With the NFC East in disarray as teams figure out just at what level they can compete at there are a lot of questions. But first let us take a look at each teams remaining games....
Dallas Cowboys: Seattle Seahawks/Philadelphia Eagles/Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Miami Dolphins/Carolina Panthers/Washington Redskins/Green Bay Packers/New York Jets /Buffalo Bills/Washington Redskins
New York Giants: New Orleans Saints/Tampa Bay Buccaneers/New England Patriots/BYE/Washington Redskins/New York Jets/Miami Dolphins/Carolina Panthers/Minnesota Vikings/Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins: BYE/New England Patriots/New Orleans Saints/Carolina Panthers/New York Giants/Dallas Cowboys/Chicago Bears/Buffalo Bills/Philadelphia Eagles/Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles: BYE/Dallas Cowboys/Miami Dolphins/Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Detroit Lions/New England Patriots/Buffalo Bills/Arizona Cardinals/Washington Redskins/New York Giants
Assuming everything plays out as it should, the NFC East could see some tough losses in the months ahead. For the Cowboys the Seahawks pose an excruciating challenge without Romo and possibly Dez Bryant. The Panthers and Dolphins could make for a tough return for Romo who is slated to be back in week 11. Then the Packers and Jets round out the tough teams the Cowboys would face for the remainder of the season. A win against the Packers now for the Cowboys seems impossible but towards the end of the year with the team fully healthy it should be a great contest. Realistically when healthy the Cowboys face three tough opponents among a slew of winnable games. They will need to win at least 1 or 2 of these upcoming Romo-less games to have full control of their destiny unless the NFC East bottoms out and puts up a couple of losses collectively.
The Giants will also see some tough games ahead as they play the Patriots which should just be classified as a loss for all teams at this point but hey they are the Giants. Then they get the Jets, Dolphins, Panthers, and Vikings in a row....ouch. The Giants can hit the skids throughout that last stretch making it possible for any team to win the division. Even with the returning JPP it will be hard to see them beating the Patriots, surging Saints, Jets, Dolphins, and Panthers.
The Redskins are already having a pretty tough time as it is but facing the Patriots, Saints, Panthers, in a row should be a pretty good test to see where they are as a team. Then they end the season facing a fully revitalized Cowboys team twice, the Bears, Bills and Eagles all dangerous games. The Redskins will need to go on a pretty big run to make the playoffs and leaving only seconds left on the clock to win the game against the Panthers, and most likely healthy Bills, and Cowboys teams will likely result in failure.
The Eagles might be the worst off down the stretch. The Eagles get some light games but face the Patriots, Bills, and Cardinals, all in a row. The Eagles are probably the most vulnerable team out of the bunch; they have not really shown anything in terms of contending for titles.
So is it crazy that Dez Bryant believes the Cowboys will still run the east? A division champion can be crowned with a 9 and 5 record especially after each one of these teams facing some difficult opponents later in their schedule.