Someone has to win the NFC East, right?
That part still holds. The part that’s getting harder to ignore is that nobody in the division looks much like a playoff team right now.
Dallas’ 23-13 loss to the Packers on “Sunday Night Football” left the NFC East sitting at 0-3 in Week 6, with Washington set up as a heavy underdog against the 49ers on Monday night. Week 5 wasn’t much kinder, either, and the division is now staring at the wrong kind of history.
If the Commanders lose to San Francisco, the NFC East will become the first division since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to go winless in back-to-back weeks when all four teams played, according to the Associated Press’ Josh Dubow.
If Cowboys don't come back tonight and Commanders lose tomorrow, the NFC East would be 1st division since the merger with every team playing in back to back weeks and none of them winning
- Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) October 19, 2026
That becomes even more striking when you remember the Giants and Commanders already played each other last week, finishing in a tie after a costly New York turnover and a disastrous final sequence by Washington.
The other results have been just as ugly. The Eagles have lost four straight.
The Cowboys dropped a game as a clear favorite against the Buccaneers in Week 5 before falling in Green Bay. Put it all together, and the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Commanders are a combined 0-5-2 over the last two weeks.
A Washington loss would push that mark to 0-6-2 and give the NFC East a slice of history that even the 2010 NFC West, 2020 NFC East and 2022 NFC South did not reach.
Here’s where the division stands going into the final game of the Week 6 slate:
NFC East standings
Rank Team W L T Pct.
1 Giants 3 2 1.583
2 Eagles 2 4 0.333
3 Cowboys 2 4 0.333
4 Commanders 1 3 1.300
Somehow, the Giants still hold a 1.5-game lead in the division, which means they will at least stay on top through Week 7.
There is still a path for someone to grab control next week. The Eagles and Cowboys meet on “Monday Night Football,” and the winner would be in a strong position if the Giants don’t beat the Texans.
Washington, meanwhile, can jump into second place with an upset of the 49ers. If the Commanders come up short, they’ll stay behind the Eagles and Cowboys.
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Cowboys Just Raised A Bigger Question Than Another Packers Loss
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KaVontae Turpins rib injury only added to the unease, especially for a team already trying to answer why this matchup keeps going the same way year after year. Losing to Green Bay again stretches Dallas winless run against the Packers beyond a decade, but the bigger concern is whether this was just a bad night or another sign of deeper problems that still need fixing. [Read more 🡒]