The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders were the consensus top two in the 2025 NFC East, even among many Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants fans. After Week 1, Philly and Washington are where most expected them to be in the division standings. But given how those games actually looked, the idea of a two-horse race may have lost some support going forward.
Philly had their hands full with a plucky Dallas team, albeit without superstar DT Jalen Carter. Had he not been ejected after the opening
kickoff, Carter might have helped the Eagles to a more dominant victory. As it was, the Cowboys came out of the loss with more respect than they carried in. But to their credit, the Eagles also looked strong and fully ready to defend their NFL throne.
The Commanders had the more lopsided win in a 21-6 handling of the Giants. However, the big story of the game was how out of sorts New York QB Russell Wilson seemed, as well as the generally poor state of the team. Washington did their part against a clearly inferior opponent, but just who they are this year won’t be seen without some tougher competition.
So, after opening week:
- Philadelphia Eagles 1-0 (1-0 in division, 1-0 vs NFC)
- Washington Commanders 1-0 (1-0, 1-0)
- Dallas Cowboys 0-1 (0-1, 0-1)
- New York Giants 0-1 (0-1, 0-1)
Week 2 could be very good for the Cowboys. They have a great chance to make up for last week at home against the Giants, which could pull them to 1-1 at every level of the standings. The Commanders get that first good test we talked about, traveling to Green Bay on Thursday night. And the Eagles have a Super Bowl rematch in Kansas City. By Sunday night, we could have three 1-1 teams in the NFC East.
We’re just getting started with this season, and we know how what teams show in September isn’t always indicative of the finished product. But these early signs point to another tight year in the NFC East.
