Looks like it might be 2020 again.
Well, at least in the NFC East, things look like they are moving toward being similar to 2020. That was the year the Eagles suffered a massive number of injuries, crippling them severely. The Cowboys lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a broken leg. The Giants lost RB Saquon Barkley due to his ACL injury. Washington benched Dwayne Haskins, went with Alex Smith, and ended up winning the division with a very unimpressive 7-9 record.
This year, through five weeks, the Giants are atop the Division at 3-1-1. The Giants were 3-1 coming into their game in Washington, and Vegas had such respect for the Giants that they were a 3.5-point underdog to a 1-3 Washington team.
To all my Philadelphia Eagles fans 😎🤟😂
pic.twitter.com/as24a5GjzD
— Toxic Cowboy 🤠 (@toxiccowboy02) October 12, 2026
The Cowboys were at home last week, hosting a winless 0-4 Tampa Bay team without their starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield. The NFL made it worse for the Bucs by scheduling the game for Thursday, so they were traveling on a short week as well. The Cowboys lost that game in what may be the season’s biggest surprise thus far.
Ok Washington Redskin fans 😅😅 pic.twitter.com/SBVFiNdihJ
— Toxic Cowboy 🤠 (@toxiccowboy02) October 13, 2026
The Eagles have several starters currently out with injuries and blew a lead in the game’s final eight seconds last week, losing to the Jaguars in an embarrassing finish for Philadelphia fans.
Washington? The Commanders only needed to throw a pass out of bounds or spike the ball to stop the clock and attempt a 42-yard field goal. They couldn’t even figure out how to stop the clock without a timeout.
Did you see Wednesday’s First Things First scene featuring Nick Wright’s NFL team tiers? Not a single NFC East team won last week, so Wright told his audience what he thought of the NFL's weakest division.
The entire NFC East is now in (and the NFL confirmed this) a flex alert. I never would have seen this coming. The Eagles and Commanders are in a Sunday Night football game in a few weeks. The NFL is like, 'that might be our first flex game'. These are like the crown jewel as far as market size / all of this. But if the Eagles and Cowboys don't get it together, the Commanders can't figure out the clock. The Giants are celebrating ties, not great.
No one respects these teams right now. The Commanders had a 14-point lead in the final quarter, but they couldn't hold it. Their quarterback couldn’t figure out how to throw the ball away to stop the clock in the final seconds (literally). The Cowboys defense permitted the Bucs to rush for over 200 yards in Dallas last week. And the Eagles couldn’t figure out how to cover a kickoff and prevent a field goal with only eight seconds remaining last week against the Jaguars.
Finally, get this. In this week’s games, the Giants are underdogs to the Saints, the Cowboys are underdogs to the Packers, the Commanders are underdogs to the 49ers, and the Eagles aren’t favored, though they are playing at home vs. the Panthers.
Doesn’t that tell you what the NFL world thinks of the NFC East?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: How bad is the NFC East in 2026? The numbers don't lie
