One week after the New York Giants firmly sat second in the NFC East following an impressive win over the Dallas Cowboys, Week 2 came along and threw a wrench into the whole thing.
Philadelphia is the division’s lone undefeated team, although it hasn’t exactly looked great getting there. Dallas responded to its season-opening loss at the hands of the G-Men by beating the brakes off Washington, while the Commanders fell to 0-2 and watched Jayden Daniels leave with a gruesome dislocated elbow injury. And then there’s New York, which followed up its electric Week 1 win by getting absolutely gobsmacked in Los Angeles.
If Week 2 taught us anything, it’s that nobody should be getting too comfortable just yet. The rankings didn’t completely flip on their head, but a couple of teams are getting dangerously close. Let’s get into it.
NFC East power rankings entering Week 3 of the 2026 season
Team | Record | Division | Points for | Points against | Point differential |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 1-1 | 1-0 | 34 | 48 | -14 |
Eagles | 2-0 | 1-0 | 48 | 42 | +6 |
Cowboys | 1-1 | 1-1 | 57 | 48 | +9 |
Commanders | 0-2 | 0-2 | 42 | 61 | -19 |
Week 2 results:
- Giants lost to the Rams 28-6
- Eagles beat the Titans 24-20
- Cowboys beat the Commanders 37-20
1. Philadelphia Eagles (2-0, Same)
Holding. On. By. A. Thread. ...Yikes. I don't know what else to say about Philly's 24-20 win over the Tennessee Titans this past weekend. It's not that they only won by four points against a team that couldn't get over 200 total yards of offense on the Jets in Week 1, but it's the fact that it took a last-minute drive in order to escape with a win.
Either they are hanging on by a thread against the Giants at 2 or the Cowboys at 3.
Next game: Monday, Sep. 28 @ Bears
2. New York Giants (1-1, Same)
Thin. Freaking. Ice.
The G-Men are holding onto the No. 2 spot for one reason: They beat Dallas head-to-head in Week 1. Because there wasn’t much of anything from Monday night’s 28-6 disaster that would suggest they deserved to be sitting any higher right now.
Big Blue managed just 182 yards of offense, scored six points, and left Los Angeles with injuries to arguably their top four players. Jaxson Dart's injury will have a lot of pull on next week's rankings. The Week 1 win still counts, so I’m not overreacting and dropping them just yet. Another performance like that against Tennessee, though, and the head-to-head argument won't save them.
Next game: Sunday, Sep. 27 vs. Titans
3. Dallas Cowboys (1-1, Up)
In the basement for a good time, not a long time, am I right? Someone had to be last place in the first edition of the NFC East power rankings, and America's Team did so with aplomb. But Week 2 yielded different results for the Stars, as they molleywhopped the pants off the Commanders, 37-20.
Dak Prescott was on his A game, throwing for 279 yards and four touchdowns, and DC Christian Parker's defense looked more locked in. If the Cowboys play like this the rest of the season, they're going to be a problem. It was an impressive divisional win, but the season-opening loss to Big Blue keeps them at three for now.
Next game: Sunday, Sep. 27 vs. Ravens
4. Washington Commanders (0-2, Down)
Oye. There's no easy way to put this, so here it is: getting annihilated 37-20 by the Cowboys was more than enough to drop the Commies into last place in the division, but losing star QB Jayden Daniels in the process might keep them in the basement until his dislocated elbow is fully healed and he's back on the field.
Daniels wasn't exactly lighting up the scoreboard before he went down anyway, but yeah... really tough blow to Washington. Prescott and Lamb had a field day against the Commanders' defense, and without an explosive offense, a shaky defense is the last thing HC Dan Quinn needs.
Next game: Sunday, Sep. 27 vs. Seahawks
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