Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season saw the Washington Commanders head across the pond to London for a matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, while the Dallas Cowboys had an interstate game against the Houston Texans. The New York Giants hosted the Arizona Cardinals, and the Philadelphia Eagles faced off against the Los Angeles Rams.
NFC East Standings:
- New York Giants (3-1; Point differential: plus-three)
- Philadelphia Eagles (2-2; Point differential: minus-18)
- Dallas Cowboys (2-2; Point differential: plus-10)
- Washington Commanders (1-3; Point differential: minus-34)
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 their Week 5 matchups:
Washington Commanders
What worked: The Commanders got off to a fast start, forcing Daniel Jones to turn the ball over just two plays into the game. Washington converted that into a field goal and kicked another to go up a quick 6-0 in the first quarter. A lot of this productivity was thanks to Marcus Mariota, whose mobility is similar to Jayden Daniels and thus made scheming for the backup fluid for offensive coordinator David Blough.
When Mariota left the game with injury, things on offense stifled a bit. Rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis did his best under center in his first regular-season appearance, throwing his first NFL touchdown pass to Treylon Burks. The 47-yard bomb, one of two passes of at least 40 yards he threw, kept the Commanders competitive in the third quarter.
Needs improvement: Washington had a tough time stopping the Colts' ground game. Each of Indianapolis' three touchdowns was earned on the ground, and the Commanders allowed 128 total rushing yards, 95 of which came solely from Jonathan Taylor, who ranks No. 5 in the league in rushing with 353 total yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry against Washington.
Another area of concern was the lack of third-down conversions. The Commanders converted just two of 15 attempts on third down. Part of this can be attributed to Kaliakmanis and his lack of experience, but it's something to keep an eye on given the Commanders offensive struggles through the first four weeks of the season.
Looking ahead to the New York Giants: Daniels was a welcome sight as a full practice participant on Wednesday, and the goal is for him to start against the Giants. Additionally, the Commanders designated Trey Amos, Jeremy McNichols and Deatrich Wise Jr. to return from Injured Reserve, which opens their 21-day practice window. Getting Daniels back is key to Washington's offense, which could be without Terry McLaurin (hamstring) for a second straight week and Stefon Diggs (hamstring), who both popped up on the injury report and did not practice on Wednesday.
The biggest implication for the Commanders is getting a divisional win and improving to 2-3 overall. With a loss, the team would be getting out to a 1-4 start staring down the currently undefeated San Francisco 49ers (Oct. 19) and the Minnesota Vikings (Dec. 27) on the schedule. A win could turn the momentum in Washington's favor, especially what could be the first win against a divisional opponent.
New York Giants
What worked: Two weeks in a row, the Giants' defense has come away with a game-sealing interception on the last play of the game. Deonte Banks who secured the 36-24 win when he picked off Jacoby Brissett in the endzone and returned it 98 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six was one of three interceptions Brissett threw, a career high for him and shows just how strong New York's defense is: Brissett has a 1.4 career interception rate -- the lowest in NFL history with a minimum of 1,500 pass attempts.
Needs improvement: The Giants struggled on the ground against the Cardinals, putting up just 87 total rushing yards. Despite averaging 5.2 yards per play in total offense, New York's top two running backs, Cam Skattebo and Najee Harris, averaged a combined 3.25 yards per play. The Giants made up for this, however, with a stellar game through the air. Even with Jameis Winston's unpredictability, New York dominated the pass game with 232 yards.
Looking ahead to the Commanders: Malik Nabers had his best game yet against Arizona, breaking 100 receiving yards in a game for the first time this season. It's the most he's put up since Week 2 of last season, in which he had nine receptions for 167 yards and two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. Nabers, however, didn't practice Wednesday and cited a sore knee as the reason.
Philadelphia Eagles
What worked: The defense notched its first turnover of the season with Andrew Mukuba intercepting Matthew Stafford at the Rams' 49-yard line on the first drive of the game. The Eagles entered the game with a -5 turnover differential, and the Jake Elliott field goal gave Philadelphia its first points in the first quarter this season. Prior to the game, the Eagles had been outscored 17-0 in the first quarter.
Needs improvement: The most glaring issue with the Eagles right now is their inconsistency on offense. In their Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, part of that issue can be attributed to playing without DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and the early exit of Saquon Barkley (hamstring), as well as Lane Johnson's late scratch from the offensive line.
Injuries don't fully excuse the performance, though. Philadelphia failed to convert a single third down on 12 tries and Jalen Hurts was blitzed on eight of his nine dropbacks on third down. The week prior against the Chicago Bears, the Eagles converted just twice on nine attempts. They also have been outscored 31-0 in the second half of their last two games. The week-to-week repetition indicates a repeated pattern that needs fixing, injuries or not.
Looking ahead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London: Johnson announced his retirement after 14 years with the Eagles. Johnson was a mainstay on the offensive line, and his presence will be missed as a leader in the locker room. The team also traded Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday, another blow to their offensive line.
Jacksonville has started the season hot, stacking wins to go 3-1 and top the AFC South. The Jaguars made the most of the absences of top receiving threats Ja'Marr Chase (concussion) and Tee Higgins (adductor) in their 22-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. It's something they could repeat against the Eagles, in that both Smith and Barkley's statuses for Week 5 are also up in the air, as neither practiced Wednesday.
Dallas Cowboys
What worked: CeeDee Lamb was a standout for Dallas in its 34-30 win against the Houston Texans. Lamb played his best game yet, recording a career-high 17 receptions for 189 yards and a game-winning touchdown with 40 seconds left. Javonte Williams also had a great game, rushing for a career-high three touchdowns in the second half. It's the first time this season Dallas has really utilized its run game in the redzone, and it paid off.
Needs improvement: The Cowboys struggled on special teams. Brandon Aubrey, who finished last season 36-for-42 on field goal tries and 47-for-48 on extra point attempts, had a 62-yard field goal attempt blocked and missed a 65-yard attempt wide left. He went 2-for-4 on the day and made all four extra point attempts he faced. On the season, Aubrey is 7-for-10 on field goal tries and 12-for-13 on PAT attempts. The Cowboys' special teams unit also allowed a 53-yard return that set the Texans up for a touchdown.
Looking ahead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers have gotten out to a rough 0-4 start capped with a Week 4 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers and will be starting undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels for the second consecutive week. Daniels has played well given the circumstances, although no team has ever made the playoffs with an 0-5 start, so the pressure is surely on the Buccaneers to right the ship.
Daniels is facing a Cowboys defense that has allowed the third-most yards in the league, generated just six sacks and has yet to force a turnover this season. Tampa Bay will look to exploit Dallas' defense, given its offense is one of the toughest to stop by putting up an average of 347.5 yards per game.
