A safe Week 1 conclusion: Aside from Eagles, NFC East stinks

It's dangerous to read too much into what happens in the NFL during the opening week. In some ways, it's an extension of the preseason, except, of course, it counts in the standings.

The starters are going the distance for the first time, so that's an adjustment. The opponents are finally showing off the offensive and defensive schemes they hid during the preseason, so that must be taken into consideration, too.

"You know you've got to be slow to judge what happens in Week 1," Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said. "There are a lot of improvements that happen between Week 1 and Week 2, and we're going to be certainly no different than any other team."

With that qualifier out of the way, it still appears safe to make this statement: With the exception of the Eagles, the NFC East stinks.

Only two divisions - the NFC East and AFC West - had three 0-1 teams after the opening week of the season, but the Eagles' division clearly descended beneath all the others.

The Eagles scored 34 points, all in the second half, in their peculiar win over Jacksonville. Dallas, Washington, and the Giants combined for 37. The Eagles' division rivals all lost by double digits, quite a dubious distinction in a league that prides itself on parity.

Coming into the season, Washington seemed to be the biggest threat to the Eagles, but Robert Griffin III, who was benched the final three games of last season, did nothing to spark an offense that is deep in skill players.

With the addition of DeSean Jackson to a corps that also includes running back Alfred Morris, wide receiver Pierre Garcon, and tight end Jordan Reed, it appeared as if rookie coach Jay Gruden might be able to concoct something explosive.

Jackson, however, was mostly a nonfactor in the opener, and Reed left Washington's 17-6 loss early with a hamstring injury. Washington's losing streak is at nine games dating back to last season.

Dallas, meanwhile, is a disaster. Even if Tony Romo was not coming off December back surgery, you have to wonder if Cowboys owner, general manager, and grand poobah Jerry Jones has stuck with his veteran quarterback and coach Jason Garrett too long. Romo threw three interceptions and was sacked three other times in Dallas' Week 1 loss to San Francisco.

The Cowboys' biggest problem, however, is their defense. They allowed 27 points per game last season and 28 at home in their loss to the 49ers. Dallas does not have a single player on defense that has ever been to the Pro Bowl.

The Giants are going to be the worst team in this awful division. Eli Manning is 33, five years younger than brother Peyton, but he is going to age like a dog playing behind his offensive line. It does not help that the Giants, a team once built on its ability to run the football, can no longer do so effectively.

We used to hear all the time how Andy Reid was able to dominate the NFC East when it was a bad division, and there was a lot of truth to that. Now, Chip Kelly has the same opportunity. The rest of the NFC, however, is a lot better than it was during the Reid era in Philadelphia.

Thanks to the Ray Rice mess that was mangled by commissioner Roger Goodell, the week that just passed will go down as one of the worst in NFL history.

There are, however, still a lot of nice stories connected with the league, and the best one right now is Cincinnati defensive tackle Devon Still, the former Penn State star from Camden who was added from the practice squad to the Bengals' 53-man roster after Week 1.

Still's 4-year-old daughter, Leah, is battling cancer and has been receiving chemotherapy treatments since June at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The Bengals announced Monday that they would donate proceeds from Still's No. 75 jersey to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati and pediatric cancer care.

The team sold more than 1,000 jerseys at $100 each over the next 48 hours. New Orleans coach Sean Payton purchased 100 of the jerseys.

Devin Hester will go down as one of the greatest return specialists in NFL history, but the Bears never really figured out how to incorporate his explosiveness into their offense.

The Vikings do not have the same issue with Cordarrelle Patterson, a Pro Bowl kick returner as a rookie last season. In the Vikes' season-opening rout of St. Louis, Patterson ran three times for 102 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 26 yards.

Patterson is a wide receiver, but giving him the ball behind the line of scrimmage has proven prosperous. In his last six games, he has 13 carries for 258 yards - that's an average of 19.8 - and four touchdowns.

The Dolphins, in their first game with former Eagles quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor as their offensive coordinator, beat New England, 33-20, ending the Patriots' streak of 10 straight opening-day victories.

Miami ran 71 offensive plays, up from an average of 62.6 last season. The Dolphins figure to be among the league leaders in that statistical category, which Lazor's former boss with the Eagles loves so much.

The last time the Patriots lost on opening day was 2003 when they were beaten by Buffalo, 31-0. They rebounded to rout the Eagles the following week and went on to win the Super Bowl.

TOP EARLY GAME

Jacksonville at Washington

This is a measuring stick of sorts for the Eagles. If the Jaguars beat Robert Griffin III and DeSean Jackson, it will be a pretty good indication that the rest of the NFC East does indeed stink.

TOP LATE AFTERNOON GAME

Kansas City at Denver

Andy Reid's Chiefs did not lose a game until Week 11 last season, and that first loss was to Peyton Manning and the Broncos in Denver. Their season-opening loss to the Titans left the Chiefs at 2-7 since starting 9-0 last year.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Chicago at San Francisco

The Bears, like the Eagles, lost two starting O-linemen - Roberto Garza and Matt Slauson - on opening day, and their top two receivers - Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall - are also hurting. That, combined with a trip to the Bay Area, is bad news for the Bears.

MONDAY NIGHT

Eagles at Indianapolis

This is an absolute measuring stick for the Eagles. If they can go into Indy and win after losing two offensive linemen, they will be well on their way to winning the NFC East.

@brookob