Bleacher Report experts chose three different NFC East champions

There was no consensus on what team will win the NFC East.

It’s that time of the year again, prediction season. With the start of training camp a week away, everyone’s taking their shot at predicting the outcome of the upcoming year.

On Thursday, Bleacher Report’s NFL Staff released their picks for the 2021 division winners. Despite the Dallas Cowboys being the current odds-on favorite to win the division (DAL +110, WAS +260, NYG +400, PHI +550 Via FanDuel), the three experts all chose different teams, the Cowboys, Football Team, and Giants, to win the division.

One expert backed up his pick of the Washington Football team by stating that he believes the Cowboys’ defense will be the thing that holds them back from taking home the division crown.

“Dallas is indisputably going to roll out the best offense in the division,” he wrote. ”But how well will Dan Quinn’s new-look defense be able to keep pace? Washington’s defense (in theory) is as good as any in the entire league, and Ryan Fitzpatrick gives the offense a mix of a veteran presence and a bigger arm. If Fitzpatrick can avoid costly turnovers, this team could be a legit threat in the NFC.”

Another expert, who chose the New York Giants to win the division, was even harsher about the new-look Dallas defense.

“The Dallas defense will be, horrible and the Washington Football Team will be sunk by poor quarterback play, while the table is set for New York’s Daniel Jones to break out, The Giants win a nail-biter with nine or 10 wins.”

After a historically bad season on defense last year, it is fair to question if Dallas will be good enough on the defensive side of the ball to win the division. But it’s also not like their division is filled with top-talented offenses. The Cowboys clearly have the best quarterback in the division by a wide margin, and none of the other three teams have a signal-caller that has led his team to the playoffs.

This was backed up by the expert who chose the Cowboys.

“Dak Prescott’s return to the lineup alone makes the Cowboys better than any other NFC East squad,” Sobleski stated. “Dallas’ defense does need to be better, but the organization spent its first six draft picks on that side of the ball. Besides, the Cowboys offense is explosive enough to win the division by itself.”

If the Cowboys can be just average on the defensive side of the ball, their offense should be good enough to win them the division. Even with the defensive question marks, Dallas is the favorite for a reason. Their talent on offense is undeniable, and it more than likely will be the reason they win the division in 2021.