Commanders a Threat to Eagles Hold on NFC East?

The Philadelphia Eagles are offseason favorites to land back in the Super Bowl representing the NFC, but is there a chance someone in their own division could mess up those plans?

Poll 100 people and only the truest fans of an NFC East rival to the Philadelphia Eagles will choose another team to win the division this year. 

As early NFC Championship favorites, the Eagles are surely at the top of just about everyone's divisional rankings. But a recent NFL.com column set out to rank the eight last-place finishers in each grouping last season based on the likelihood they could go from worst to first in this one. 

And despite Philadelphia's presence as a top-tier team in the NFL these days, that didn't push the Washington Commanders all the way to the bottom of those rankings like you might think it would.

"Washington is another club facing an uphill climb," NFL.com writes. "Coming off an 8-8-1 campaign, Ron Rivera's squad is dotted with talented players. Receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson are studs. The defensive line remains a force with Daron Payne re-signing and a motivated Chase Young playing out the final year of his rookie contract...One big question is whether all the parts can come together to form a winner. The other massive question mark is at quarterback, where Sam Howell is in line to start the season."

While the Commanders have certainly done a lot this offseason to try and improve their last-place standing in the NFC East, it's that quarterback question that has most doubting their potential in the coming year. 

Still, NFL.com didn't put their chances of unseating the Eagles lower than the Houston Texans' chances of toppling the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South and the Arizona Cardinals' odds of replacing the San Francisco 49ers as NFC West Champions. 

Even still, with the amount of talent returning to Philadelphia and the additions made to replace those who left, it seems more likely Washington might climb the ladder but fall short of regaining the division title it last won in 2020.

---

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.

Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here