How did the Eagles, Cowboys, Giants improve so much in 2022?

It hasn't even been two years since the NFC East was the laughingstock of the NFL. During the final game of the 2020 regular season, a fading 4-10-1 Philadelphia team benched quarterback Jalen Hurts in the middle of a game in which he had a 25.4 passer rating against 6-9 Washington, which was guaranteed a playoff spot with a victory. His replacement, Nate Sudfeld, played poorly enough for neutrals to complain the Eagles were throwing a game on national television. An indignant 6-10 Giants team <a href=«https://twitter.com/Giants/status/1345949542563385346?ref_src=» https:>took to Twitter to complain

; Sudfeld threw for 32 yards on 12 attempts and the Eagles bowed out, handing Washington the division title.

This was the bottom of the barrel. A sub-.500 Washington team made it to the playoffs. The Eagles were about to fire coach Doug Pederson and then trade quarterback Carson Wentz, just three seasons after they won a Super Bowl. The Giants were being run by the less-than-enthusing duo of coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman and had sunk millions of dollars into mediocrity. The Cowboys, fielding the league's fifth-worst scoring defense, were irrelevant after losing quarterback Dak Prescott to a brutal ankle injury in Week 5.

Now, everything has changed. The NFC East is the only division with three four-win teams. Even with Washington's 1-4 mark dragging down the group, its 14-6 combined record is best in the league. Likewise, the division's 11-3 mark outside the NFC East is No. 1, including three road victories Sunday.

The Commanders came within 2 yards of a Week 5 NFC East sweep, only for Wentz to attempt to throw interceptions on first and second down before finally succeeding on third-and-goal against the