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Week 9 of the 2014 NFL season turned out to be quite a treat for Philadelphia Eagles fans. Not only did the Birds win, but all three of their division opponents lost. To top it all off, the Eagles are now back in control of the NFC East lead.
Let's take a look at the updated standings.
NFC East Standings
| Rank | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles |
6-2 |
| 2 |
Dallas Cowboys |
6-3 |
| 3 | New York Giants | 3-5 |
| 4 | Washington Redskins | 3-6 |
2014 NFL Week 9 Breakdown
1) Eagles
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The Eagles are back in first, which is where they have been for most of the season except for the past two weeks. Philadelphia rebounded from their Week 8 loss by getting a win on the road in Houston against the Texans. It was a costly win for the Birds. Both starting quarterback Nick Foles and starting linebacker DeMeco Ryans went down with significant injuries. Foles is expected to be out for six to eight weeks while Ryans' season is officially over.
Mark Sanchez will take over at quarterback for the foreseeable future. Sanchez played relatively well for a backup coming off the bench but wasn't without his mistakes. He'll need to be better moving forward. There's reason to believe the Eagles can succeed with Sanchez. He's a capable veteran and the Eagles can aim to lean on the run game thanks to the return of starting left guard Evan Mathis and center Jason Kelce.
Up next: Home versus the Panthers (3-5-1). Carolina hasn't won a game since October 5th.
2) Cowboys
Two straight losses for Dallas. The Cowboys were red hot before this losing streak but the injury suffered by Tony Romo has slowed them down. With Brandon Weeden in at quarterback, opposing defenses can key in on stopping the Dallas run game. When the Cowboys can't control the clock on offense, their lackluster defense is exposed. Dallas is still a team with a lot of talent, but it's obviously a big concern for the Cowboys if Romo can't stay healthy. Back injury issues don't always just magically go away.
Up next: Away at Jaguars, in London. It looks like Romo will be back. The Cowboys should win this one, but they should probably consider using a different hashtag.
3) Giants
Get ready to stick a fork in the Giants. If they're not done already, which they probably are, they sure look that way. The G-Men have lost three games in a row. The New York defense just didn't have an answer for the Indianapolis Colts offense.
The Giants are now 3-5 but also 1-2 against NFC East teams and 2-4 in conference play. Their upcoming schedule doesn't get any easier: away at Seattle Seahawks, home versus San Francisco 49ers, home versus Dallas Cowboys.
Up next: Away at Seattle. The Seahawks don't look as good as they did last year but they're still two games above .500.
4) Washington
RG3 is back, but it doesn't matter. Any hope that Washington had of reviving their season is effectively dead with a loss to the Vikings. Washington dropped to 3-6 overall with the loss. They're 1-2 in the division and 1-5 in conference play. Washington won the division after a 3-6 start in 2012 but at that point they were only 0-1 in the NFC East and 3-4 against NFC teams.
Not to mention, Washington has locker room issues. Hm, interesting. Wonder if that says anything about the type of players they bring in.
Up next: Home versus the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is really bad so Washington might be able to pick up a win.
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