB tearing his ACL prior to the season, the Redskins started the year 6-3 and took a commanding lead over the NFC East. Alex Smith was looking like a decent upgrade over Kirk Cousins despite the preseason debate. Their season hopes came to an abrupt end at home on November 18th when Alex Smith’s leg broke vs. the Texans.
After that injury, the entire landscape of the NFC East changed and the Redskins had a bit of a revolving door at QB. Colt McCoy tried first at a shot at redemption, but his season was ended a few weeks later thanks to a broken leg. Butt Fumblin Mark Sanchez was brought in, and that was good for a few laughs. There were a lot of things the Redskins did not do well this season, but most of their struggles can be attributed to the revolving door at QB after Smith’s injury.
Eyes shifted to Redskins ownership and management. Fan frustration with the entire front office has been building for year, but it was even more apparent in 2018. The #FireBruceAllen twitter movement was born, but ultimately fell on deaf ears. Sorry Redskins fans, things don’t look promising.
Could you please free Kerrigan? He deserves better.
Season Stats:
Offense:
Points Per Game – 17.6 (29th)
Yards Per Game – 299.7 (28th)
Pass Yards Per Game – 188.8 (28th)
Rush Yards Per Game – 110.9 (17th)
DVOA: -19.4%
Defense:
Points Per Game – 22.4 (15th)
Yards Per Game – 353.4 (17th)
Pass Yards Per Game – 237.1 (15th)
Rush Yards Per Game – 116.2 (17th)
DVOA: 1.7%
New York Giants: 5 – 11
I really don’t even want to write about this team. They suck. In a rich QB draft, the Giants held the #2 overall pick, and desperately needed an upgrade over Eli Manning. Well, their owner said screw that, let’s take a RB who was touched by the hand of God. No denying Barkley is fantastic, but this move still surprises me. They paid OBJ and he put up numbers, but it ultimately didn’t do much for them. At least he wasn’t a total headache this season, right?
The Giants finished a fantastic 5 -11. They were swept by the Eagles and Cowboys. They split their games with the Redskins, thanks to Alex Smiths leg, otherwise they would have gone 0-6 in the division.
They did play some inspired football down the stretch, but they stand a cross roads this off season. They hold the #6 pick, is Manning’s replacement finally drafted?
I’ve already written too much about my least favorite team in the NFL. Let’s look at their pitiful season stats (which on offense aren’t that bad, sadly).
Season Stats:
Offense:
Points Per Game – 23.1 (16th)
Yards Per Game – 356.1 (17th)
Pass Yards Per Game – 252.9 (11th)
Rush Yards Per Game – 103.1 (24th)
DVOA: 1.3%
Defense:
Points Per Game – 25.8 (23rd)
Yards Per Game – 371.4 (24th)
Pass Yards Per Game – 252.8 (23rd)
Rush Yards Per Game – 118.6 (20th)
DVOA: 5.8%
Squatch
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