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Projected Standings Have Cowboys Two Wins Better Than Eagles

By Ray Boyd

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We are a long way away from regular season football, but it is never to early to look at projections. A new set of projected records were released by Football Outsiders and ESPN.

According to their projections, the Eagles will finish the 2015 season with a 9-7 record. That win total is two games below the 11 wins projected for the Cowboys and the same total given to the Giants.

The Redskins were projected to win five games.

The projections were not simply random records based on someone's opinion. They were gathered using statistics based on where the teams were last season and accounted for developments like new player acquisitions and improved health.

The biggest connection between the teams is the Cowboys' loss of DeMarco Murray and the Eagles acquisition of the running back. The Cowboys finished with 12 wins last season, but the projections did not hold the loss of Murray against them when calculating 11 wins.

The piece argued that the running back has diminished value in today's NFL and that with the Cowboys strong passing game, and elite offensive line, they will continue to be a formidable offense without Murray.

The Cowboys projected record was the second highest in the NFC behind the Seahawks who were given a 12-4 record.

The projections also had the Eagles experiencing a drop-off from 10 wins to nine wins. If it occurs, it will be the first time in Chip Kelly's coaching career that he will fail to reach double-digit wins.

It was noted that the Eagles were penalized in terms of wins because of the addition of Sam Bradford. The projections said that the introduction of a new quarterback almost always leads to a drop in offensive performance.

The projections also included "mean projected wins," to provide a more exact number for the wins expected. For example, the Cowboys 11 wins was based on a 11.2 "mean projected wins," total.

The Eagles "mean projected wins," was actually an 8.7 compared to a 9.4 for the Giants.

The Giants projected improvement was based primarily on improved health.

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