This streak lives on in the NFC East

The NFC East closed the books on the 2024 season with two surprisingly close games.

For half of the division, Sunday was the last time the teams will take the field until this fall. The other half still has work to do.

Unsurprisingly, the teams with games yet to play emerged on top Sunday afternoon.

But their rivals definitely made them work for their wins.

For the 20th consecutive season, the division hasn’t had a repeat champion. The Eagles are the last team to successfully defend their crown, winning four straight between 2001-04.

Since then, Philadelphia has won seven titles, as has Dallas. Washington and the Giants have won three each.

Starting in 1970, after the NFL-AFL merger, the NFC East champions have broken down this way:

Dallas: 22

Philadelphia: 13

Washington: 10

New York: 8

St. Louis: 2

Here’s how the NFC East fared in the final week, along with their predicted and actual finishes:

Philadelphia Eagles

Predicted Finish: 13-4, 1st. Actual: 14-3, 1st.

The Eagles decided to shut Saquon Barkley down, keeping him just 101 yards from setting a new NFL single-season rushing record.

While Eric Dickerson celebrates keeping the record he set back in 1984 the Eagles now must win the Super Bowl. Anything less makes the decision to sit Barkley look bad.

Philadelphia may have discovered a quarterback diamond in the rough though, in case Jalen Hurts struggles to rebound from his concussion.

Tanner McKee, who drove the ball all over the Cowboys last week, did the same in his start against the Giants. McKee threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in the 20-13 win.

He not only did so without Barkley, but also without starting wide receiver A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

The win moved the Eagles to 14-3 for the second time in three seasons. Its also the fourth time they’ve ended the season with just three regular season losses.

In those three previous seasons – 2004-, 2017, and 2022 – they made it to the Super Bowl that year.

Philadelphia hosts the Green Bay Packers Sunday afternoon at 3:30 in the wild card round. The Eagles beat Green Bay 34-29 in Brazil to open the season.

Washington Commanders

Predicted Finish: 5-12, 3rd. Actual: 12-5, 2nd.

With a rookie quarterback, and a new head coach, it seemed likely the Commanders were destined to endure a rebuilding season in 2024.

Instead, they capped an incredible season with a comeback win over the Cowboys on Sunday. With their backup quarterback sparking the rally.

The Commanders had already secured a playoff spot. But they needed a win to gain a higher seeding and avoid facing the Eagles in the wild card round.

Mission accomplished.

Marcus Mariota’s short pass to Terry McLaurin with just a few seconds remaining gave Washington a 23-19 win.

It also put them in Sunday’s 7 p.m. playoff game against the Buccaneers (10-7) in Tampa Bay.

The Commanders’ 12th win for the season was the best for the franchise since the 1991. That year, the Redskins went 14-2 and went on to beat the Bills in the Super Bowl.

Dallas Cowboys

Predicted Finish: 8-9, 2nd. Actual: 7-10, 3rd.

Sunday’s loss to Washington felt more like a mercy-killing than anything else. It also perfectly encapsulated the 2024 season for the Cowboys.

They settled for too many field goals instead of touchdowns on offense.

The defense couldn’t make that final stop to seal the win either.

Too many bad passes, dropped passes, dumb penalties, and missed tackles. A theme that was repeated far too often in a 7-10 season in 2024.

Now it’s on to see who will be the head coach in 2025.

Not to mention to see which players will be back, which will have recovered from season-ending injury, and which will depart in free agency in two months.

It is the 19th losing season on the books in the franchise’s 65-year history.

New York Giants

Predicted Finish: 4-13, 4th. Actual: 3-14, 4th.

The Giants ended the year as the worst team in the NFC, and tied with Cleveland and Tennessee for the worst record in the NFL.

New York will be drafting third in April.

Who their coach and general manager will be then remains to be seen.

Hmmm, is the Deion and Shedeur Sanders show heading for the Big Apple this spring? (I’m kidding, don’t flame me in the comments.)

The Giants have extended their position as the NFC East team with the longest drought since winning the division.

The Giants last held the crown in 2011. The other three teams have all won it at least once in this decade.