2020 was a step forward for the NY Giants, who finished one game behind the Washington Football Team for an NFC East crown. The division title would have been the first for the Giants since the 2016-17 season, though the same postseason result as WFT was likely. That Tampa Bay Buccaneers team was one of destiny.
The NFC East was weak last year, and the general dysfunction of the Cowboys coupled with the quarterback questions in Philadelphia makes for a division that could come down to D.C. and New York.
Truth be told, Dallas seems to actually have direction in 2021. Dak Prescott has his lucrative commitment from the Cowboys, essentially placing confidence in his ability to lead the team back to the postseason for the first time in four years.
Philadelphia is in a strange place after rumors came out that the team was considering BYU’s Zach Wilson after dealing away Carson Wentz to supposedly give Jalen Hurts the keys to the offense.
Washington is a tad more stable with “Fitzmagic” now in tow … on the surface. The Harvard signal-caller has yet to play a single minute in the postseason. The team’s defense was a strong suit for them in 2020, though, and carried WFT through a season that saw a quarterback-by-committee approach.
The division is winnable, and if Daniel Jones could take more steps towards living up to his #6 draft position, Big Blue could do damage in the NFC playoffs. Kenny Golladay will certainly be an asset in achieving that goal.
What won the last two Super Bowls in the Big Apple was a sturdy defense, though. The 2020 NY Giants had a middling defensive unit. Their #11 NFL draft pick could be a golden ticket to changing those fortunes, though.
Penn State could provide the NY Giants the fortifying force in the middle the team could use to do that.