The Cowboys continue to put pressure on the Commanders in the NFC East power rankings

Week 5 showed that the NFC East has a lot of talent and depth. The New York Giants impressed in their win over the Seattle Seahawks despite missing their top wideout and running back, and the Dallas Cowboys emerged victorious despite countless injuries to their defense.

The Washington Commanders are one of the most entertaining teams to watch, led by a dynamic quarterback and an underrated defense. The division lost a lot of talent in free agency and to injuries, but that didn't stop them from acquiring everyone.

Others appeared in a game in which their two best offensive weapons were missing. Rookie sensation Malik Nabers and versatile running back Devin Singletary missed the game due to injuries. That led to great performances from quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Tyrone Tracey and wideout Darius Slayton.

Jones showed the potential the front office saw in him by making quick decisions and finding open receivers. That was especially true against the Lightning, who completed 13 of 17 passes for 130 yards and two scores. Singletary finished with 130 total yards and 7.2 yards per carry. Slayton had his best game since 2020, finishing with 122 yards and a touchdown.

The defensive line showed up again and forced Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith to move in the pocket, although this led to some major problems. Still, seven sacks and ten quarterback hits mean a successful pass rush game. Seattle couldn't run the ball, but their receivers found some space.

This Giants team pulls the ball together on both sides. Their playmakers are becoming more effective when asked, and Daniel Jones is more precise with his shots. How long this lasts needs to be monitored. That a late blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown was enough for the Giants to beat the Seahawks 29-20.

The Dallas Cowboys are very worrisome right now. They got a 20-17 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they didn't deserve it.

Firstly, another series of injuries have occurred. Edge rusher Marshawn Kneeland and left tackle Tyler Guyton went down, leaving more questions about who will play on defense. The defense played very well, holding the Steelers to just three points in the first half and just 226 total yards in the game.

The offense dried up the defense again. Dak Prescott threw two picks and fumbled the ball once, with two of those turnovers coming in the red zone. Dallas' miscues kept Pittsburgh in the game much longer than it should have, and took advantage of a great late throw to win the game.

According to the 33rd team, the Dak-CeeDee Lamb connection resulted in -0.13 EPA per game, compared to 0.85 for KaVonte Turpin and 0.66 for Jake Ferguson. Lamb and Prescott need to work on their chemistry, the team needs to stay healthy somehow, and Dallas can't continue to give up bad penalties. It's their third game with more than 11 penalties this season.

This was a bye week for the Eagles, and the Cowboys didn't do enough to secure second place in the division. This leaves the Eagles in the same place as last week despite not playing a game.

They have taken the time to let their offensive weapons AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith and other starters heal as they prepare for their Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns. With a 2-2 record, they can still fight for a playoff spot with more consistent play.

The Washington franchise, formerly the Redskins and now the Commanders, has long been missing a reliable starting quarterback. With Jayden Daniels finding the perfect balance between finding open wideouts and sparking a run, NFC defenders now have to worry about their version of Lamar Jackson.

The Cleveland Browns played aggressive defense, which rattled Daniels and led to more incompletions than usual. It's safe to say he was generally the better end of the Browns, converting all four plays where he faced unblocked pressure into first downs with his legs or arms.

After being considered one of the worst defenses in the NFL, the Commanders have turned things around. Their defense played its best game of the season, sacking Deshaun Watson seven times, making seven tackles for loss of yardage and blocking the Browns' pass catchers.

Apart from star wideout Amari Cooper (60), no Browns player exceeded 25 yards. The run defense was questionable at times, leaving big plays to Jerome Ford and D'Onta Foreman, but their strong pass defense prevented the Browns from making a comeback.

With the Giants looking better and the Commanders among the best teams in the NFC, the Cowboys need to be careful before they end up at the bottom of the rankings. The Eagles are also struggling, but the return of key players after their bye in Week 5 gives them an advantage.

The Eagles are the final NFC East team to play the Cleveland Browns. Considering how Cleveland did against the other three teams, it amounts to an extended bye week. The Commanders will play the Ravens in Baltimore after their win against the Browns. It's a battle between arguably the two best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL.

After narrowly sneaking past the Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys return to AT&T Stadium looking to extend their five-game winning streak against the Detroit Lions. The Giants play in New York against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that has scored more than 30 points in three straight weeks Football on Sunday evenings.

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