The Washington Commanders had high hopes for the 2025 season after making the NFC Championship game last time around, but winning the division was going to be an uphill battle.
That's because the Philadelphia Eagles were standing in the way. The defending Super Bowl champions looked poised to once again be among the league's heavyweights this fall, and backed it up by beginning the year 4-0.
Now, they've taken back-to-back bad losses after getting embarrassed by the 2-4 New York Giants on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. The big winner here, despite their own loss to the Chicago Bears four nights later, is the Commanders.
Commanders are not out of the division race despite third loss
Defeat stings, but the Commanders are not out of the fight yet if they display the correct resolve in the face of adversity.
Even during the Eagles' four wins to open the season, they didn't look like the same dominant powerhouse that annihilated its competition last year. Saquon Barkley has been mortal. Their defense has regressed. Jalen Hurts has been forced to do more heavy lifting himself, and as usual, that hasn't gone well for him.
This Philadelphia team is much less like the 2024 Eagles and much more in line with their 2023 squad, which started 10-1 before collapsing down the stretch and losing in the Wild Card round. That team had a highly unsustainable amount of one-score wins in the first half of the year, but was given the benefit of the doubt based on the previous season's success.
This time, the bottom has fallen out even earlier. Even after Washington's loss to the Bears on Monday Night Football, it feels like they're currently trending in a better direction than the Eagles. Their game was a coin flip. Philadelphia lost by multiple scores to a team that was beaten by the New Orleans Saints the week before.
For nearly 20 years, the NFC East has been the toughest division in football to find sustained success in. No team has repeated as divisional champs since the Eagles did so in four consecutive years between 2001 and 2004. This season looked like a solid bet for that streak to end, but now, it's a lot less clear.
The Commanders need to pounce on this opportunity, beginning in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. Star quarterback Jayden Daniels is back, and wide receiver Terry McLaurin will hopefully be returning. The Eagles are leaving the door open, and it's time to seize control.