Why rest of NFC East couldn't reach same heights as Eagles

With a 40-22 win over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles earned their second NFL championship in franchise history. The rest of their division didn't fare as well. Here's why.

New York Giants (3-14)

The Giants were finished the moment quarterback Daniel Jones tried to honor the 2024 portion of the four-year, $160 million contract extension he signed in 2023. Jones had eight touchdowns and seven interceptions last season, leading the team to two wins all while earning $36M.

Jones was benched on Nov. 18 and released four days later. New York agreed even though it'd eat $69M in dead money to get him on Minnesota’s practice squad. Meanwhile, former Giants running back Saquon Barkley rushed for a career-high 2,005 yards with the Eagles for the low price of $3.8M in 2024.

Dallas Cowboys (7-10)

The Cowboys were riding high after a last-minute victory over the Steelers on “Sunday Night Football,” when they met the Lions for a Week 6 matchup. It wasn’t much of a game as Detroit held a 27-3 lead at halftime before sending Dallas into their bye week with a 47-9 home loss.

The Cowboys wouldn’t win another game for six weeks but not before losing quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending hamstring injury against the Falcons in Week 9. Prescott should be ready for the 2025 season, but his team never recovered from their blowout loss to Detroit.

Washington Commanders (12-5)

Unlike years past, Washington fans had little to complain about in 2024. Under new head coach Dan Quinn, the team won 12 games for the first time since 1986 and celebrated their first playoff victory since 2005.