Eagles React To Chance At Ending Long Drought In NFC East

A win on Saturday by the Philadelphia Eagles or a loss by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, and they would end one "crazy" streak.

December 27, 2009; Philadelphia, PA USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (5) throws during the game against the Denver Broncos at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Broncos 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – Cooper DeJean wasn’t sure if he had even started walking yet the last time the Eagles won their fourth straight NFC East title. He was born in February 2003, so yeah, he probably was.

As for who the quarterback was during that stretch of titles from 2001-04, well, he had to ask, which is probably what you’d expect from someone who grew up in a rural Iowa farming community.

Informed it was Donovan McNabb, he said, “I should’ve known.” Maybe somebody just turning 1 this year will remember DeJean’s name in 21 years. Of course, somewhere in the next 21 years there might just be a repeat champion of the NFC East.

The Eagles are on the brink of ending one of the weirdest stats in the NFL - there hasn’t been a repeat winner of the division since the Eagles decades ago.

“It is kind of crazy,” said DeJean.

The Eagles have a chance to do it when they go to Landover, Md., to the play the Washington Commanders on Saturday (5 p.m.). A win, and the division is theirs. If they lose, they can still wrap it up if the Chargers beat the Cowboys in Dallas on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts, Adoree Jackson React

Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off to running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the third quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

“Yeah, it’s something we gotta do first, obviously,” said quarterback Jalen Hurts when asked about how it would feel to win the division again. “But (it’s) something that’s always been on the back of my mind.”

Last year, the Eagles went to Northwest Stadium, formerly known as FedEx Field, with a chance to win the East, but lost 36-33. They came back the following week to hammer the Cowboys, 41-7, to wrap up the title.

“That goes to show you the amount of competition there is in this division,” said cornerback Adoree Jackson. “The owners or the GMs being able to draft, trade and figure out what they want to do to be able to keep building their team and stacking it for success, I think you like that and look for that, that's a bunch of competition. You want to be somewhere where there is competition and understand that in any given year it could be our year but what are you going to do it so knowing that this division has a history of not having repeat winners, you live for that type of competition.”

This is just DeJean’s second season in the league, so he knows how it felt to win the East last year. Jackson won an AFC South title in 2020 with the Titans but spent the last four seasons in the NFC East with the Giants, who haven’t won the division since 2011. He was asked how it would feel to win the East.

“That would be special, not just to be a part of the team but to go through the OTAs, the camp, you know, the blood, sweat, and tears with the guys and just to be there in that moment with them and for them,” he said. “You know, that's what I just think about, just all that I can do to possibly help. But at the end of the day, it's all those guys, so it's just nice to be in that moment with them.”

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