NFC East Futures: Who Will Win the NFC East This Year?
Updated September 30, 2026
Updated September 30, 2026
The NFC East has already taken a few twists and turns, and the early division race looks less predictable than it did before the season. Philadelphia remains the market leader even after an ugly loss in Chicago, while Dallas has stayed within striking distance despite letting a winnable game slip away against Baltimore. New York has produced encouraging results but is dealing with major injuries, and Washington finally broke through with an impressive win over Seattle while waiting for its starting quarterback to return.
Philadelphia entered the season as the team to beat in the NFC East at Polymarket, and the futures market still views it that way. The Eagles opened with enough quality to justify that position, but the loss to Chicago exposed issues that cannot simply be dismissed. The offense lacked rhythm for long stretches, turnovers hurt badly, and the defense gave up too many easy opportunities to a Bears offense playing without its usual starting quarterback.
Even so, Philadelphia still has the least convoluted overall path to winning the division. Jalen Hurts returned after being evaluated during the Chicago game, Saquon Barkley remains a centerpiece of the offense, and the roster has enough proven talent to recover from one poor night. The Eagles are still priced as the clear favorite rather than part of a wide-open four-team race.
Dallas sits firmly behind Philadelphia as the second choice in the futures market. The Cowboys have shown that their offense can trade scores with quality opponents, and Dak Prescott has looked comfortable pushing the ball to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Their loss to Baltimore was frustrating because Dallas had late chances to take control and could not finish the job.
The larger concern is the defense. Injuries have piled up across the unit, particularly in the defensive backfield, and that could become a major problem if the offense is forced to carry too much of the burden each week. Dallas has enough scoring ability to stay close to Philadelphia in this race, but its margin for error may shrink if the defense cannot get healthier.
New York has been one of the early surprises in the division and has done enough to remain relevant in the futures market. The Giants followed a difficult loss to the Rams by grinding out a win over Tennessee, with the defense carrying much of the load late in the game. That type of victory is an encouraging sign for a team trying to build a new identity under John Harbaugh.
The problem is that the injury news has been severe. Jaxson Dart is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, leaving Jameis Winston as the starter, and Brian Burns is also out for the year with a torn ACL. The addition of J.J. McCarthy gives New York another quarterback option, but the market still sees the Giants as a clear outsider because two major pieces are gone.
Washington entered the season with a path to contend, but Jayden Daniels' dislocated elbow changed the outlook quickly. The good news is that the injury is being handled on a week-to-week basis rather than as a season-ending issue. Marcus Mariota also showed that the offense can function without Daniels, helping Washington beat the defending champions from Seattle.
That win keeps the Commanders from fading out of the picture, but the market still places them at the bottom of the division. Washington has already lost ground against NFC East opponents, and every additional game without Daniels raises the pressure on the rest of the roster. Mariota can keep the offense competitive, but the ceiling is clearly higher once Daniels returns.
Philadelphia is still my pick to win the NFC East. The Chicago loss was concerning, especially because the Eagles were beaten cleanly in several important areas, but one bad performance does not erase the roster advantage they still hold over the rest of the division. More importantly, their main competitors have problems that may be harder to fix than Philadelphia's inconsistent execution.
