Wild stat about NFC East goes viral

Feb 1, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; The NFL shield logo is seen at midfield at SoFi Stadium. Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals will be played on Feb. 13, 2022. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The NFC East has been one of the most competitive divisions in football for many years, and there is a crazy stat that proves it.

With the Philadelphia Eagles having lost four of their last five games, the NFC East is a two-team race heading into the final week of the season. The Dallas Cowboys will clinch the division if they beat the Washington Commanders in Week 18. If Dallas loses and the Eagles beat the New York Giants, Philly would become the first back-to-back NFC East champion in nearly two decades.

As ESPN’s Todd Archer noted on Sunday, there has not been a repeat NFC East winner in 18 seasons. That is the longest active streak for any division in the four major U.S. sports.

According to @ESPNStatsInfo, the current 18-season streak without a repeat champion in the NFC East is the longest for any division in NFL history and the longest active such streak for any division across the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB.

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) December 31, 2023

The Eagles won the NFC East from 2001-2004. There has not been a repeat champion since.

It looked like Philadelphia was going to run away with the NFC East two months ago, as they began the season 10-1. They are now 11-5 heading into Week 18. The Cowboys are also 11-5 but hold the tiebreaker.

The Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions on Saturday night thanks in part to a controversial late penalty. The Eagles still controlled their own destiny heading into Sunday, but their defense was nowhere to be found in a surprising 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.