For a long time all of the so called experts in the NFL have been declaring the AFC as the superior league in professional football.

Now, many of them seem to be changing their tune and for a damn good reason. If you watched any of the ridiculously entertaining shootout on Monday night between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys then you know why they suddenly seem to all be siding with the NFC as the  best league in the NFL and the NFC East as perhaps the best division in all of sports.

Take a look at the NFC East and you’ll find that even its presumably weakest team, the Washington Redskins, just beat the team many predicted to win the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints. Now consider, that the Dalls Cowboys are perhaps the leagues most talented team, the New York Giants are the defending Super Bowl champs and have continued to perform exactly like that through the first two weeks, and the Philadelphia Eagles nearly defeated the Cowboys and you have one tough division and the makings of a Super Bowl champ.

Yet, its not just the fact that the top three teams in the NFC East all have the potential to beat any other team in the league on any given Sunday it’s also the fact that all the “top” teams in the AFC haven’t looked anywhere near as prolific as the “beasts of the East”.

The Colts for example,who lost to the underdog Bears in a game that frankly wasn’t even close and then came back the next week to win a squeaker against the improved, but still unstable (especially at the QB position)  Minnesota Vikings.

Then there is the San Diego Chargers another favorite in the AFC, whose record now stands at 0-2 with loses to the Denver Broncos (though Ed Hoculi played a fairly major role in that one) and the unheralded Carolina Panthers. And who now may have to deal with an injury to star running back Ladanian Tomlinson that may nag him throughout the season and are playing without All-World linebacker Shawn Merriman for the rest of the season and their Super Bowl hopes look a bit dimmer.

Need I even mention the other heavy favorite in the AFC whose record setting quarterback suffered a season ending injury, dramatically altering the landscape of the entire NFL? Yes, the Patriots are still a good team without Tom Brady, but a Super Bowl contender with Matt Cassel at QB,….I don’t think so.

The fact is that there are no teams in the NFL and certainly no division NFC or AFC that can match the talent in the NFC East.

Let’s start with the defending Super Bowl champs. Though they lost the defensive prowess of both Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora their defense has yet to miss a beat. In their first two games the Giants D has surrendered just 20 points, scored 1 TD, sacked the QB 7 times and picked them off once.  Not to mention that Eli looks much improved, Plaxico Burress is an absolute beast, the rest of the receiving corps is solid as can be and they have what could be considered the best running back committee in the NFL with Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Bradshaw in the backfield and the G-Men look poised to make another deep run into the playoffs.

The Cowboys, the popular Super Bowl pick at the start of the season have thus far lived up to their star status. Romo continues to develop into an elite QB, connecting with Terrell Owens and Jason Witten both excellent receivers and their defense is as strong as ever (Monday night being the exception). The addition of Felix Jones as a change of pace back to the bruising Marion Barber has paid big dividends in the first two weeks and has added a threat not just in the backfield, but on special teams as well. Player for player Dallas is the most talented team in the league if they can avoid an upset like last year they could be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl and if they get there, there is no reason to think they shouldn’t win it all.

Now, perhaps the biggest surprise thus far has been the play of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have always had a strong defensive team with Jim Johnsons exotic blitzing schemes giving opposing QB’s fits. Yet, they haven’t had a healthy Donovan McNabb in a long time, that is until this year and its showing in their play. Brain Westbrook is in my opinion the best all-around running back in the league and the addition of rookie Desean Jackson has aided a passing game that has suffered a number of injuries to their starting wideouts, that is if he manages to cross the goal-line with the ball (come on buddy let’s not be silly!). If McNabb stays healthy, and with Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown due to return at some point this season the Eagles should be a major player for the rest of the year and a definite Super Bowl contender.

It’s a long road to the Super Bowl, but when its all said and done look for one of these three teams to be holding the Lombardi Trophy at the end of season.

Tags: addition, backfield, Bowl, Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, Carolina Panthers, champ, contender, dallas, Dalls, Denver, Derrick Ward, donovan mcnabb, East, Ed Hoculi, example, fact, favorite, felix jones, Football, game, giants, injury, Jackson, Jason Witten, Jim Johnsons, Kevin Curtis, league, Marion, Matt Cassel, Michael Strahan, Minnesota, Monday, New Orleans, New York, NFC, NFL, night, Philadelphia, play, Player, position, potential, reason, record, Redskins, Reggie Brown, rest, role, Saints, san diego, season, Shawn Merriman, shootout, siding, South, squeaker, Sunday, Super, team, terrell owens, time, tom brady, Tomlinson, tune, underdog, week, year