Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels made headlines with some controversial praise of the Philadelphia Eagles fan base, and it has everybody talking — for better or worse.
Nobody outside of Eastern Pennsylvania likes Eagles fans, but Daniels cited them as the NFL's gold standard for their unrelenting passion and bravado. The fact that his comments have sparked such polarizing reactions brings up an entirely different topic.
For decades, Washington's biggest rival was the Dallas Cowboys. But given the recent history of the NFC East, as well as Philadelphia's much greater geographical relevance, it's safe to say that it is now the Eagles.
Eagles are the most hated team in Washington, and they've earned the distinction
Tobi Altizer of 106.7 The Fan made this exact argument, claiming the Cowboys' rivalry is at this point desperately clinging to tradition. You hate them because you're told to hate them, to paraphrase his words.
We always hear Cowboys-Redskins, but @Tobi_Altizer explains why, for his generation, it's maybe more Eagles-Commanders? pic.twitter.com/baTQdTyeOW
— 106.7 The Fan (@1067theFan) February 19, 2026
The Cowboys today are nothing more than a meme. You laugh at them when they lose, which they always do at some point before it truly matters. You don't hate them because they make your blood boil with rage, because they haven't done anything to inspire that visceral reaction since the 1990s.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have.
They've won two Super Bowls in the past decade, and they almost always make the playoffs. They ended Washington's dream 2024 season in the NFC Championship game. They became the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back NFC East crowns in 2025.
But it's the geography that truly drives home the vitriol between the Eagles and Commanders.
Washington is littered with Philadelphia transplants who invade Northwest Stadium every year. The two cities are separated by 139 miles, or less than one-tenth of the distance from D.C. to Dallas. Geographically, it doesn't even make sense for the Cowboys to be in the NFC East.
Other sports have also played a role, as Altizer points out. The Nationals and Phillies are NL East rivals, a dynamic that became particularly bitter after superstar Bryce Harper skipped town. The Capitals and Flyers play in the same division, too. On the other hand, no one in Washington has any reason to hate the Mavericks, Stars, or Rangers.
Finally, the impact of Washington's new branding can't be denied. Under the Commanders' name, the rift with Dallas means less. Something about the combat between the Cowboys and Native Americans had a certain romanticism, reminiscent of an old-school Western flick.
Now? Not so much.
Tensions will always be high when the Commanders play Dallas. But it feels even more personal these days when the Eagles are in town, and for good reason.
They're simply a much more enviable franchise than Jerry Jones' dysfunctional circus and its laughable "America's Team" moniker. That, much like the rivalry with Washington, is stuck living 30 years in the past.