Are Eagles Still the Favorites to Win NFC East Despite Recent Slump? Chris Canty Thinks So

The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-5 after AFC West's Los Angeles Chargers defeated them 22-19 in overtime on Monday.

Are Eagles Still the Favorites to Win NFC East Despite Recent Slump? Chris Canty Thinks So

Chris Canty in circle and Jalen Hurts (images via CNN/ESPN Press Room)

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On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in overtime after Jalen Hurts threw a walk-off interception to Tony Jefferson and Cameron Dicker kicked a go-ahead 54-yard field goal. The losses against the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and the Chargers marked the Philadelphia team’s first three-week consecutive loss since Week 15 in 2023.

The Chargers’ victory, powered by Hurts’ career-high four interceptions, also took a hit at the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances to win the NFC East. The Eagles are now 8-5, and the Dallas Cowboys are right on their tail with 6-6-1.

With the recent slump and how close the Cowboys have gotten to the Eagles, fans are alarmed about the Eagles’ chances to win the NFC East and be the first in decades to win consecutive NFC East division titles. The last time the same team won the division in consecutive years was when the Eagles won it from 2001 to 2004.

However, Chris Canty, who played for the Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and the New York Giants, doesn’t think fans should be worried. The defensive lineman held that the Eagles would win the division without any trouble.

Canty pointed at the rather easier schedule that the Eagles have here on out. They play the Las Vegas Raiders, the Washington Commanders twice, and the Buffalo Bills. Only the Bills have an above .500 record among the three. Canty thinks that the Eagles were a straight shot-in for the division title, and the question should be about how they rank in the conference.

Whether or not they win the division is not a conversation we should be having. The conversation we should be having is how this team can position themselves to go back-to-back.

Chris Canty said on First Take

He, however, expressed disappointment in how the Eagles’ season has turned out. Ahead of the season, the Eagles were one of the headlining contenders for the Super Bowl.

Things are as easy as Chris Canty puts it for the Philadelphia Eagles

If the Dallas Cowboys win all of their remaining games, they would finish the season at 10-6-1. In that scenario, the Philadelphia Eagles would need to reach 11-6 to secure the NFC East title, meaning Philadelphia must go at least 3-1 over their final four games.

Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts
Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts (Image via The Morning Call)

However, the moment Dallas drops a game, the path becomes easier; every Cowboys loss effectively reduces the number of wins the Philadelphia Eagles need to clinch the division.

The earliest Philadelphia can officially lock up the NFC East is after their December 20 matchup against the Washington Commanders. For that early division-clinching scenario to happen, the Eagles must defeat both the Las Vegas Raiders and the Commanders in consecutive weeks. At the same time, the Cowboys would need to lose at least one of their next two games, either against the Minnesota Vikings on December 14 or the Los Angeles Chargers on December 21.

If Dallas were to lose both of those matchups, Philadelphia’s job becomes significantly easier: the Eagles would need to win only one of their next two games to wrap up the division, regardless of how the final stretch plays out. However, that is quite unlikely. The Minnesota Vikings have been weak this year with quarterback inconsistencies, and the Cowboys are the favorites in that outing.

The Philadelphia Eagles play the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field at 1:00 PM EST. The Raiders are on a seven-game losing streak, and they will be starting with backup quarterback Kenny Pickett against the Eagles. Any chance of a Raiders win can only come through the form of their defense.

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