Week 7 of the 2026 NFL season featured the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. The New York Giants faced off against the Houston Texans, while the Washington Commanders enjoyed a much-needed bye week.
NFC East Standings:
- New York Giants (4-2-1; Point differential: +2)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-4; Point differential: +9)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2-5; Point differential: -48)
- Washington Commanders (1-4-1; Point differential: -40)
The NFC East snapped its two-week winless streak when the Giants defeated the Texans and the Cowboys beat the Eagles, moving Dallas into the No. 2 spot in the division. With the Commanders on an early bye, they'll look to snap their three-game winless streak at home on Sunday Night Football in their final regular-season matchup against the Eagles this season.
Let's take a deeper look at what worked and what didn't for each team in the NFC East and how they look heading into Week 8:
New York Giants
What worked: In his first week as the Giants' starter, JJ McCarthy ran the offense efficiently in New York's 27-20 overtime win against the Houston Texans. Cam Skattebo led the rushing attack with 124 yards and a touchdown, and his 42-yard dash in overtime set up Devin Singletary's game-winning 30-yard touchdown run.
The defense was also effective in limiting C.J. Stroud and the Texans' offense, which included the return of Tank Dell. Stroud finished with a season-low 153 passing yards, and Houston faltered in the second half and overtime. The Texans managed just seven points in the second half before going three-and-out in overtime.
Needs improvement: Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada missed both field goal attempts, leaving six points on the field for the Giants. Both attempts—a 56-yarder in the first quarter and a 46-yarder at the end of the first half—missed wide right. After beginning the season 9-for-9 on field goal attempts, Zvada is just 4-for-9 since.
Head coach John Harbaugh, who got his start in the league as a special teams coordinator for the Eagles from 1998 to 2006, still has confidence in Zvada. He told reporters Tuesday that New York has no plans to bring in competition for the position.
"We're not gonna be doing that right now, no," Harbaugh said.
Looking ahead to the bye week: Thanks to their Week 1 win against the Cowboys, the Giants are guaranteed to remain in first place in the division heading into their bye week. That being said, the rest is important because when they return, they'll face two back-to-back NFC East opponents, starting with a Week 9 trip to Philadelphia, followed by a Week 10 Thursday Night Football matchup against Washington at home.
Dallas Cowboys
What worked: The Cowboys pulled out a 38-21 divisional win against the Eagles on the road, keeping themselves in contention for the division title. Additionally, the Eagles' run defense allowed Javonte Williams to set a single-game career high with 155 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries. Williams, who came into the game averaging 52.8 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry, recorded the sixth-most rushing yards ever by a Cowboy against the Eagles.
Dak Prescott had one of his best games of the season, finishing with a 118.1 passer rating and three touchdowns. Along with Williams' production on the ground, Prescott connected with CeeDee Lamb for two scores. Lamb has recorded at least 70 receiving yards in two straight games and five of his last six contests overall, per ESPN.
Needs improvement: Although the Cowboys' defense played a better game against the Texans, it still ranks near the bottom of the league (No. 29), allowing an average of 373.7 yards per game. Philadelphia's offense averaged 5.2 yards per play, slightly higher than the Eagles' season average of 4.5 yards per play through their first seven games.
Looking ahead to the Arizona Cardinals: Arizona has just two wins heading into Week 8, defeating the winless Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 and the Los Angeles Rams by two points in Week 6. Its Week 7 game—a 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos—marked the Cardinals' 10th straight home defeat.
The Cardinals allowed the Broncos to average 6.7 yards per play, compared to their own 4.7 yards per play, with much of Denver's production coming on long-yardage plays. Bo Nix, who had just 37 combined rushing yards over his first six games of the season, broke off a 62-yard rushing touchdown that helped ice the game. If Williams has a similar performance to the one he had against Philadelphia and the Dallas defense can contain Trey McBride, the Cowboys could have the upper hand on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles
What worked: Saquon Barkley's return to the lineup gave the Eagles' offense a boost. Despite a hamstring injury that forced him in and out of the game, Barkley led Philadelphia's rushing attack and broke off a long 29-yard run. With DeVonta Smith out, Makai Lemon led all Eagles receivers with seven receptions for 67 yards and his first career touchdown.
Needs improvement: Philadelphia's defense has disappeared in key moments in several games this season, and Monday night was no exception. The No. 27-ranked defense is the first in NFL history to record three or fewer takeaways and eight or fewer sacks through seven games.
Looking ahead to the Commanders: Philadelphia is also riding a five-game losing streak for the first time since 2016. None of the previous 20 teams to lose five consecutive games made the playoffs, and only one finished without a losing record (1974).
Washington Commanders
Looking ahead to the Philadelphia Eagles: The last time Washington and Philadelphia faced off was in Week 1, when the Eagles defeated the Commanders by two points. Much has changed in seven weeks, however, most notably with the Eagles' offense. Jalen Hurts (blood clots) has been replaced by Tanner McKee, significantly changing the game plan for the Commanders' defense. Smith is also inactive, further limiting Philadelphia's passing attack.
The Commanders' near-comeback in the second half against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 7 should provide some comfort that the team can overcome adversity, especially after losing Terry McLaurin to a season-ending injury. Van Jefferson has been elevated from the practice squad to help fill the void, although Stefon Diggs will be the de facto top target.
