NFC BEAST: Eagles, Cowboys, Giants make NFL History by advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs
Two years ago, if I told you that the NFC East would be the best division in football, you would have called me a psychopath after the Washington Commanders won the division with a 7-9 record.
Things changed. Fast. This year, the NFC East will have three teams playing in the divisional round of the playoffs, after the Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last night to advance to the next round.
The NFC East is Elite.
Now, the NFC East will send three teams to the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, with the Eagles and Giants playing Saturday night while the Cowboys head out to San Francisco to take on the 2-seed 49ers on Sunday.
This accomplishment for the NFC East marks the first time three teams make the divisional around from the same division for the first time since the 2002 realignment.
Note: The NFC Central sent three teams to the divisional round in 1997, but at the time, the NFL had six divisions of five teams. The Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Minnesota Vikings advanced to the divisional round that season as three teams from the Central made the postseason.
With Philadelphia and Dallas on the opposite sides of the playoff bracket one NFC East team is now guaranteed to make the conference championship game, which will be the first team from the division to do so since the Eagles beat the Vikings to advance to the Super Bowl in 2017.
Divisions are what makes football so great. This season marks the 18th year in a row where the winner of the NFC East didn’t repeat as champions. The Eagles took the crown this year, the Cowboys won it last year, and Washington won it in 2020.
Teams battle it out each year, some games just mean a little more, and serious rivalries are formed. We might even be lucky enough to see one this year with the Eagles and Cowboys in the NFC Championship if Dak Prescott and company can go into San Francisco and beat Brock Purdy and the 49ers, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Maybe the NBA should take some notes…?
Think about it, when is the last time you heard someone mention the Atlantic Division?
Do you even know what five teams in the NBA are in The Atlantic? Of course you don’t, but if you’re curious, here they are.
How They Got Here: NFC East sends Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants to divisional round of the playoffs
The Cowboys will have their work cut out on Sunday, facing a dangerous 49ers defense in San Francisco. They won their first road playoff game since 1993 last night when they took down the GOAT and Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.
For the Eagles, they’ll have a chance to get back to the NFC Championship for the first time since their magical Super Bowl run in 2017 with Nick Foles leading the way. Jalen Hurts looks to win the first playoff game of his career, while the recent resurgence of the New York Giants and Daniel Jones will look to ruin their season after beating the Vikings in the Wild Card round.
Read More: Divisional Round Power Rankings Released >>
Go Birds.
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