Giants reporter delivers laughable prediction on non-Eagles NFC East winner

There has been considerable discussion about how it's been over 20 years since an NFC East team has repeated as champions. The Philadelphia Eagles were the last to do it.

Entering 2025, the Eagles are still favored to win the division with the Washington Commanders coming in a close second. While the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys appear to be on the outside, that hasn't stopped those from picking them.

In a recent ESPN article with all the NFC East beat reporters for the network, Giants reporter Jordan Raanan was the only one who didn't pick the Eagles to win the division. Raanan didn't even pick the team he covers. He likes the Cowboys to surprise everyone and win it.

"Let's get a bit crazy here because that's the recent history of the NFC East. No, not the Giants. That gap is massive.

But since everyone is down on the Cowboys this season, it only makes sense they surprise and win the division. There is still some high-end talent on that roster and Dallas was good for at least 12 wins each of the previous three years that Prescott played double-digit games. So this is largely contingent on him being healthy. But to count the Cowboys out with Prescott potentially having the best weapons of his career seems silly. They will surprise."

Is Raanan off base with his prediction of Cowboys over Eagles?

Everyone can agree that the Giants won't get anywhere close to winning the division. They have uncertainty at quarterback and are a too-young team. The most likely outcome for them is that head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen will be shown the door at the end of the season (or even before then).

The most popular picks have been the Eagles and Commanders, as both teams were neck and neck last year for the division title and met in the NFC Championship game. Philadelphia has ultimately gotten a good majority of the predictions to win the division as the defending Super Bowl champions.

Dallas is coming off letting Mike McCarthy walk for a 7-10 2024 season that was entirely out of his control and hired his replacement, Brian Schottenheimer, who has no prior experience as a head coach. Outside of trading for wide receiver George Pickens, the Cowboys did nothing in the offseason to get better.

It's wild that all the teams to pick, it's the Cowboys who get more votes than the rising Commanders. Philadelphia getting the most votes makes sense as they are the most prepared to win a Super Bowl in 2025, but the Cowboys? It's unclear whether fans would even consider the Cowboys a rebuild, as they seem to be stuck in neutral.

If there is a safe bet on a prediction not going the way everyone thinks it will, Raanan's wild prediction is just that. Wild.