2024 NFC EAST Preview

This 2024 NFC East Preview is presented by Playbook Sports.

The season win totals and odds to make the playoffs are from the opening lines at BET MGM.

These write-ups were extracted from the 2024 PLAYBOOK Football Preview Guide magazine, on sale now at Barnes & Noble and Book-A-Million bookstores across the country, along with the Gambler’s Book Store in Las Vegas.  You can also a copy directly from Playbook when you visit PlaybookSports.com.

DALLAS COWBOYS – TAKING IT TO THE LIMIT

Meet the only NFL team to average more than 80,000 fans in attendance in home games last season. It helped propel Dallas to a division title and then promptly another one-and-out in the playoffs. If it all plays to form, the Cowboys will cede yet another repeat NFC East title to a different division rival, as they’ve done like clockwork since they last repeated in 1995-96. With it, it appears as though head coach Mike McCarthy and QB Dak Prescott have a “lame duck” label written all over them. From the ‘You Need to Know department,’ nine teams have double-digit win totals; of those nine, seven have played in at least one conference title game since 2020. The only team on the list that hasn’t is Dallas. In a similar vein, the Cowboys haven’t advanced beyond the Division Round of the playoffs since they won Super Bowl XXX in 1996. So, when the Cowboys kick off the 2024 season at Cleveland, it will mark the broadcasting debut of Tom Brady. We can only hope Nikki Glaser will be his sidekick all season long.

Season Win Total: 9.5 OVER 

Odds To Make Playoffs: YES -200 / NO +160

Stat You Will Like: Mike McCarthy is 7-0 ATS when hosting an opponent coming off a SU underdog win if his team is coming off a SU favorite loss.

PLAY AGAINST: vs. Detroit (10/13)

NY GIANTS – FRISKY OR RISKY?

Unlike last year, when the Giants played seven of their first 11 games on the road and started 3-8, they will face only five road games this season, and only two of those opponents made it to the postseason. That should at least give them a fighting chance. Simply put, there is no excuse for QB Daniel Jones this campaign, not with a reinforced offensive line and a game-breaking wide receiver in Malik Nabers. It must happen now, as the Giants own the longest drought (2011) of winning a division title among NFC East teams. Last year, Little Blue’s offense was hideous as they ranked 30th in yards per play (4.5), 30th in first downs (267), 31st in drives resulting in points (23.6%), 28th in yards per completion (9.9), and 30th in points (266). If Jones rebounds, the Giants could be frisky. If not, we could be looking at a full-blown reset for 2025, making Jones’ job risky. SIDEBAR NOTE: The NFC East rival Giants and Cowboys will be playing each other two times in 2024, and both games will be held on a Thursday, which is notable because that’s only happened a total of two times over the past 98 years.

Season Win Total: 6.5 UNDER

Odds To Make Playoffs: YES +400 / NO -600

Stat You Will Like: The Giants won five games outright as an underdog last season, all from Game Seven out.

PLAY AGAINST: at Washington (9/15)

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES – HURTS SO BAD 

From all indications, the Eagles are poised to be a much-improved team in 2024 and a potential Super Bowl favorite, provided the 49ers sputter and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s retooled defense can gel and develop chemistry from day one. According to PFF, the Eagles rank No. 1 in the league in offensive line talent. Fangio brings a versatile scheme, and Howie Roseman rewarded him with a shutdown cornerback in Quinyon Mitchell and a Swiss army knife in Cooper DeJean in this year’s draft. Philadelphia has revamped a lackluster defense that slipped 7 points and 70 yards from the previous season. We get it; after all, they were burdened with a bull’s-eye on their back from being the dreaded Super Bowl loser. New OC Kellen Moore is also on board to help straighten out an offense that backpedaled 4 points and 34 yards per contest last season. With 27 key players slated to hit free agency in 2025, there is no better time than the present for the Eagles to circle back to the Super Bowl this season. With QB Jalen Hurts’ stats badly off par last season, it looks like birdie time for the Eagles in 2024.

Season Win Total: 10.5 OVER 

Odds To Make Playoffs: YES -270 / NO +210

Stat You Will Like:  Philadelphia will play four of its final five games at home. The last time that happened for Philly was in 1951.

PLAY ON: at New York Giants (10/20)

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS – QUINN TESENTIAL

A guaranteed bar bet, if you’re interested. Name the nine NFL quarterbacks that started every game for their team last season. Hint: eight of them will be starters again this season, namely: Josh Allen (Bills), Kirk Cousins (Vikings), Jared Goff (Lions), Justin Herbert (Chargers), Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), and Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins). The one that wins the bar bet, and likely won’t be starting is Sam Howell, the Commanders signal-caller all of last season. Howell is off to Seattle where he’ll be in a battle with Geno Smith for starting honors. Washington’s new prodigy is last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels – the second pick in this year’s draft. Daniels recorded the highest passer efficiency rating (208.0) in a season in FBS history and led the FBS in total yards per game (412.2) and total touchdowns per game (4.2). He is a dual-threat weapon who led the FBS in not only yards per attempt (11.7) but also yards per rush (8.4). It’s safe to say he was new head coach Dan Quinn’s hand-picked choice to lead this team back to a winning season and the playoffs for the first time since 2015. 

Season Win Total: 6.5 OVER 

Odds To Make Playoffs: YES +300 / NO -400

Stat You Will Like: Head coach Dan Quinn is 4-17 ATS when coming off a SU favorite loss, including 0-11 ATS when coming off consecutive losses.  

PLAY AGAINST: vs. Atlanta (12/29) – *Key

The 2024 NFC EAST Playoff Preview is presented by Playbook Sports, where Marc Lawrence has been providing top handicapping tips and picks for nearly three decades. Get his top picks and best bets here at gamblersWORLD.