At about the midway point of this 2025 season, the NFC East is only partially operating as expected. Unsurprisingly, the defending Philadelphia Eagles are still on top. But despite expectations to start the year, the Washington Commanders are not in hot pursuit. We enter Week 9 with Philadelphia pulling away from the pack as the rest of the division is drowning.
It’s hard to believe that the Dallas Cowboys are still in second place after getting trampled by the Broncos. But Washington stayed below .500 themselves with a loss to the Chiefs. They expect QB Jayden Daniels back this week, which will be huge, but even he’s only gone 2-3 so far this year. They’re no exception to the NFC East’s awful defensive performances this season; all of Washington, Dallas, and the New York Giants are ranked 27th or lower in total defense right now.
At least there’s still some room for optimism for Commanders and Cowboys fans, whereas the Giants seem to be officially done. It wasn’t like they had much hope even with RB Cam Skattebo, but his season-ending injury on top of the loss to Philly seemed to cement their fate.
Here are the NFC East standings going into Week 9:
- Philadelphia Eagles 6-2 (2-1 in division, 5-1 vs NFC)
- Dallas Cowboys 3-4-1 (2-1, 2-3-1)
- Washington Commanders 3-5 (1-1, 1-4)
- New York Giants 2-6 (1-3, 1-4)
Everyone has a chance to gain ground on the Eagles this week, but only because they’re on a bye. Both Dallas and Washington will play host in primetime matchups, with the Seahawks facing the Commanders on Sunday night and the Cowboys meeting the Cardinals on Monday.
Thankfully, Seattle at 5-2 is a far more threatening opponent than Arizona at 2-5, but Dallas has had a bad run with their former division rivals over the last two decades. The Cowboys are 1-7 against the Cardinals going back to 2008. After all the talk of our rough history with Denver and what happened last Sunday, this becomes an even darker cloud hanging over this game.
The Commanders may be in “must-win” territory this week and will have a tough time of it against the Seahawks. DeMarcus Lawrence, now with Seattle, has been heating up lately with three sacks in his last two games. He should enjoy another of many career trips to Washington.
New York may be a slumpbuster for the visiting 49ers on Sunday, who have gone 2-3 after a 3-0 start to the year. San Francisco may not get QB Brock Purdy back this week, but Mac Jones hasn’t been bad in relief duty. There’s still a chance here for the Giants, especially as Jaxson Dart continues to get more experience. But the odds that New York falls to 2-7 are high.
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