2006 NFC East Predictions

It is a rare occasion indeed when one can say that the NFC East is a weak division.  But that was clearly the case last year.  The New York Giants won the division with an impressive 11 - 5 record, but even that record could be attributed to an easy schedule and one extra home game they weren't counting on after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans.  The 2006 season is an entirely different story.  Count on strong showings from every team in the NFC East in the coming season.  Here are my 2006 NFC East predictions.

The New York Giants will once again finish on top with a 12 - 4 record.  Yes, their schedule will be considerably tougher, but Eli Manning with 24 career starts now under his belt is ready to emerge as one of the league's premier quarterbacks.  If he can stay healthy, he can lead the Giants to victory in the big games.  The big games, of course, will be the six games they play against their division rivals.  If the Giants can split two of those three series and sweep one, they will win the division.  That will account for two of the four losses they can allow.  The other two defeats will be at the hands of the Colts in Indianapolis in their first game, and at Jacksonville in November.  The New York Giants must defeat the Carolina Panthers, who eliminated them from the Playoffs earlier this year and the Seattle Seahawks, who represented the NFC in last February's Super Bowl.