Can the Washington Commanders win the NFC East in 2025? Washington came closer than anyone believed was possible last season, going 12-5 and reaching the NFC championship game for the first time in 33 years. Of course, the problem was that the team they finished behind in the NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles, was also the team that defeated them in the NFC title game.
The Eagles, of course, won the Super Bowl and don’t look to be going anywhere anytime soon. Philadelphia boasts a stacked roster, particularly along the offensive and defensive lines, featuring elite playmakers like Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown, as well as a talented young secondary.
Washington spent the offseason improving, too, making significant investments in the offensive and defensive lines, trading for five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, drafting offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. in the first round and signing several defensive linemen, including future Hall of Famer Von Miller.
Did the Commanders do enough to catch the Eagles? Most will agree that Philadelphia remains the class of the NFC East, but the Commanders do have the division’s best quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
But what if the Eagles have a Super Bowl hangover? What if Philadelphia deals with multiple injuries? You could say the same for Washington, too. However, Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports recently used Madden NFL 26 to simulate the 2025 NFL season. Sullivan’s simulation had the Commanders actually winning the NFC East. But wait, remarkably, the simulation had the Eagles missing the playoffs entirely and the New York Giants making the playoffs after a breakout season from rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
While Sullivan didn’t explain why he picked Washington to win the NFC East, he offered the following on the Eagles:
We are giving Philadelphia its own section because the defending Super Bowl champions had a season to forget after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Remarkably, the club imploded and finished with a 6-11 record, which found them in dead last in the NFC East. This wasn’t due to any sort of meaningful injury, as Jalen Hurts played every regular-season game, as did Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and the other key members on the defensive side of the ball.
It was a nightmarish start to the regular season, losing the first three games of the season and four of their first five out of the gate. Things briefly seemed as if they may turn around heading into the Week 9 bye after the Eagles won two of their three matchups to inch closer to .500, but the floor fell out from under them following the week-long break. Philly went on to drop three straight, losing matchups at the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, vs. the Lions in Week 11, and then at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. That brought them to a 3-8 record and effectively buried any hope of a late-season rally.
Remember, everyone, it’s a simulation.
Sullivan had the Green Bay Packers as the NFC’s No. 1 seed, while the Commanders were the No. 3 seed. The Giants stole the final spot, coming in with the No. 7 seed. While he doesn’t have Washington winning the Super Bowl, Sullivan does have the Commanders knocking the Lions out of the playoffs in back-to-back years. Some things never change. Washington lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Round.
Ultimately, the simulation has the Packers defeating the Ravens in Super Bowl LX in a thriller.
What are the odds that the Eagles miss the playoffs? Honestly, those chances seem extremely low. But anything can happen in the NFL.
Did we say this was only a simulation?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders win NFC East in Madden simulation as Eagles miss playoffs