Fact or Fiction: Early outlook on NFC East race

The Ravens are the toughest matchup on the Giants’ 2024 schedule.

John Schmeelk: Fact – The Ravens made it all the way to the AFC Championship game last season, while no one else on the schedule, spare the Buccaneers, made it to the divisional round. The Giants do get to host the Ravens at MetLife Stadium, which made me think twice for a moment, but the Ravens are still the most talented team on the schedule. The entire AFC North portion of the schedule will be a challenge, especially games in Pittsburgh and Cleveland against two very physical teams. The other two games in the running here are games at Dallas and Philadelphia, which are always tough matchups against talented teams.

Matt Citak: Fact – The Ravens were the best team in the NFL during the 2023 regular season. Their 13-4 record led the league, and that was after resting their starters in the regular-season finale loss against the Steelers. They finished with a top five offense, the league’s No. 1 defense, and the league’s Most Valuable Player in quarterback Lamar Jackson. After having the league’s No. 1 rushing attack last season, Baltimore went out and signed Derrick Henry to replace Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. Even after losing a couple of key contributors during free agency, the Ravens still are the toughest matchup on the Giants’ 2024 schedule.

The NFC East is the most open division in the NFL.

John Schmeelk: Fiction – Until proven otherwise, I will maintain there is a gap after the Cowboys and Eagles. I do think both those teams are more vulnerable, with Dallas losing talent in free agency, and the Philadelphia finishing last season as poorly as they did. At the same time, the Giants are improved and should be far closer to those two teams, while Washington has a new head coach, general manager, and quarterback. I wouldn’t consider that a “wide open” division. The AFC North? Would it surprise anyone if any of the four teams win that division? The NFC South is similarly wide open. I think both those divisions are more open than the NFC East.

Matt Citak: Fiction – This has less to do with the NFC East and more to do with the competitiveness I expect to see out of the AFC North this season. The Ravens were the best team in the league during last year’s regular season and added Henry, as I noted in my first answer. The Bengals will have a healthy Joe Burrow leading the offense, while the Steelers should have a lot more stability at quarterback with Russell Wilson as the new starter. Meanwhile, the Browns should have Deshaun Watson healthy and ready to go for the start of the season to combine with their stout defensive unit. I expect the NFC East to be a lot closer in 2024 than it was last year, especially with the Giants and Commanders both improving over the last few months. But the competition for the AFC North crown, which last year saw all four teams finish the season above .500, should be the most exciting division race in the NFL.