In a division populated with four of the league’s most iconic franchises, heartbreak and disappointment have not been hard to come by.
Although sports are meant to be unpredictable, there are still a few guarantees you can count on when entering any given NFL season.
Chief among those guarantees is knowing that multiple teams in the NFC East will enter the season with sky-high expectations and plenty of dates on national TV, though these expectations haven’t often been realized in recent years.
Boasting the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders and New York Giants, the NFC East holds some of the league’s fiercest rivalries involving teams that are deeply intertwined with the history of the league and sport.
Despite the occasional moniker of the “NFC Beast” when things are going well for all four clubs, success has been far from a given for the teams involved over the past 30 years.
While the Eagles and Giants have each captured multiple Super Bowl wins since the turn of the century, the same can’t be said for the Cowboys and Commanders, the latter of whom made their first conference title game appearance since their 1991 Super Bowl victory last season.
The last 30 years haven’t exactly been a bed of roses for Philadelphia and New York either, with the former winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history in the 2017 season while the Giants have been mired in poor play since their most recent championship in 2011.
Along the way have been plenty of devastating losses, shattering Super Bowl expectations and routinely leaving the division’s fans yearning for next year.
Here’s a look at the losses that have stung the most for NFC East teams.
Dallas Cowboys: 2014 NFC Divisional Round (26-21 loss to Green Bay Packers)
Honorable mentions: 2006 NFC Wild Card Game, 2007 NFC Divisional Round, 2016 NFC Divisional Round, 2021 NFC Wild Card Game
It’s hard to single out just one loss here, with the Cowboys having every kind of heartbreaker imaginable since their last Super Bowl win in 1995, which was also their most recent conference championship game.
Standing out in the crowd however is Dallas’ loss to Green Bay in the 2014 NFC Divisional Round, now mostly remembered for a controversial call that negated a long pass to Cowboys’ wide receiver Dez Bryant late in the game that would have given Dallas the chance to take the lead.
The duel between the two NFC powerhouses favored Dallas early, as the Cowboys responded to an early Andrew Quarless touchdown reception with two touchdown passes from Tony Romo – a 1-yard connection with Tyler Clutts late in the first quarter and a 38-yard conversion to Terrance Williams around midway through the second quarter.
A 14-7 Dallas lead would be cut to 14-10 as time expired in the first half thanks to a 40-yard field goal from longtime Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby.
Crosby got the Packers to within a point around midway through the third quarter, with Dallas responding feverishly on the following drive. With the help of 35 passing yards from Romo, DeMarco Murray followed a 26-yard carry with a 1-yard touchdown run, putting the Cowboys up 21-13 with a little over four minutes left in the third quarter.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers answered back with a 90-yard touchdown drive that featured 95 passing yards from Rodgers, including a 46-yard bomb that found Davante Adams in the end zone. Green Bay opted to kick the extra point to make the score 21-20 in favor of Dallas, forgoing an opportunity to tie the game.
After forcing a punt on the following Dallas drive that carried into the fourth quarter, Rodgers tacked on another 78 passing yards on a touchdown drive, connecting with Richard Rodgers from 13 yards out to give the Packers the lead with just over nine minutes to go. The lead would remain 26-20 after a Green Bay two-point conversion attempt failed.
The game’s climax came on the ensuing Dallas drive, as Romo and Murray carried the Cowboys well into Green Bay territory as the fourth quarter began to wind down. Forced to go for it while facing a 4th & 2 at the Packers’ 32-yard-line, Romo appeared to connect with Dez Bryant inside the five-yard line for what would have set the Cowboys up for a 1st & Goal with under five minutes remaining.
Though initially ruled a catch, the call on the field was overturned as replay officials determined the ball moved enough after Bryant made contact with the ground to deem it an incomplete pass.
This gave the ball back to the Packers at their own 32-yard-line, converting on two necessary first downs while forcing Dallas to burn their final two timeouts as the Cowboys never got the ball back, losing the game 26-21.
Though the Cowboys still haven’t made it back to the NFC Championship since 1995, Green Bay would be dealt a heartbreaker of their own the following week in the 2014 NFC title game.
New York Giants: 2002 NFC Wild Card Game (39-38 loss to San Francisco 49ers)
Honorable mentions: Super Bowl XXV, 2008 NFC Divisional Round, 2016 NFC Wild Card Round
While the Giants triumphed over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, successful seasons have been few and far in between outside of their championships in the last 30 years.
Though only in the first round of the postseason, it’s hard to find a loss more gut-wrenching than what the Giants sustained in San Francisco in the 2002 NFC Wild Card Game, which saw the 49ers complete a historic comeback.
Though an early Jeff Garcia-to-Terrell Owens connection for 76 yards gave the 49ers 7-0 lead not long after the start of the game, the Giants answered back with two touchdowns of their own, holding a 14-7 lead in the early stages of the second quarter.
After a 1-yard rushing TD from Kevan Barlow tied the game up for the 49ers with just over six minutes to go in the first half, the Giants rattled off 24 unanswered points, seemingly putting the game away with a field goal that gave New York a 38-14 lead with 4:27 left in the third quarter.
San Francisco embarked on a feverish comeback from there, with Garcia driving the 49ers quickly down the field for a touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion on the following drive to make it a 16-point game.
The 49ers then forced a three-and-out and capitalized on excellent field position from a bad punt, with Garcia completing a 14-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. A successful two-point conversion cut the Giants lead to just eight with a full frame of football left to play.
Following yet another three-and-out from New York, the Niners embarked on a long drive that concluded with a 25-yard field goal that brought the 49ers back within five points, the closest the game had been since the first half.
While the Giants would drive into San Francisco territory on the following possession, a missed 42-yard field goal from Matt Bryant gave the 49ers a chance to win it all with a touchdown with over three minutes left in the game.
Garcia went on to complete a 68-yard touchdown drive, leaving just over one minute left in regulation after a 13-yard pass to Tai Streets connected in the end zone. The door was left wide open for the Giants, however, as a two-point conversion attempt failed, giving San Francisco a 39-38 advantage.
New York once again drove into 49ers territory, though the game would end on a controversial call of an ineligible receiver downfield as the Giants ran a play with five seconds left from the San Francisco 23-yard line.
The no-call concluded an incredible San Francisco comeback that saw the 49ers score 25 unanswered points en route to victory, one that could be seen as the last hurrah of an era of incredible success for the franchise that dated back to the early 1980’s.
San Francisco went on to sustain a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round the following week, while the Giants would return to the playoffs again in 2005.
Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl LVII (38-35 loss to Kansas City Chiefs)
Honorable mentions: Super Bowl XXXIX, 2008 NFC Championship Game, 2006 NFC Divisional Round, 2003 NFC Championship Game, 2001 NFC Championship Game
While the Eagles are winners of two Super Bowls over the past 10 years, the historic franchise was without a Super Bowl title up until 2017, with plenty of instances of immeasurable heartbreak along the way.
Although losses in three straight NFC Championship Games from 2001 to 2003 and a devastating loss in the Super Bowl following the 2004 season are not to be forgotten or discredited, it’s hard to overlook the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs in 2022, and the controversial ending that came with it.
An iconic game that was undoubtedly one of the best Super Bowls in recent memory, it was the Eagles who struck often and early, emerging after a 7-7 first quarter to take a 24-14 lead into halftime.
The Birds looked remarkably poised and prepared in the first half, maintaining momentum at the break even after a game-tying fumble return touchdown from Nick Bolton of Kansas City seemed to turn the tide in the early stages of the second quarter.
Kansas City made their way closer early on in the third quarter, with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Isiah Pacheco putting the Chiefs back within a field goal. The Eagles responded with a drive that took up the majority of the third quarter, which kept Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense off the field despite only resulting a field goal with under two minutes left in the quarter, putting Philadelphia up 27-21.
Back with the football for the first time in nearly 10 game minutes, Mahomes drove the Chiefs 75 yards down the field, connecting with Kadarius Toney from five yards out early in the fourth quarter to give the Chiefs a 28-27 advantage.
After the Chiefs’ defense forced a three-and-out, a 65-yard punt return from Toney set the Chiefs up with a 1st & Goal at the Eagles’ 5-yard line, with Mahomes finding Skyy Moore from four yards out for a touchdown that would extend Kansas City’s lead to eight points.
Trailing 35-27 with 9:22 left in the game, it was Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts who drove his team 75 yards down the field, with a 45-yard connection with DeVonta Smith doing much of the heavy labor. Once in the red zone, Hurts converted on a two-yard rushing touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion to tie the game with just 5:15 remaining.
Unfortunately for Hurts and the Eagles, they would not receive another meaningful possession, with Mahomes driving the Chiefs well into Philadelphia territory to give them a chance to win as time expired. Facing a 3rd & 8 with 1:54 remaining, a controversial defensive holding call on James Bradberry set the Chiefs up with another first down and an opportunity to run the clock out, despite grievances from choruses of fans and FOX color commentator Greg Olsen on the play.
A 27-yard field goal from Harrison Butker with 11 seconds left in the game would seal the championship for the Chiefs, concluding a wild game that just seemed to break in Kansas City’s favor in the big moments.
While the Chiefs would win the Super Bowl again the following season over the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles exacted their revenge in 2024, blowing out the Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX.
Washington Commanders: 2024 NFC Championship Game (55-23 loss to Philadelphia Eagles)
Honorable mentions: 2005 NFC Divisional Round, 1999 NFC Divisional Round, 2012 NFC Wild Card Game
A bit of a tough one to single out a loss for, the Commanders have been one of the most futile teams in the NFL over the course of the past 30 years, only recording seven playoff appearances and one conference title game in that span.
Though the Commanders were nowhere near a favorite to topple the Eagles in last year’s NFC Championship Game, it’s hard to think of a loss in the past three decades more painful for Washington fans as this was finally a chance to go to the Super Bowl.
While the final score certainly points to a disaster, Commanders fans had some reason for hope early on in the contest. Despite two thunderous Saquon Barkley touchdown runs putting Washington down 14-3 after the first quarter, a second Zane Gonzalez field goal and 36-yard touchdown reception from Terry McLaurin cut the Eagles’ lead to 14-12 near the midway point of the second quarter.
With a two-point conversion attempt failing on the Washington touchdown, the Eagles went on to explode in the final two minutes of the half, scoring two touchdowns largely thanks to a kickoff return fumble from Jeremy McNichols.
While the Commanders did convert on a field goal as time expired in the first half, a 14-12 deficit had exploded to 27-15 as both teams headed to the locker room.
The offensive onslaught continued for the Eagles in the second half, as they went on to score another 28 points while the Commanders managed just one more touchdown and two-point conversion through the rest of the game.
Philadelphia went on to win the contest 55-23, and would later go on to score another 40 points in the Super Bowl two weeks later to win their second championship in eight seasons.
Commanders fans are hoping 2024 wasn’t a fluke, as Washington currently holds a 4-11 record in 2025 and will miss the postseason.
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