Some of the most intense rivalries in football are in the NFC East, and there are a lot of people that bet with their hearts when it comes to betting on the NFC East. This season, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys are the favorites per the NFC East betting odds, with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants seen as also-rans. Philadelphia is starting to get a lot of Super Bowl buzz, and the Eagles’ betting odds to win the NFC Championship might be worth a play too.
2020 NFC East Sports Betting Preview
Dallas Cowboys
The decision to trade for Amari Cooper paid off enormously for the Dallas Cowboys. Few believed that Cooper was worth a first-round pick when the Cowboys traded for him, but he quickly proved his worth as the No. 1 wide receiver the franchise had been lacking since Dez Bryant fell off.
Now, the Cowboys have plenty of pieces in place around Dak Prescott, and it’s up to him to make another step forward. Dallas’ offense has regressed in each season since his rookie year, and that shouldn’t happen with a great offensive line and one of the league’s best running backs. Prescott is looking for big money in a contract extension, so this is his chance to prove his worth.
Dallas took care of Demarcus Lawrence in the offseason, and the Cowboys are going to count on him to bring pressure. Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch are solid young linebackers, but the secondary is a concern. Byron Jones has been average to above average, but the other cornerback position is likely to be a problem.
New York Giants
Are you done laughing yet? Okay, how about now? Ridicule was the main reaction to the Giants’ offseason, as they traded away Olivier Vernon and Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted Daniel Jones with the 6 th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Jones was not seen as a first round prospect by many talent evaluators, and the New York media is sure to pounce on the rookie if he replaces Eli Manning during the season.
At least the Giants have one of the league’s most explosive running backs in Saquon Barkley. Saquon had a sensational rookie season, amassing over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns, and he might have an even bigger role after compiling 352 touches in 2018.
The defense is likely going to be a mess. The Giants selected Deandre Baker and Dexter Lawrence in the first round to help turn around a below average defense, but they don’t have a good pass rusher, and the front seven can be run on.
Philadelphia Eagles
Carson Wentz has been getting plenty of hype this offseason. Wentz signed a massive contract extension with Philadelphia earlier in the year, and many think he is poised to have a breakout year. Louis Riddick has already predicted that he will be named the league MVP (he was right in predicting the last two winners), and his peripherals have been amazing.
The Eagles have a ton of weapons at Wentz’s disposal too. Alshon Jeffery is a solid possession receiver that can catch balls in traffic, and Desean Jackson is a speedster that can create separation on the outside. Philly has the best tight end tandem in the league too in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
Injuries decimated the defense last year (especially the secondary), so provided the unit stays healthy, they should put up much better numbers. Philadelphia has elite talent along the defensive line and in the secondary, and they should have the best defense in the division by a mile. That makes them a great play if you’re betting on the NFC East.
Washington Redskins
Jay Gruden’s seat is hotter than hot. Many NFL betting sites have Gruden as the first coach to be fired this season, as the general consensus is that Dan Snyder will part ways with the coach if Washington doesn’t make it to the playoffs in 2020.
That’s a very tough task considering Washington is likely to start a rookie quarterback.
There have been rave reviews regarding Dwayne Haskins so far this summer, and Derrius Guice could be one of the league’s surprises at running back after missing last year with a torn ACL. However, there isn’t a lot of talent elsewhere in the skill positions, and Trent Williams’ holdout threatens to undermine what should have been a solid offensive line.
For the third straight year, Washington selected a defensive lineman in the first round of the draft. Montez Sweat is going to move to linebacker to take advantage of his tremendous speed, and the Redskins are hoping for better production from him than they have had from their last two picks.
Check out the latest NFC East betting odds at the online sportsbook.
