'Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East' Preview and How to Watch with Sling
The most decorated division in the NFL takes the spotlight in the new season of ‘Hard Knocks.’ Here’s a closer look and how to watch with Sling.
The NFC East is the NFL’s premiere division. Not only is it notorious for its parity – a different team has won the NFC East each year for 20 years – but it’s the only division in the NFL where every team has won the Super Bowl (in fact, every NFC East team has won multiple Super Bowls). So when it came time to select this year’s division for Hard Knocks: In Season, the NFC East must have been one of the top choices.
In spite of their laurels, the teams in the division – the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants – are down bad in the new season of Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East, which debuts new episodes Tuesday nights at 9pm ET on HBO. With a combined 5-21 record, both the Commanders and Giants have been eliminated from the playoffs with four weeks left to play. After a brutal start, the Cowboys are on the rebound, but at 6-6-1, it appears their recent run may be too little too late. That leaves the 8-4 Eagles as the presumptive NFC East champions, but with a two game losing streak heading into their Monday Night Football showdown with the LA Chargers, the vibes are terrible in the City of Brotherly Love.
These difficult circumstances provide an unique opportunity for the Hard Knocks franchise. The long-running main series – which launched all the way back in 2001 – is set during the preseason, where optimism abounds. And last year’s In Season divisional spotlight focused on the AFC North, where three of its four teams were competing for the playoffs all the way until the final game of the season. By having to focus on four teams that are all going through issues, Hard Knocks has the rare opportunity to provide a first-hand, inside look at the tribulations of teams that are crashing out (the Giants have already fired their head coach and defensive coordinator).
Regardless of the narrative angles, Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East features no shortage of compelling players, coaches and executives. The Giants’ QB room is a fascinating petri dish of disparate personalities, with talented but reckless rookie Jaxon Dart, NFL choir boy Russell Wilson, and walking meme machine Jameis Winston all sharing snaps. The media scrutiny on Eagles WR A.J. Brown has been borderline perverse, so it will be interesting to see if he gets the chance to respond directly on the show. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reminded us that he’s one of the most compelling figures in all of sports in the recent Netflix documentary America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys. And although reigning Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels is sidelined with injury in Washington, the Commanders still boast a roster of fun and quirky personalities like WR Deebo Samuel and future Hall of Fame edge rusher Von Miller.
At this point, we all know what we’re getting with Hard Knocks: a compelling mix of behind-the-scenes insights, humorous open-mic anecdotes, the gravitas of Liev Schriber’s narration, and absolutely gorgeous cinematography courtesy of NFL Films. Even if the “marquee division” in the NFL is having a down year, Hard Knocks will continue to shine.
How to Watch Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East with Sling
New episodes of Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East premiere Tuesdays at 9pm ET on HBO. To watch with Sling, use this link to add HBO to your Sling subscription. Previous episodes are available to watch on-demand, and you can stream past seasons with the HBO Max app. To watch on HBO Max, subscribe to HBO with Sling and log in using your Sling credentials.