Nearly one-quarter of the way through the NFL regular season, a hierarchy of contenders and pretenders are beginning to become defined in some divisions.
asserted
hierarchy → begin → divisions
A rash of down-to-the-wire results Sunday has left the division as up-for-grabs as any in the league, with no clear favorite to run away with the division title and playoff spot that comes with it.
asserted
that → leave → it
The New York Giants are 3-1 (1-0 in division play), but how long can their backup quarterbacks keep up a winning streak?
asserted
quarterbacks → keep → streak
The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-2, and 1-0 in the division, but has been outscored by 18 points overall, and neither star running back Saquon Barkley nor quarterback Jalen Hurts has done much to quiet offseason concern about their offense.
asserted
Barkley → outscore → offense
The Dallas Cowboys are 2-2, including 1-1 in the division, and remains one of the league’s biggest threats to score the ball — just as its defense is still one of the least trustworthy to get stops.
asserted
defense → include → stops
Only the Washington Commanders (1-3, 0-2) look like a non-factor one month in after a lopsided 30-13 loss Sunday in London to Indianapolis.
asserted
Commanders → look → Indianapolis
Parity has historically been the norm in the NFC East, which saw a different team win the division every year between 2003-04 and 2024-25.
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team → see → 2003
Not much separates them this fall, either.
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much → separate → them
The Cowboys (plus-10) have the best scoring differential among the group, but the Giants (plus-3), Eagles (negative-18) and Commanders (negative-34) aren’t far behind.
asserted
Giants → have → group
The Giants’ playoff hopes appeared damaged two weeks ago after starting quarterback Jaxson Dart was lost for the season, leaving the team in the hands of the turnover-prone backup Jameis Winston.
asserted
Dart → appear → backup
And yet, the Giants have won two straight games to improve to 3-1.
asserted
Giants → win → 3
Sunday’s latest win, 36-24 against Arizona, was sealed only when defensive back Deonte Banks returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown in the final seconds.
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Banks → seal → seconds
It followed a nail-biting, 12-7 win last week against Tennessee that showed the limits of Winston, only for the 32-year-old former No. 1 overall pick to throw three touchdowns against the Cardinals.
asserted
pick → follow → Cardinals
The Giants also were the beneficiaries of three interceptions to win their first three home games of the season for the first time since 2008.
asserted
Giants → win → 2008
In addition to Dart’s season-ending injury, the Giants are without outside linebacker Brian Burns for the year, as well.
asserted
Giants → end → year
It also marked the first time since 2021-22 that Winston had won back-to-back games as a starter.
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Winston → mark → starter
“We’re in a good position four games in but it’s only four games in,” Giants coach John Harbaugh said.
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Harbaugh → ’re → position
“... We can play so much better.”
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We → play → ?
As that game was ending, so were two others that kept the division in flux.
asserted
that → end → flux
In Philadelphia, the Eagles had an opportunity to boost their uneven early-season results with a win against the prohibitive preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Rams.
asserted
Eagles → have → Bowl
Leading 20-10 with 7:31 to play in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were two yards from the Rams’ end zone when coach Nick Sirianni opted against kicking a short field goal to try what might have been a game-sealing touchdown.
uncertain
what → lead → goal
When Jalen Hurts’ pass fell incomplete, though, the Rams answered with a 98-yard scoring drive, then added a second touchdown less than 3 minutes later to win, 24-20.
asserted
Rams → fall → touchdown
If the game’s outcome shifted in the final minutes, there were warnings all afternoon for the Eagles, who were 0-for-12 on third down, the worst performance in franchise history.
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who → shift → history
“I know when we’re 0-for whatever we were today, everybody has a hand in that,” Sirianni said.
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Sirianni → know → that
He called the fourth-down decision his own fault.
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He → call → decision
“We have to look at ourselves in the mirror,” Sirianni said.
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Sirianni → have → mirror
“We have to be accountable.
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We → have → ?
I’ve got to do a better job.
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I → get → job
All of us have things to improve on.”
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All → have → things
Barkley also continues to look little like the player who rushed for 2,000 yards in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning season two years ago.
asserted
who → continue → season
He entered Sunday with 174 yards in three games.
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He → enter → games
After two rushes for just eight yards, Barkley left the game with an injury — ominously, the 10th Eagles starter to be hurt this season.
asserted
Barkley → leave → injury
In the same 10-minute span in which Philadelphia saw a victory slip out of its grip while the Giants secured their own in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Dallas had its own late drama to avoid a 1-3 start that would have been the franchise’s worst through four games since 2020.
asserted
that → see → 2020
Trailing 30-26 with a little more than 2 minutes remaining, the Cowboys produced an 11-play drive that traveled 74 yards for the go-ahead score to beat Houston, 34-30.
asserted
that → trail → Houston
Dak Prescott’s game-winning touchdown pass went to CeeDee Lamb with 40 seconds remaining — because who else could it have been?
uncertain
it → win → seconds
Against a Houston defense that was one of the NFL’s best last season, Lamb was unstoppable while catching a career-high 17 passes for 189 yards.
asserted
Lamb → catch → yards
(Lamb came into Week 4 with 20 catches all season.)
asserted
Lamb → come → catches
Lamb joined Brandon Marshall (2009) and Terrell Owens (2000) as the only players since 2000 with at least 17 catches, 180 receiving yards and a touchdown.
asserted
Lamb → join → catches
The win could be seen as a response to earlier, dispiriting results.
uncertain
win → see → results
Last week, the Cowboys lost on a last-second field goal to Baltimore thanks to questionable decisions by coach Brian Schottenheimer, calls that the coach acknowledged to the team were his fault, according to a report.
uncertain
coach → lose → report
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
