With a month of games in the rearview mirror, we’re hosting another NFC East roundtable with our four site producers!
Let’s jump straight to the question and their answers:
What’s one unexpected thing that’s happened so far this season for the team you cover?
Scott Bair (Pig Haven): The Commanders have their fingers crossed, while holding a rabbit’s foot in one hand and a four-leaf clover in the other, in the hope that Jayden Daniels stays healthy this season. We all know (and respect) what he can do when things are going well.
The 2024 electricity campaign is proof of this. Daniels has been banged up constantly in 2025, so his injury early in the season wasn’t a shock. The complete breakdown at the quarterback position, however, was.
Taking down Daniels and then Marcus Mariota is not something you plan on. Being forced to face seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis was by no means part of the game plan.
The Rutgers product wasn’t a fatal flaw in Sunday’s loss to the Colts, but he wasn’t part of a winning formula. It was a winnable match in London, even with Mariota’s signal calls. It now ends in defeat, as the Commanders fall to 1-3 and begin a season collapsed, dead in the eyes.
Injuries are never an excuse, as any coach will tell you, but this quarterback situation is a disaster and could end the Commanders’ season right as it begins.
Ed Valentine (Great blue view): GOOD, being alone in first place after four games for the first time since November 2015 is considered unexpected. Especially after losing their most important offensive player (Jaxson Dart) and their most important defensive player (Brian Burns) all season.
The Giants aren’t the most talented team in the league or division, and whether or not their success can last is a valid question, but they play with physicality, grit, resilience, and belief that they can succeed no matter what.
RJ Ochoa (Blogging The Boys): It seems silly to be surprised by the Cowboys defense is so bad considering it was one of the worst in franchise history last year, but the hype was rightfully high.
Even if you don’t agree with it, there was significant turnover at every point.
There’s a new coordinator in Christian Parker, new talent like Jalen Thompson and Quinnen Williams (his first full season with Dallas), and somehow the defense has been as bad as it was then. No one thought they would be Doomsday, but the goal was literally average and they fell far short of it.
Brandon Lee Gowton (Bleeding Green Nation): The Eagles’ disappointing defense. They weren’t helped by an offense unable to pick up first downs to stay on the field. But expectations for Vic Fangio’s unit were high. They were thought to be one of, if not the best defenses in the NFL.
It’s possible Fangio could turn things around, but it’s been a slower start than expected for this defense. The Eagles’ defensive front was particularly disappointing; they failed to consistently create pressure.
Fans of NFC East teams, what has surprised you this season?
Gn sports
