NFC East Standings: Dallas Cowboys look vulnerable in loss to Washington

While Philadelphia Eagles fans were reasonably upset to see their favorite team lose to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the sting of the team's loss was made a little less worse due to the loss of the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Dallas failed to take advantage of an opportunity to extend their lead in the division.

Let's take a look at the updated standings.

NFC East Standings

Rank	Team	Record
1	Dallas Cowboys	6-2
2	Philadelphia Eagles	5-2
3	New York Giants	3-4
4	Washington Redskins	3-5

2014 NFL Week 8 Breakdown

1) Cowboys

Still first in the NFC East but only because they've played one more game than the Eagles have. Dallas had been riding a six-game win streak heading into their Monday Night Football match-up against Washington but they looked very vulnerable in their loss.

NFL leading rusher DeMarco Murray was dangerous as ever but proved he's still prone to fumbling the ball. The Dallas offensive line continues to look strong as a run-blocking unit but has shown struggles in pass protection. The Cowboys allowed five sacks.

Tony Romo, who was sacked five times, was forced to leave the game at one point due to a back injury. Keep in mind that it was a back injury that ended Romo's 2013 season early and forced him to have surgery. Romo re-entered the game (assist to Jerry Jones?) and now it appears the Dallas quarterback may have suffered a back contusion. With Romo out, backup Brandon Weeden looked capable in his absence, but Weeden is obviously a significant downgrade from the original starter.

On defense, the Cowboys allowed a total of 409 yards (6.4 yards per play) to a Washington offense led by third string quarterback Colt McCoy. The Dallas defense looked very exploitable.

There's no question the Cowboys looked very scary during their six-game win streak. This loss, however, is a reminder that they are far from unbeatable.

Up next: Home versus the Arizona Cardinals (6-1). The Cardinals' stout run defense should be a formidable challenge for the Cowboys' run game. Dallas will hope to avoid a two-game losing streak.

2) Eagles

Philadelphia suffered their second loss of the season in the desert against the Cardinals. The Eagles easily had a chance to win the game but suffered defeat due to three turnovers and two big defensive breakdowns. The defense played fairly well aside from those two plays, too. On offense, Nick Foles remains a concern. The third-year Eagles quarterback still looks shaky coming out of the team's bye.

There's still hope for this team. A number of key players should be returning from injury soon. Those returns won't mean much, however, if the turnovers and big plays don't get fixed.

Up next: Away at the Houston Texans (4-4). Houston is 1-3 in their last four games and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't exactly instill much fear in opponents. The defensive line duo of J.J. Watt and rookie Jadeveon Clowney, who is returning from injury, however, is downright scary.

3) Giants

Bye week. The G-men were outscored 58-21 in the two losses leading up to their week off. New York is still dealing with a number of injuries to several players including starting running back Rashad Jennings.

Up next: Home versus the Indianapolis Colts (5-3). The Colts are coming off a brutal road loss to the Steelers.

4) Washington

Colt McCoy stepped up big for Washington in order to pull the upset over the Cowboys in Dallas. Former Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson pitched in with 6 receptions for 136 yards.

Washington advanced to 3-5 with the win, now just two games under .500. While it appears the Redskins season isn't buried yet, keep in mind they are still 1-2 in the NFC East and 1-4 in conference play. They still have a good distance to climb before getting back into the playoff race. If anything, it's more likely the team is hurting their draft position.

Up next: Away at the Minnesota Vikings (3-5).

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