Six of the 13 games on today’s National Football League schedule are played under a dome, the remaining seven matchups will enjoy late summer conditions with no rain in the forecast.
Last week, the NFC East Division played their two games against each other. As would be the case, that meant two NFC East teams won and a pair lost. The two opening day losers meet today in Dallas when the Cowboys host the New York Giants. The two NFC East winners last week were the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders. On Thursday, the Commanders fell in Green Bay, which means the Eagles are already alone atop their division in their quest to win a second straight Super Bowl.
As for the two losers, one took it on the chin and looked horrible. The other loser is given credit for a more competitive battle. Let me point out something that has been true for as long as the league has played; teams that get credit for a loss are doomed to repeat.
It was the Cowboys that got credit for staying close to the Eagles in a game that had 41 points scored in the first half while all seven possessions resulted in scores for the teams. The Eagles had three touchdowns in the first half and the Cowboys countered with two touchdowns and a pair of field goals to trail by only one point, 21-20, when the teams headed for the halftime locker rooms.
In the second half, the Eagles kicked a field goal early in the third quarter and then, with just less than five minutes remaining in the quarter, lightning strikes forced a break in the action. For the remainder of the third and all the fourth quarter the Eagles and Cowboys hammered on each other near midfield without any further scoring. The eight-point underdog Cowboys got the money in a narrow loss on the scoreboard, 24-20.
In their opener, the Giants were absolutely pitiful on offense and new quarterback Russell Wilson showed his age without seemingly any benefit from his experience as the Commanders coasted to a 21-6 triumph. The loss didn’t allow the Giants the same kind of solace that the Cowboys got from their loss to Philadelphia.