The division performed well enough in the regular season for two teams to make it to the postseason. Both the Cowboys and Eagles were considered heavy contenders for most of the regular season. However, their postseasons were short lived as they both fell embarrassingly.
The Cowboys and Dak Prescott were down as much as 32 points on Sunday afternoon to the 9-8 Green Bay Packers. Prior to this game, the Cowboys were undefeated at home in the 2023 season. There were moments where it looked like the team had hope but the defense could notget a stop in the run or pass game.
The Eagles went into their matchup with the Buccaneers losing 5 of their last 6 games. They were still the favorite but quickly found themselves down 10-0. The Bucs and Baker Mayfield had control of this game from beginning to the end. They ended up winning 32-9 after a horrendous defensive performance by Philadelphia.
The Ghost of the NFC Least’s Past is Back
In the past few years, the division has been fortunate enough to have had multiple teams in the postseason. In 2022, 3 of the 4 teams made the playoffs and every team at least made it to the Divisional Round. The only team to not make the playoffs in that time has been the Commanders but they are in a rebuilding period.
Both the Cowboys and Eagles have questions that need to be answered after having such high hopes and losing in the first round. The two teams will have to make free agent signings and possibly some trades. The Cowboys may be aggressive in free agency for once, to finally fix their issues.
The Commanders and Giants are trending in the positive direction as they at least have top picks. Both teams were very difficult to watch this season but the worst of the division was by far the Giants. Commanders may have finished with a worse record but they are not as bad as they seemed.
How the Cowboys and the Rest of the NFC East Can Improve
Some changes will have to happen. 2-3 of these four teams will likely have a different Head Coach for the 2024 season. The Cowboys may be aggressive in the coaching market and pursue the top available coach. The Eagles on the other hand may stick with their current coach as Sirianni did get them to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Giants will stick with their coach as the season’s result isn’t on him and they were more than pleased with his performance the previous year. The team will look to improve their offense with a top pick, likely taking a playmaker.
The Commanders could become a threat in the division in the next few years. Sam Howell is getting more comfortable with the offense with Terry McLaurin. The area Washington has to improve on, like the Cowboys is their run defense. With a decent run defense and a star player like Marvin Harrison Jr., this team will be scary.