The NFC East was once considered the NFL’s best division. You had four historical franchises and the Cardinals at one point. Once the Cardinals left, only one franchise hadn’t won a Super Bowl — the Philadelphia Eagles.
Meanwhile, Dallas, New York and Washington had each won multiple Super Bowls. The Eagles won their first Super Bowl in 2017.
However, the NFC East hasn’t been as competitive in recent years. While there has been a trend of a new team winning the division every year for the last 20 years, Washington and New York’s consistent struggles brought down the rest of the division.
That all changed in 2022. The NFC East had three teams make the playoffs — all three advanced to the NFC Divisional round. The Commanders had control of one of the NFC’s final two playoff spots until a late collapse and still barely missed making it four NFC East teams in the playoffs last season.
With the busy part of free agency gone and the 2023 NFL draft just over two weeks away, Tyler Greenawalt of Yahoo Sports recently ranked all eight NFL divisions in terms of competitiveness.
He ranks the NFC East fourth:
It’s still the Philadelphia Eagles’ division to lose, but the gap could be narrowing if the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants continue to progress. Even the Washington Commanders didn’t miss the playoffs last season by much.
The difference between the Eagles (+110) and Cowboys (+175), per BetMGM odds, is the smallest among division rivals this season. The Giants added weapons as well and the Commanders still have a good defense. But while the numbers indicate the NFC East should be competitive, the Eagles remain very much the favorite to repeat as division champions.
Greenawalt isn’t saying the NFC East isn’t the best division by ranking it fourth in competitiveness; he’s using a specific formula that used BetMGM odds for each team’s chances of winning the division to determine his rankings.
After a resurgent 2022, can the NFC East repeat its dominance again in 2023?