Last year, the NFC East combined for zero playoff wins. Washington and New York were out of contention from the beginning. Dallas and Philadelphia lost their Wild Card games. It looks like it may be more of the same for the NFC East in 2024.

The 2024 NFC East is split into two distinct tiers. There are the playoff contenders and the tanking teams. Will Dallas or Philadelphia win the division? Who will get the better draft pick of New York and Washington? Either way, this division is sure to give the NFL fans moments to remember.

Read about how the AFC shakes out: East, North, South, West.

All schedule graphics are taken with PlayoffPredictors.

Dallas Cowboys (2023-24: 12-5, lost Wild Card vs. Green Bay)

The Cowboys always find a way to fall short. After two straight one-score playoff losses to San Francisco, it appeared the Cowboys had a cakewalk to the Divisional Round. Green Bay had other plans. The Packers let the Cowboys have a slim amount of hope by letting them score 16 unanswered points to end the game. It was not even close to enough, though, as the final score was 48-32 Green Bay.

It was deja vu for Dallas, a team that has known nothing but falling short of expectations. The team they have is always good on paper. Dak Prescott posted a career year in passing touchdowns, CeeDee Lamb led the league in catches (135) and was top three in receiving yards (1,749, second in the NFL) and touchdowns (12, third in the NFL), and Micah Parsons set a personal best in sacks (14).

This year, Dallas looks to run it back with a full year of Trevon Diggs’ lockdown play. The pressure in the secondary will be on Da’Ron Bland to prove his history-making season was not a fluke. The backfield saw Tony Pollard leave for Music City. His replacement is Ezekiel Elliott, back in Dallas after a year in New England. Can the Dallas backfield produce the way it has in years past?

This year looks to be the standard fare for the Dallas Cowboys. Their schedule is no walk in the park, but it isn’t quite a gauntlet either. There will be a game or two in which they beat a much stronger opponent, but for each of those, there will be a questionable loss. Cowboys fans are not holding their breath until they get to the NFC Championship Game.

New York Giants (2023-24: 6-11, missed playoffs)

There may not be a more offensively inoffensive team than the New York Giants. The Giants’ offense was fourth-worst in total yards per game (280.0) and third-worst in points per game (15.6). Over the first ten weeks of the season, the Giants averaged 11.8 points per game.

Unfortunately for New York, its offense got even worse in the offseason. Saquon Barkley left for a division rival. While Devin Singletary is just fine as a running back, the failure in asset management behind Barkley leaving New York without any compensation will leave a stain on the reputation of the front office.

The New York defense also regressed from its 2022 form. The Giants allowed the sixth-most yards per game (361.7) and seventh-most points per game (23.9) last year. There were more games last year in which the Giants allowed 30+ points (six) than games they allowed ≤15 points (five).

The Giants are in for a rough 2024 and a taxing NFC East slate. New York is hoping Malik Nabers can bring something out of Daniel Jones and be the franchise wideout the Giants have lacked since Odell Beckham Jr. The first two weeks will be easy for New York, but it’s an uphill battle from there.

Philadelphia Eagles (2023-24: 11-6, lost Wild Card at Tampa Bay)

The Eagles went from hero to zero at the worst possible time. After starting 5-0 and entering Week 13 at 10-1, Philadelphia fell apart. A 1-5 record over the last six weeks of the regular season cost the Eagles a two-game lead over Dallas in the NFC East and a top-four seed in the 2024 playoffs. They drew a Tampa Bay team they had beaten earlier in the year, but had won five of six to close out the season. The result was a 32-9 Buccaneers victory.

Philadelphia will run it back with a team very similar to last year’s. The biggest departures were Haason Reddick via trade and Jason Kelce via retirement. This offseason it seemed the Eagles wanted to give its lineup some New York flavor. Both Saquon Barkley and Parris Campbell signed with Philadelphia in the offseason. If Barkley can stay healthy, he will be more than just a good stopgap at running back.

Defense was the Eagles’ undoing last season. Philadelphia allowed the third-most points per game (25.2) and seventh-most yards per game (356.1) in the regular season. This year is a prove-it year for many. Can Jalen Carter evolve into the starting defensive lineman the Eagles drafted him to be? Can Devin White bounce back from a rough final year in Tampa Bay? Will the secondary step up and pick off ten or more passes this season?

This will be another weird season for Philadelphia. The team in place still has strong foundation, particularly on offense. The NFL saw Philadelphia’s upside over the first twelve weeks of last year. There was just one problem: teams learned how to beat the Eagles and Philadelphia could not adjust. This team will finish close to where they finished last year, but with a less extreme distribution of its wins and losses.

Washington Commanders (2023-24: 4-13, missed playoffs)

The Commanders are retrying a rebuild. Ron Rivera failed to steer Washington to its first winning season since 2016. Sam Howell almost threw for 4,000 yards, but threw 21 interceptions and lost a fumble. Both are no longer with the organization as the Josh Harris era enters its sophomore year.

Dan Quinn assumes the lead as head coach after some time as Dallas’ defensive coordinator. During his time as head coach at Atlanta, he oversaw the infamous blown 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI and went 43-42 overall. As for who the new kid on the block at quarterback is, it’s second overall pick Jayden Daniels. Daniels threw for 40 touchdowns and rushed for 1,134 yards and ten more scores. Daniels is capable of becoming a star in the nation’s capital.

Washington spent a good deal of money on free agents. Bobby Wagner, Austin Ekeler, Jeremy Chinn, Frankie Luvu, and Zach Ertz are all Commanders now. Wagner led the league in tackles last year and had a missed tackle rate of just 4.2%. Ekeler looks to bounce back after a season of injuries and a career-worst 3.5 yards per carry.

Jayden Daniels will quickly find out about the learning curve from college football to the NFL. The questions are how well he can mesh with the skill position core and how much he will develop over the course of the season. Washington can bring about some chaos in the NFC East, but 2024 will be a learning experience.

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