With five weeks left in the 2025 regular season, we suddenly have a real race in the NFC East. A three-game win streak for the Cowboys, coupled with a two-game slump for the Philadelphia Eagles, has brought Dallas just two games behind the division leaders.

Remember a few weeks ago when all those “the NFC East will have a repeat winner for the first time since 2004” posts were circulating? Cute, right? The streak is fighting for survival as Dallas is coming on strong in a push for the playoffs. While a wild card spot is still available as a path to the postseason, the Cowboys’ ascension has them on a potential collision course with the spiraling Super Bowl champs.

Even before the back-to-back losses to Dallas and Chicago, the Eagles’ offense struggled in wins over Green Bay and Detroit. Their defense carried them through those games, but hasn’t been as stalwart in recent weeks. But now that Philly’s cleared a tough stretch of NFC contenders and the disruptive holiday schedule, the big question is if they still have a few more losses in them.

Here are the NFC East standings going into Week 14:

Philadelphia Eagles 8-4 (2-2 in division, 7-3 vs NFC)Dallas Cowboys 6-5-1 (3-1, 3-4-1)Washington Commanders 3-9 (1-1, 1-6)New York Giants 2-11 (1-3, 1-8)

The Eagles’ remaining schedule is as follows: @ Chargers, Raiders, @ Commanders, @ Bills, and Commanders again. Los Angeles and Buffalo are both 8-4 AFC contenders, so there’s some hope there. And with another three weeks until the first Washington game, that gives QB Jayden Daniels more time to potentially return. While the Commanders’ season is over, a Dan Quinn team isn’t likely to just roll over for a division rival.

No matter what you think of Philly’s own weaknesses or the strength of their competition, asking for more than two losses is a lot. That’s why the task ahead of Dallas is still so tall, likely needing to win out to take advantage of any continued Eagles lapses. If they do, and Philadelphia suffers at least two more losses (or ties), that would put both the Cowboys and Eagles at 11 wins on the year. If Dallas is 11-5-1 and Philly is 11-6, the Cowboys win the division by having a slightly higher winning percentage.

This is a huge week for both teams. The Cowboys have probably the toughest game left on their schedule, traveling to Detroit on Thursday night. It’s not a short week as both teams are coming off their traditional Thanksgiving games. But with both Dallas and Detroit fighting for wild card spots, the Lions currently eighth in the NFC just ahead of us, it is no cliché to call this an early playoff game.

If Dallas can clear this hurdle, all eyes turn westward to Monday night’s meeting between the Eagles and Chargers in Los Angeles. Philly will have had a few extra days of rest, having last played on Black Friday, but the Chargers are in their own division race with the Broncos and are at least trying to stay afloat as an AFC wild card team. The Eagles’ offense may have a hard time getting right against the NFL’s third-ranked defense.

If it seems like we’ve forgotten that Washington and New York exist, well, that’s their fault. And neither is relevant this week: the Giants are on their bye while the Commanders face the Vikings in a game with zero playoff implications. We’ll check back in with them when they’re playing against the Cowboys, Eagles, or other NFC teams who could affect our future.

Again, the odds are still against Dallas coming back and winning the NFC East. But it’s gone from a fantasy to at least a semi-reasonable possibility, thanks mainly to Philly’s sudden rash of failure but also the Cowboys’ surprising swing of fortune. We can only hope that both streak continue in Week 14.