How a nightmare week in the NFC East impacts all four head coaches

Week 5 of the NFL season was not kind to the NFC East, as all four teams in the division had frustrating endings to their games.

After the Dallas Cowboys underwhelmed on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Eagles faltered across the pond in the morning while the New York Giants and Washington Commanders played to a tie in the early afternoon. Overall, each of the four teams experienced maddening moments in their games, leading their fans to wonder what could have been.

Still, the four teams didn't have an equal intensity of frustrations in Week 5. In some cases, the team's had coach admitted after the game to costing them the game, while in others, the Week 5 was just a speed bump in the 2026 season.

With all four NFC East teams leaving much to be desired, here's a breakdown of how each result impacts the four head coaches in the division.

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Dan Quinn, Commanders

While the Commanders didn't lose on Sunday, settling for a tie against the Giants may have put Dan Quinn in a difficult hole. Washington was up two possessions for most of the game but blew a 14-point lead as New York forced overtime with a late rally. 

Then, in overtime, the Commanders were in prime position to win the game when the offense bungled the final play of the game, allowing the time on the clock to expire. Instead of getting a chance to kick a field goal and win the game, Washington collected a tie.

The Commanders can't get the play off in time and this game ends in a tie https://t.co/WmPp6q5hU0

"Leaving tonight with a tie feels like a loss," Quinn said after the game. "The right call is to clock it early and don't put ourselves in that spot, and that's my responsibility and nobody else's,"

Quinn's seat is perhaps the hottest among the NFC East head coaches, and giving away a tie in a game the team should've won didn't help. Washington is now 1-3-1 in the division, currently in last place, which is why a win vs. New York would have been so important.

MORE: Dan Quinn left furious by Commanders overtime mistake

Nick Sirianni, Eagles

In the opening game on Sunday in London, the Eagles lost in catastrophic fashion to the Jacksonville Jaguars After taking a one-point lead with just eight seconds left, Philadelphia allowed a big kickoff return to the Jaguars that led to a game-winning Jacksonville field goal.

One of the craziest endings of the year. https://t.co/Wm9hwOjk1U

Sirianni took the blame after the game, saying that the kicking team should have sent the ball out of the endzone.

"I didn't make the right decision, and I lost us that game. And that's what I said to our guys," he said. "I [didn't] make the decision that I should make at the end of that game, and I cost us that one. And I put that fully on me."

The final sequence is the talking point, but Sirianni was already under the spotlight for the Eagles' lack of production on offense, which didn't improve on Sunday. While the Eagles probably won't fire Sirianni midseason, he does need to turn things around to quiet the outside noise.

Overall, Sirianni's tough day on Sunday will only anger Philadelphia fans even more.

MORE: Nick Sirianni owns up to Eagles loss to Jaguars

Brian Schottenheimer, Cowboys

The Cowboys were grateful for the NFC East's rough Sunday, as it helped put distance between the team's brutal loss on Thursday night. Brian Schottenheimer's squad lost at home on a short week to the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers and undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, falling to 2-3 in the process.

Schottenheimer hoped new defensive coordinator Christian Parker would help fix a broken defense from 2025, but the unit hasn't been much better this year. Instead, the Cowboys once again face the task of needing their offense to overcome their defensive miscues.

Still, Schottenheimer gets the benefit that the Cowboys do not typically make coaching changes, so his job doesn't appear to be in jeopardy. Jerry Jones last fired a head coach midseason in 2010, and every Cowboys head coach since 2000 got at least three seasons at the helm.

While Schottenheimer still needs to make the playoffs to ease any job concerns, his seat likely not as hot as Quinn's or Sirianni's. Dallas also benefits the most from no team winning on Sunday, as the team could feel like it caught a break. 

John Harbaugh, Giants

Harbaugh's status as the Giants head coach is in a different galaxy than his three counterparts. Harbaugh has the Giants in first place in his first season as head coach, and New York fans are thrilled that the team is just competing at a high level.

Even the tie vs. Washington on Sunday shows why the Giants are happy with Harbaugh. New York came back from down two touchdowns to force overtime, and the defense held firm late in the game to secure the tie. While the Giants blew a few chances to score in the extra frame, New York fought its way to get to that point.

Harbaugh is not without his faults, as he has made a few decisions in the first few weeks that he probably wants back. Even with the tie, though, Giants fans are more relieved that they didn't lose on the road to a division rival on Sunday.