The Cowboys were not favored to win the NFC East coming into the year, but were considered a lock for the playoffs. Things looked bleak at the season's beginning starting off at 3-2 as the team dodged an embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. However, the team caught spark in the next 3 games and won them all against teams with winning records, including Philadelphia. Although the team had some points where they looked weak, such as a 7-6 last minute win against a struggling Washington in Week 11, they always held their heads high. The last 3 games of the year were incredible for Dallas. In Week 15, they beat the undefeated Saints. And in the last two weeks they shutout two division rivals with a 17-0 win over Washington and a 24-0 win over Philadelphia. They man-handled Philadelphia in the Wild Card round 34-14 and looked like the most dangerous team in the NFC, but they were crushed by Minnesota in the next playoff game 34-3. Overall it was a decent year with a disappointing finish for the Cowboys.
The Eagles were the favorites coming into the year for the NFC East. Coming off a dramatic run in 2008 that led them to the NFC Championship Game, they looked strong, but like the Cowboys, they would start slow with a 3-2 start. Philly fell a game behind Dallas in Week 9, but the Eagles sparked a 6-game winning streak that took them to a Week 17 matchup against Dallas with the NFC East crown at stake. After 6 straight wins, things looked good for Philly, but they were embarrassed and shutout 0-24. However, they got a rare opportunity to redeem themselves and play Dallas again a week later in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on the very same field. Even with the opportunity of a grudge match, the Eagles were again shutdown and embarrassed 34-14. For a season with so much potential, the Philadelphia Eagles 2009 campaign ended with only disappointment.
3. 2009 New York Giants (8-8)
The Giants '09 performance was perhaps the most shocking of all. They were everything from the best team in the NFC to the biggest joke of the NFC. The Giants began the year with 5 consecutive wins and a 5-0 record. They looked like they would march to a division title easily. Unfortunately, the season has 16 games, not 5. Those five impressive wins were immediately followed by 4 consecutive losses and a 5-4 record. In Week 15, the Giants came into FedEx Field in Washington needing a win to stay alive with a 7-6 record. Not only did they get the win, they dominated the Redskins 45-12 and improved to 8-6. A turnaround right? The Giants were humiliated in their next two games. Their final game ever at Giants Stadium was a 9-41 thrashing by the the Carolina Panthers. In their final season game against Minnesota, their attempt at a rebound turned into a 44-7 nightmare. It was an even worse performance than the week before. They finished with their tails between their legs after conceding 85 points in the last two weeks and an 8-8 record. 2009 was definitely one to forget for New York.
4. 2009 Washington Redskins (4-12)
Enough has been said about the absolute failure the Redskins were last year. They weren't only the doormat of the NFC East. They were the doormat of the NFL. Everyone that came to play against Washington got a win. However, the season was not as bad as the record may show. Eight of the Redskins' 12 losses were lost by a touchdown or less. If the Redskins had scored just one touchdown more in all 8 of those games, the final record would be 12-4. Big difference huh?! That would have been good enough for NFC East Champions. Unfortunately they never did score those points which is why they finished as bad as they did. The Redskins were drained emotionally between Weeks 11-13. They fell to their bitter rivals in Dallas by a mere 1 point in a 6-7 heartbreaker, only to give up a last minute lead to the hated Eagles the next week in another 24-27 heartbreak. They then gave up their most painful loss of the year the following week in a 30-33 loss to the undefeated New Orleans Saints in overtime. The year was awful, but might have been a blessing in disguise as the necessary changes for improvements became a reality following the disappointing 2009 campaign.
3. 2009 New York Giants (8-8)
The Giants '09 performance was perhaps the most shocking of all. They were everything from the best team in the NFC to the biggest joke of the NFC. The Giants began the year with 5 consecutive wins and a 5-0 record. They looked like they would march to a division title easily. Unfortunately, the season has 16 games, not 5. Those five impressive wins were immediately followed by 4 consecutive losses and a 5-4 record. In Week 15, the Giants came into FedEx Field in Washington needing a win to stay alive with a 7-6 record. Not only did they get the win, they dominated the Redskins 45-12 and improved to 8-6. A turnaround right? The Giants were humiliated in their next two games. Their final game ever at Giants Stadium was a 9-41 thrashing by the the Carolina Panthers. In their final season game against Minnesota, their attempt at a rebound turned into a 44-7 nightmare. It was an even worse performance than the week before. They finished with their tails between their legs after conceding 85 points in the last two weeks and an 8-8 record. 2009 was definitely one to forget for New York.
4. 2009 Washington Redskins (4-12)
Enough has been said about the absolute failure the Redskins were last year. They weren't only the doormat of the NFC East. They were the doormat of the NFL. Everyone that came to play against Washington got a win. However, the season was not as bad as the record may show. Eight of the Redskins' 12 losses were lost by a touchdown or less. If the Redskins had scored just one touchdown more in all 8 of those games, the final record would be 12-4. Big difference huh?! That would have been good enough for NFC East Champions. Unfortunately they never did score those points which is why they finished as bad as they did. The Redskins were drained emotionally between Weeks 11-13. They fell to their bitter rivals in Dallas by a mere 1 point in a 6-7 heartbreaker, only to give up a last minute lead to the hated Eagles the next week in another 24-27 heartbreak. They then gave up their most painful loss of the year the following week in a 30-33 loss to the undefeated New Orleans Saints in overtime. The year was awful, but might have been a blessing in disguise as the necessary changes for improvements became a reality following the disappointing 2009 campaign.
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