NFL NFC East 2026 Season Preview

The AFC East sent two teams to the playoffs last season, and there’s a chance the same thing will happen this year.

Unfortunately for the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, it’s the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys which remain the class of the division.

Division Winner

Let’s take a look at what all four squads bring to the table for the 2026 season. 

Favorite to Win the NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles

After winning Super Bowl LII, the Eagles struggled through the first half of the 2026 season. However, the team would catch fire towards the end. Once again, it was Nick Foles coming on in relief of an injured Carson Wentz to lead the club to the playoffs. 

They made it to the Division Round before being bounced by the New Orleans Saints. Foles is off to Jacksonville, and Wentz will lead the way for a team with big aspirations for 2026.

This club has a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball and should at least be in the mix for a playoff berth. 

Eagles Season Wins

Eagles First Loss

Contender to Watch in the NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

Over the second half of last year, the Cowboys were playing like one of the best teams in the league. They fell in the Wild Card round to the Los Angeles Rams, but it was pretty clear that Dallas had made tremendous strides. 

They’re behind the Eagles on the odds board for the division crown, but this is a race that could go down to the wire. The club is still navigating its way through the holdout of star RB Ezekiel Elliott.

We’ll have to wait and see what happens there, but the Cowboys are looking like contenders.

Cowboys Make Playoffs

The Rest of the NFC East 

New York Giants 

The Giants are another team that slogged through the first half of 2026 before turning it around and playing better down the stretch. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate into much when the final record was tallied as the club finished at 5-11.

New York drafted its QB of the future in Daniel Jones. He may sit a while before taking over, but it looks like Eli Manning’s days are officially numbered.

The club will lean heavily on Saquon Barkley either way and look to improve on defense with the hope of taking some steps forward this season.

Giants Wins Over/Under

Washington Redskins

The Redskins were a competitive team that was playing pretty well when disaster struck last year. Alex Smith went down for the season to injury, and a revolving door of starting QBs couldn’t get the job done the rest of the way. 

Washington also drafted its potential franchise QB in Dwayne Haskins, but he also may watch from the sidelines awhile as recently-acquired Case Keenum leads the way.

There’s talent to be found on the Redskins, but it’s tough to see the club putting it all together this year. 

Redskins Wins

Bottom Line on the NFC East 

The Eagles and Cowboys are clearly the best teams on paper in the division. They’ll be facing off in Week 7 and Week 16, two games which will go a long way towards deciding the division.

The Cowboys defense was awfully impressive over the second half of 2026. We’re expecting the unit to be even better this time around. 

Assuming the Elliott situation doesn’t drag on for weeks and weeks, we like Dallas to take the division. If it’s drama that rules the way in Big D, then the Eagles can swoop in and nab a division crown.