NFC East emerging as NFLs most surprising division in 201

It's just like we predicted in the preseason: The NFC East is incredibly competitive and fun to watch. The are confident and hot. The are dominant, a thrilling bunch to follow, and tied for first place at 3-1.Wait, what??In a zany first quarter of the 2014 campaign, the zaniest division of them all is in the NFC East -- a foursome that, conventional wisdom said all offseason, would be impo sible to watch this year.The , , and are a combined 5-1 in nonconference play.Is it all a fluke? What's next?Here's what has happened so far, and what lies ahead for the NFC East:Dallas Cowboys (3-1)Dear Dallas, . I was on the 2014 . I thought fans calling into my radio show, commenting on my columns and tweeting at me saying Dallas would compete were living on Planet Delusional.After they lost to injury, I figured the 'Boys would be defunct. I didn't trust the defense to mature quickly. I didn't trust the to commit to a plan, to commit to running the football.Well, they have, and it's absolutely fantastic. is wisely feeding the ball to behind the ' big, physical, talented offensive line that features three former first-round picks. And suddenly, Dallas boast . As a result, is rocking steady. He spread the ball around brilliantly and was a dominant model of efficiency in over the talented on Sunday Night Football.We've all been calling for Dallas' offense to operate in this manner for quite some time. Now, Garrett needs to stick with it.Running the ball -- and, inherently, controlling the clock -- really helps the defense. The young unit has made major strides. After fielding a historically bad defense in 2013, the have .Dameshek: Ranking QB-RB-WR triosWhich team boasts the best set of triplets in the NFL today? Who trots out the Kendall Graveman Jersey worst? Dave Dameshek reveals his rankings. I think Stephen Jones deserves a lot of credit here. He , allowing Dallas to take a strong, physical offensive lineman in . Looking back at after a wide-ranging interview with Jones, the COO truly believed in this young defense. At the time, I liked the philosophy of getting younger and trimming overpaid aging players, but I never thought it would click this fast -- especially once Lee went down.The win over the was a signature moment, but the had already shown me something striking one week prior. By overcoming a 21-0 deficit to win , Dallas flashed heart and grit -- two words nobody has a sociated with this team in recent years. on Sunday before . Then Dallas hosts , and before and then hitting the bye week. Can the 'Boys go 4-2 in this six-game stretch? I'd gue s 3-3, but four wins is certainly a po sibility if they continue to feed Murray and give Romo balance.I'm not ready to call Dallas a playoff team, since we've only completed a quarter of the season, but color me impre sed. Dallas looks like a real NFL team with a plan. And considering what we've seen from this franchise in recent years, that's something.Philadelphia Eagles (3-1)Let's not confuse the i sue here. Yes, the division is much more competitive than anyone imagined it'd be, but nothing in the first four weeks of play has changed my mind on the being the team to beat.OK, so has already doubled his interception total from the entire 2013 campaign. No matter. I still believe in him, his receivers and 's offense (Sunday's red-zone play-calling notwithstanding).Early attrition has significantly hindered the offensive line, but will help. Nobody's felt the pain of the shoddy O-line more than , who has been stuck in the mud. But the NFL's reigning rushing king is too good to not get going. And his backfield mate, , has already proven to be well worth the fifth-round pick Philly gave up .The ' defense won't be dominant this year, but it's an opportunistic bunch that can complement the offense with playmaking.With home games and , the should be 5-1 going into their bye and in prime position to win 10 games.New York Giants (2-2)Like fans, Big Blue faithful also deserve an admi sion of error on my part. I was wrong about the , too. I have picked against them every week this year. I thought they were a five- or six-win team.I mocked the for not having a legit, NFL-caliber tight end. Well, hello, ! certainly put me in my place.I buried the offensive line for not being reliable. Well, after an 0-2 start, the unit clicked against and the and again looked great against the .After looking haple s, hopele s and helple s in the preseason and the first two regular-season games, has suddenly developed stunning consistency in Ben McAdoo's offense.Meanwhile, the defense made morph back into in Week 3, and then embarra sed in Week 4.All that said, I remain skeptical about the because of their overall lack of talent. Sunday's home game looms large, especially with on the horizon before a Week 8 bye. After that, New York , and in three consecutive weeks. Good luck with that ...I don't see how the make the playoffs. But they are much better than I anticipated.Washington Redskins (1-3)What a strange first quarter for Washington. got hurt (again) in Week 2. Who knows when we'll see him again. looked fantastic , but crashed hard back down to Earth in Week 4 with a gruesome, five-turnover performance . And it doesn't get any easier for Cousins. Here come and , who might boast the two best defenses in football.Washington's defense has been spotty. (And that's being kind.) Foles and Manning have already torched them. This team's giving up 27.2 points per game ().I thought Washington could win eight games in 's first year. They will be much closer to six.Follow Adam Schein on Twitter . Glenn Hubbard Jersey