The NFC East is Up For Grabs

Yesterday, the Redskins looked like they had an easy victory, only to let it slip away as Matt Schaub torched them for 497 yards and three touchdowns to overcome a seventeen point deficit and win in overtime. Still, Redskins fans need not take the defeat too hard. Their team still looked very good, looked like it was clicking beautifully at times, and will not have to face a quarterback like Schaub -- who led the NFL in yards last year, only to be ignored in favor of Brees -- every single week. For a team that was so bad in recent years and faced a tremendous overhaul at the hands of new coach Mike Shanahan, the Redskins look to be every bit in the hunt for the NFC East.

There was a time, not long ago, when the NFC East was the best division in football. Teams from that division were expected to represent the NFC in the Superbowl every year -- the Giants did so with style, winning against the Patriots in 2007. But those days are over. This year, the division is wide open. The Dallas Cowboys, after all the hype of the offseason, and playing mediocre to poor football, losing in Week One to the Redskins in a crucial game and dropping Week Two to an even worse opponent, the Chicago Bears. The Eagles barely survived beating the Detroit Lions. The Giants were completely routed by the Colts in The Manning Bowl II, and it was so bad that it has been reported that Giants' runningback Brandon Jacobs is asking for a trade.

All in all, the Redskins could win the division despite the loss to the Texans, who I think are going to overcome the hump and beat Indy this year -- as they did in Week One. The 'Skins have a great quarterback in Donovan McNabb, and he and the offense are only going to get better as they get things together and start clicking more often. Clinton Portis is back with Shanahan, a coach who made him into a sensation when he was drafted by Denver, and could get him back to that form. Chris Cooley is healthy and looking to light up the league. With the division in a slump, the Redskins are the only team that looks to be going in the right direction, up, and they could find themselves winning it with a 9-7 or 10-6 record.