Cowboys Actually Have One Favorable 'Drought' In Unlikely Chase for NFC East Title

The Dallas Cowboys have a vision; the Philadelphia Eagles stand as an obstacle.

The Eagles, too, have a vision. What stands in their way is not the Cowboys or the Commanders or the Giants, their NFC East rivals.

No, the Philly obstacle is bigger: History and the odds.

New Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer recently launched into a proclamation about his 2025 team and his coaching staff ... and it is bold stuff.

"We're going to win,'' he said recently from here inside The Star. "And when we win, they're going to want to steal our coaches, because we're going to win.''

Possible? Sure - or at least so says history.

The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles are coming off their dominant 40-22 victory over Kansas City and they seem very much reloaded to make another notable run.

But ... to do they will have to overcome the challenge of ending the NFL's longest active streak of division parity.

The NFC East hasn't crowned back-to-back champions since Philadelphia's own four-year run from 2001-2004. That's 21 years of NFC East members taking turns atop the division standings, with all four teams capturing at least two division titles from 2007-2021.

The national media has taken notice. ... and Philly is seen as a favorite.

Meanwhile, oddsmakers seem to think Dallas is doomed to a repeat of its 7-10 season of a year ago.

Are the Cowboys really going to be that lousy even with a healthy Dak Prescott?

Is Philadelphia's 14-3 record from a year ago really achievable again?

The hard oddsmakers numbers: According to FanDuel NFC East division odds, the Eagles are betting favorites to repeat at -135 odds, an implied probability of 57.45 percent. The Washington Commanders represent the biggest threat at +205 to +230 odds.

Dallas and New York are afterthoughts.

But somehow, some way, over the course of all these years, the NFC East's 21-year repeat drought lives.

And it might be the Cowboys' one biggest reason for hope.