The NFC East, a National Football League conference consisting of the Washington Football Team, the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Eagles, has experienced drastically low performance this season.

With the league still holding games during Covid-19, many games have been cancelled or postponed due to positive test results, as teams are not practicing strict quarantine.

Along with injuries and bad coaching, the struggles of the NFC east could also be credited to the new environment in the league during the pandemic.

With a combined record of 10 wins, 26 losses, and 1 tie after 10 weeks of play, every team in conference has a win ratio far below 50%. This is an abnormal occurrence in the NFL, as conferences tend to be very balanced, meaning they each usually hold one high performing team, two mediocre teams, and one low performing team.

Although it is natural for conferences to go through patterns of bad records, it is surprising to many fans and analysts as to why the NFC East has experienced such woes in recent years.

“Honestly, all the teams in the NFC East are playing terrible right now. They are not playing like they used to in years before. It is not very exciting to watch the NFC East anymore,” sophomore Jaelin Boutah said. 

Boutah is a passionate Washington Football Team fan and wants the best for his team. Many fans of NFC east teams have found it hard to watch and cheer for their teams. 

“As a long time Washington Football Team fan, it is hard to watch them lose,” Boutah said. 

Historically, the conference is one of the most successful in all of professional football, with a combined total of 21 NFC Championships and 13 Super Bowl victories. 

But the long period of success has fallen in recent years as each team in the conference has experienced their own troubles. 

The New York Giants, who won the Super Bowl in 2012 after defeating the New England Patriots by a score of 21-17, have had a total record of 51-77 since their world championship. 

Currently, they sit at 3-7 after their victory over the Eagles, although star running back Saquon Barkley is still injured.

The Washington Football Team has an atrocious record of 2-7 this season and have not made the playoffs since 2015.

Their recent 27-30 loss against the Detroit Lions was a result of rookie defensive lineman Chase Young recieving a roughing the passer penalty, which set the Lions up for a game winning field goal.

The Dallas Cowboys last won a Superbowl in 1996. In 2018, the Cowboys beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. 

However, this year they have a record of 2-7, which is mainly due to their star Quarterback Dak Prescott getting injured.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had the most success among all of these teams in the conference, but still have been lackluster. 

The Eagles won a Super Bowl during the 2017-2018 season and have made the playoffs the last 3 years, but heavy injuries on their defensive squad and early playoff exits have disappointed their fan base. 

They are currently in first place in the NFC East standings with a record of 3-5-1. Their losing record is due to many injuries, and the poor play of their quarterback Carson Wentz. 

“I think they’re [the NFC East] the worst division in the NFL and they got stuck with some of the worst players in the NFL and some of the worst coaching,” sophomore Eagles fan Wade Hayes said.

Despite each team’s poor performance this season, it is guaranteed that the winner of the NFC East will not only go to the playoffs, but will be given home field advantage in the first round. 

The fact that the winner of each conference is automatically given a spot in the playoffs has angered many fans in recent years, who believe it is unfair that such an untalented and low performing team finishes above better teams who must play in more competitive conferences. 

For example, if the Philadelphia Eagles win the NFC East and qualify for the playoffs, they would have possibly made the playoffs over NFC West teams Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals, who both sit at records of 6 wins and 3 losses. 

“I would say the Eagles are the only team with potential. Every other team should just give up. The Giants are not as good anymore and the Redskins were alright, but I don’t know what’s happening. The Cowboys are a huge disappointment,” sophomore Seattle Seahawks fan Rayyan Billoo said. 

After week 10, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the frontrunners for winning the super bowl with a 9-0 record, being the only undefeated team in the league.