The NFC East, the absolute misbegotten bumblers of the NFL, is officially slated for a mind-boggling twelve national timeslots over the next nine weeks of the regular season. Yeah, you read that right. Twelve! For anyone hoping to escape the distinct brand of incompetent, unprepared, and overmatched football this division dishes out, well, you’re out of luck. There are ten weeks left in the NFL regular season, and the schedules for nine of those are already mapped. Week 18 is still up in the air, depending on matchups, but even without that, the networks are forcing this division down our throats.
Why Your TV Is Getting Infected
So, how in the world does the worst division in football keep getting primetime billing? It’s a cruel twist of fate, really. The NFC East encompasses two of the nation’s most population-dense cities, a couple of the NFL’s old-school bone-deep fandoms, and, let’s be honest, America’s largest and most inexplicable bandwagon. These teams just slither their way onto national broadcast after national broadcast, no matter how bad they are. Every single one of these four dogs, the Eagles, Giants, Cowboys, and Commanders, gets at least two more national games. And get this: that figure double-counts games where NFC East teams play each other, like the Commanders and Giants next week, and the Eagles and Cowboys on Thanksgiving. So enjoy your turkey with a side of misery. Each of these national game slots takes away a space where a genuinely more deserving team could actually shine on the national stage. For comparison, the NFC North, where all four teams are currently in the playoff hunt, only gets one more game than the NFC East with thirteen total. Meanwhile, the equally woeful NFC South has only three national games remaining. Now *that’s* a quarantine we could respect!
What in the World Happened to This Division?
You want to know what’s gone wrong with the NFC East? Pick your poison, because they’ve got it all. The Philadelphia Eagles are on an absolutely brutal six-game skid, which has Nick Sirianni squarely on the hot seat. They’re suffering from a triple threat: injuries, a regression to the mean with an inability to adjust to the rapidly changing NFL, and some truly fundamental coaching incompetence that’s fumbling away a season despite talent on the roster. The New York Giants are battling serious injury issues, having lost their starting quarterback for the entire year way back in Week 2. The Washington Commanders haven’t come close to hitting the highs of Jayden Daniels’ rookie season in 2024, plagued by regression to the mean and an inability to adjust. And the Dallas Cowboys? Oh boy, their defensive struggles are now an epidemic, a clear sign of fundamental coaching incompetence despite the talent on their roster. This isn’t even a new issue, folks. Last year, the NFC East was the worst division in football, going a dismal 15-28-1 against non-divisional opponents. So far this season, they’ve only managed six wins against non-division opponents, which is the worst in the conference and just barely ahead of the AFC South’s five. Some of these games *could* get flexed out, but honestly, are the networks really going to give up on the Cowboys or Giants, no matter how terrible they play? Probably not.
So buckle up, football fans, because we’ve got ten weeks left of the regular season, and nine of those are already locked in for more NFC East ‘action.’ Enjoy your Thanksgiving turkey, because you’ll be getting a double dose of this division’s struggles with Eagles-Cowboys on the national stage.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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