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State of the NFC East | Perfect teams clash in Week 4

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The Washington Commanders put up their first 40-point game of the season with a dominant win over the Las Vegas Raiders, 41-24. Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota finished with a 71.4% pass completion rating, 207 yards, a touchdown and a hit on his head coach Dan Quinn.

Although starting quarterback Jayden Daniels is still considered day-to-day with a knee injury, he had a limited practice Wednesday and could be back on the field Sunday. If he does play, Daniels will be behind a revamped offensive line that allowed just one sack against Las Vegas. Left guard Chris Paul put up a league-high PFF grade of 86.0, as well as an 82.9 run blocking grade.

Adding to the injury list, Washington will be without safety Will Harris, who was put on injured reserve after suffering a fractured fibula against the Raiders. Safety Percy Butler was not on the field for Wednesday's practice after exiting the game with a hip injury, and the Commanders signed safety Darnell Savage Jr. Tuesday for added depth in the secondary.

All eyes will be on wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who left Sunday's game with a quad injury and has yet to return to practice. While his status is up in the air, young wide receivers Jaylin Lane and Luke McCaffrey could potentially see more snaps if he can't go.

The youngsters got a good amount of touches on the ball against the Raiders, as Washington's offense spread the ball around quite a bit. Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt and McCaffrey both found the end zone; Lane also showed off his special teams skills with a franchise record-tying 90-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The Commanders last saw quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in his second career NFL start, and a lot has changed for him and the Falcons since then. After a blowout 30-0 Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Atlanta Falcons announced changes to their team personnel. The Falcons fired wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard and have said offensive pass game coordinator T.J. Yates will assume Hillard's duties. Head coach Raheem Morris also said that offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will be calling plays from the sideline rather than the box during games moving forward.

Atlanta's offense was a disaster against Carolina, allowing the Panthers' largest margin of victory in a decade and their first win of the season. Falcons' Penix had the worst performance of the eight games he has started in his NFL career, finishing with a 50% pass completion rate for 172 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. One of Penix's interceptions was a costly Pick-6 on a side-arm pass which put the Falcons in a three-possession hole they couldn't climb out of.

With sights set on victory in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, let's take a look around the rest of the NFC East.

New York Giants (0-3) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (3-0):

The Giants had another disappointing performance in their home opener loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Giants were unable to score a touchdown in the 22-9 loss, with quarterback Russell Wilson getting intercepted on the team's best chance with a deep ball picked off by Jaylen Watson in the end zone.

Through three games, Wilson has completed a career-low of 59.1% of passes for 778 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Against Kansas City, Wilson finished with a 56.25% completion rate for 160 yards and two interceptions. The offense just couldn't get going despite the defense holding the Chiefs within striking range throughout the first half. On Tuesday, Giants' fans got what they wanted when the team announced they would be making a change at quarterback and starting rookie Jaxson Dart in place of Wilson.

Rookie running back Cam Skattebo stepped into Tyrone Tracy Jr.'s role after he went down with a dislocated shoulder against the Chiefs, a trend that is expected to continue against the Chargers. Skattebo had 10 carries for 60 yards and one touchdown, as well as six receptions for 61 yards. Top wide receiver Malik Nabers should be Dart's go-to guy through the air, although he's also nursing an injured shoulder.

New York's defense showed significant improvement against Kansas City, holding the offense to 306 total yards, 4.6 yards per play and 3.8 yards per carry. The pass rush led by edge rushers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux put pressure on quarterback Patrick Mahomes throughout the game, combining for 10 pressures on 29.3% of Mahomes' dropbacks, a new season-high allowed by the Chiefs' offense. The Giants struggled, however, on third down conversions. The Chiefs converted on eight of 15 third-down attempts, including on pivotal fourth quarter drives that helped them to victory.

Check out the best shots from the Washington Commanders' 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raider.

Dallas Cowboys (1-2) vs. Green Bay Packers (2-1):

The Cowboys played from behind the entirety of their Week 3 matchup against the Chicago Bears, ultimately giving the Bears (and their first-year head coach Ben Johnson) their first victory of the season, 31-14.

Dallas' defense has allowed 92 points through the first three games of the season, which is the fourth-most to open a season in franchise history, according to ESPN. Against the Bears, Dallas' defense allowed five pass plays of 25 yards or more (13 on the season). Sunday was the first game in Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams' career he was not sacked despite his offensive line allowing him to be taken down a league-high 68 times last season. Williams had one of the best games of his career against the Cowboys, with a career-high 94 total QBR with four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions.

The defense could look slightly different against the Green Bay Packers in their Sunday night primetime bout, as the newly-signed linebacker Jadeveon Clowney could be activated and bolster the pass rush for the Cowboys. Green Bay reportedly looks to be playing without starting right tackle Zach Tom, who reinjured his oblique and is widely considered to be the strongest member of the Packers' offensive line.

Dallas' defense will need to step up against Green Bay to keep them off the board considering its offense is hampered by injuries. Wide receiver and top target CeeDee Lamb will miss time with a high ankle sprain, as well as two offensive linemen in Tyler Booker and Cooper Beebe. Tight end Jake Ferguson is expected to get the bulk of the passes with running back Javonte Williams the top option on the ground.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-0):

Both Philadelphia and Tampa Bay had wild special teams endings to their Week 3 matchups that ended up in their favor.

Although it looked like the Eagles were struggling for the first time this season, they came back from a 19-point deficit in the third quarter to score 26 unanswered points and beat the Los Angeles Rams, 33-26. A game-winning field goal block from Philadelphia's defensive tackle Jordan Davis and his ensuing run to the end zone sealed the game in the Eagles' favor. Davis' block was the second of the game, the first coming from defensive tackle Jalen Carter earlier in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles' offensive production has declined significantly from Week 1 to Week 3, putting them in the middle of the pack at No. 27-overall in offensive production. The Rams' defense put pressure on the Eagles' offensive line, sacking quarterback Jalen Hurts four times and holding Philadelphia's rushing unit to just 86 total yards. They also effectively shut down running back Saquon Barkley well; he averaged 2.6 yards per carry with 18 carries for just 46 yards.

The Eagles' O-line looked weaker in part due to the absence of right tackle Lane Johnson, who exited the game after one series due to a neck stinger. Without Johnson, the unit allowed 14 pressures (including the four previously mentioned sacks on Hurts) on 37 pass plays. Despite these statistics, Philadelphia is still ranked as the top offensive line in the league by PFF.

The diversity of offensive pass catchers for the Eagles will be difficult for the Bucs' defense to contain considering they had trouble against the New York Jets through the air in their Week 3 game. Tampa Bay walked it off with a field goal from kicker Chase McLaughlin to beat the Jets, 29-27. Despite letting the Jets back into the game, the Buccaneers did hold the Jets to just 2.8 yards per play and had two defensive takeaways in the first quarter, including an interception returned for a touchdown.

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