The NFC East might be one of the most loaded divisions in the entire NFL this year.
The reigning Super Bowl champs. A young team that is overachieving. A veteran looking for a breakthrough. A potential rookie takeover. These are all storylines that could come from that division alone this year; fans are in for quite the treat.
Week 1 of gridiron featured two head-to-head divisional matchups that show just how strong the division could be. Where do those teams stand in this week's power rankings?
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
The reigning Super Bowl champions showed that they're a back-to-back contender in a gritty 24-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night -- despite losing standout defender Jalen Carter after he spit on Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott ahead of the first drive of the game.
Jalen Hurts picked up right where he left off, going 19-of-23 passing for 152 yards and adding two rushing touchdowns. Saquon Barkley put his head down and made big plays when it mattered, ultimately ending the night with 60 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.
Defensively, there were some holes early in the matchup that allowed the Cowboys to put up 20 first-half points, and the offense could never truly pull away for good. However, the Eagles were still one of the most complete and consistent teams in the entire league to open the season.
Philadelphia is undoubtedly looking beyond just another divisional title this season.
2. Washington Commanders (1-0)
The Commanders were a sort-of Cinderella Story last year. They finished 2023 with an uninspiring 4-13 record, and flipped that to a 12-5 record and an appearance in the NFC Championship game in 2024.
Jayden Daniels set himself apart as a franchise quarterback in his rookie season, and he had a strong start to the 2025 season in Sunday's 21-6 win over the New York Giants. The signal-caller completed 19-of-30 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown pass to Zach Ertz. He also finished second-best on the team with 68 rushing yards on 11 carries
The run game is truly what set the Commanders apart. Five players combined for 212 yards, with Jacorey Croskey-Merritt leading the way thanks to `10 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown. Deebo Samuel added a 19-yard rushing touchdown to go along with his 77 receiving yards.
Defensively, Washington was all over the New York, especially at the line of scrimmage. It's incredibly difficult to limit any NFL offense to just six points, but the Commanders made it impossible for the Giants to consistently advance the ball. No, the Giants aren't exactly the most formidable offensive threat, but it was still an impressive outing.
Can Washington clinch the division for the first time since 2020? The franchise certainly has the players and coaching staff to do so.
3. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
Dallas was the unfortunate team that had to start its season playing the reigning champions -- not to mention a team that doubles as the organization's biggest rival. On top of that, the Cowboys were just one week removed from the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade that shook up the entire defense.
Overall, losing 24-20 to the Eagles despite all of this wasn't terrible. The Cowboys kept up punch-for-punch with Philadelphia in the first half and were hindered on a game-winning drive by dropped passes. Still, moral victories simply don't count in professional football.
Quarterback Dak Prescott had a slightly above average debut, going 21-for-34 passing with 188 yards. He demonstrated solid pocket mobility after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury last year, but at times, he still threw the ball into a few risky situations.
Running back Javonte Williams showed what he's capable of, taking 15 of the team's 22 total carries for 54 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Miles Sanders showed the ability to be explosive on the ground with 53 yards on just four carries.
The defense remains the biggest question mark for Dallas heading into the rest of the season. Most defenders were being beat on nearly every play in the first half, and they gave up 21 points before adjusting and finding more success coming out of halftime. How well will they make up for the Parsons trade as the year goes on?
4. New York Giants (0-1)
Another disappointing start to the year for the Giants ended with a 21-6 loss to the Commanders.
Washington looks like one of the better teams in the NFL, but that does not justify just how poorly New York played. Defensively, the Giants gave up 432 total yards, 200 of which came on the ground thanks to poor defensive line play. It's nearly impossible to give up those numbers and still come out with a win unless a team has a stacked offense -- which, this franchise does not.
Russell Wilson completed just 46% of his passes, going 17-of-37 for 168 yards. He did lead the team in the rushing attack with 44 yards on 18 carries. The remaining three running backs? They combined for 30 yards on 15 touches. Malik Nabers, as expected, was the team's standout player with five catches for 71 yards.
It might be time for the Giants to realize that Wilson is past his prime. Rookie backup Jaxson Dart had an impressive preseason... should the Giants go ahead and start building to the future, or was this bad game just a fluke?