Dak Prescott will miss remainder of 2024 season end-of-season hamstring surgery. This puts 3-6 Dallas Cowboys While not completely free falling, it is in extreme danger. Meanwhile, it also sheds a whole new light on the NFC East postseason race.

There were very few episodes in the pre-season where it was harder to get a decent read. The Cowboys were NFC East champions, but only because Philadelphia Eagles It experienced a historic crisis in the second half of last season. Heading into 2024, it felt like a two-horse race that could go either way between extremely talented, deeply flawed contenders. Washington Commanders And New York Giants on the outskirts.

Yes, the Giants are on the outskirts as expected, but the Cowboys’ flaws were a little deeper than prognosticators initially believed. The Commanders, on the other hand, are head and shoulders above the rest, led by the heroics of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Heading into the season, there were clear tiers in the NFC East QB rankings: While Hurts and Prescott competed for the top spot, there was a significant gap between the third and fourth spots. Besides the Prescott injury, many new information The balance of power in Washington and New York’s QB room has shifted quite dramatically.

Ahead of the highly anticipated matchup between Philadelphia (7-2) and Washington (7-3) on Thursday Night Football, here are the updated rankings of NFC East quarterbacks, starting from the bottom.

4. Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys

Those leaning against a particular Giants quarterback might take a more controversial stance here, but the simple fact is that Dallas is left with the worst quarterback in the NFL’s powerhouse division in years. Cooper Rush has filled Dak Prescott’s shoes admirably in the past, but he’s not on par with the competition here; not athletically, not from a decision-making standpoint, not from a direct production standpoint.

In his first start of the season — a 34-6 drubbing of Philadelphia — Rush completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 45 yards before giving up a snap to Trey Lance in the fourth quarter. jerry jones I’m ready to stick with Rush It’s Week 11, but the veteran’s job is on the brink. Another goon throws the door wide open for Lance, who must find some sort of chance before Jones’ pet development project is shown the exit.

Even if the Cowboys move on Lance, their quarterback will be last in line here. Prescott probably deserves the No. 1 pick at full strength, as evidenced by his second-place finish in MVP voting last season, but the Cowboys lack the necessary firepower when Prescott is injured. Lance has dual-threat ability but is completely unproven as a passer. Rush may throw a little more, but he stays stiff in the pocket and nearly motionless outside of it.

Rush is certainly not the worst backup quarterback in the NFL, but he is a career backup for a reason. In these rankings he is competing with those who are just starting their careers, that’s what happens.

3. Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Daniel Jones haters—and there are many (and understandably so)—may sue Cooper Rush. Rush’s low-key, masterful approach to the quarterback position has a certain appeal. Rush to replace Prescott in 2022 The Cowboys went 4-1 in five starts and Rush completed more touchdowns (five) than interceptions (three) that’s a low bar, but it’s not something Daniel Jones has always accomplished (two in six starts last season). goal, six interceptions).

Turnovers plagued Jones once again in 2024; Seven interceptions and four fumbles through 10 starts. However, despite his shortcomings as a decision maker, Jones is a superb athlete. He has all the prototypical tools for a quarterback; He is 6-foot-10 and 230 pounds, has mobility outside the pocket and has a football mounted on his right shoulder. Jones rarely makes the most of that rule – his 6.1 yards per pass doesn’t set the world on fire – and his ambition can get the better of him at times, but the 27-year-old is capable of making the occasional explosive throw. or struggling to expand the drive.

We’ve seen him truck defenders at the line of scrimmage twice this season, and we’ve seen him gain ground on the field twice. He also has eight TDs and is completing a healthy 63.3 percent of his attempts for 2,070 yards. Jones is within striking distance of a career-high 3,205 passing yards in 2022, which led New York to give him the bad contracts fans complained about in later years.

Jones is often his own worst enemy; He takes too many sacks, coughs up the football unnecessarily, and puts the Giants defense in difficult positions. However, he can also string together a few truly excellent performances each season, which never happens with Cooper Rush. The huge talent gap gives Jones a slight advantage.

2. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

The fact that Jayden Daniels is ranked No. 1 is indicative of how impressive his top 10 career starts have been. Daniels is equally efficient and dynamic, comfortable using his legs to create and improvise on the fly, but never compromises the overall functionality of the offense. Daniels doesn’t let it get in the way of simple reads that move the chains and keep defenses on the field longer.

He has all the signs of a future star in football’s most important position. Daniels doesn’t turn the ball over at a rapid pace (two interceptions, three fumbles) and he threads the needle between ambition, completing 68.7 percent of his passes (8.2 yards per attempt) and success rate with confidence. Not many people have thrown the football better than Daniels this season, which makes his accomplishments on the field even more impressive.

Daniels rushed 85 times for 464 yards and an additional four touchdowns. Are there moments when Washington would prefer Daniels’ more traditional, deep-in-the-pocket approach? Certainly. We saw this often at LSU. He has a tendency to go crazy and put his body in unnecessary, often downright dangerous, danger. However, Daniels has improved his decision-making with each passing week and has emphasized defense without relying too heavily on his mobility as a runner. He stands tall in the pocket and distributes the football effectively.

If Daniels can beat Jalen Hurts on TNF, we’ll have to start a serious conversation.

1. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are up 7-2 and have considerable momentum behind them. The addition of Saquon Barkley has brought major benefits, as has Nick Sirianni’s revamped approach to offensive coaching. He’s not without his warts, but Sirianni has been undeniably strong as of late, and his budding relationship with Jalen Hurts certainly doesn’t hurt.

Where there was once tension, it feels like the Eagles are finally improving. Hurts struggled with turnovers out of the gate, but cleaned up his drive late en route to putting up MVP-like numbers with arguably the NFC’s best team. He is completing 69.8 percent of his passes for 1,976 yards and 12 touchdowns in nine starts. His overall tally also included another 378 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

So while Jayden Daniels is definitely coming to take that crown, it’s impossible to move Hurts out of the No. 1 spot for now, especially with Prescott injured. Very strong, especially around the goal line. You can count on one hand the number of quarterbacks who are more skilled at putting points on the board when Hurts gets into the red zone. Call it ‘push bias’ or call it simple fact, but Hurts is also the NFL’s best third-and-short converter. His strength as a runner is unmatched outside of perhaps Josh Allen or Cam Newton. We don’t see quarterbacks that strong And It hurts too fast, too often.

Hurts is checking every box right now. He has scored more goals than Daniels and makes up for early turnovers with his outstanding efficiency as a passer. The two-time Pro Bowl QB is surgically tearing apart defenses and putting up career-high scoring numbers. Barring another second-half collapse from the Eagles, we could be talking about Hurts making another devastating postseason impact in a few months.