Dak Prescott’s injury probably means 18 years of this…

Dak Prescott’s injury probably means 18 years of this weird NFC East tradition

The Dallas Cowboys had a worse opening weekend to the 2022 NFL season than anyone. They were held out of the end zone in a 19-3 prime time loss, at home, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Worse yet, they lost Jayron Kearse, Connor McGovern and most importantly Dak Prescott to injury.

That’s knocked the Cowboys from a -110 favorite to win their division to a +474 underdog — only slightly better odds than a Washington Commanders squad that went 7-10 the previous year. If that holds true, we’ll have a new champion in the NFC East.

Just like we’ve had every season since 2004.

It’s been nearly 18 years since someone won the NFC East crown in back-to-back seasons, a stretch dating back to the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb Eagles. Here’s how those titles have been parceled out in the years since:

Dallas Cowboys: 6 division championships
Philadelphia Eagles: 5
New York Giants: 3
Washington Commanders: 3

That parity hasn’t been great for the division’s postseason performances. 11 NFC East champions went one-and-done before dropping out of the playoffs. The Giants and Eagles both won Super Bowls as division champs, while New York added another Lombardi Trophy to its mantle as a Wild Card participant in 2008. Coincidentally, all three of the division’s Super Bowl victories came over the New England Patriots.

Here’s each winner, along with how they fared in the postseason since 2005.