NFC East might put up fight
Giants, Washington raise its reputation
The NFC East suddenly doesn’t look so bad, with the New York Giants and Washington tied for the division lead coming off road victories against teams that qualify for the conversation about the Super Bowl.
The Giants, who beat Seattle on Sunday, control their fate because they swept Washington, and they could become the first team to make the playoffs after starting 1-7. Washington is also 5-7 after handing Pittsburgh its first loss Monday night.
Those were the first two victories over opponents with winning records this season for the only division in the NFL without a winning team. But the NFC East winner will get a home game in the first round of the playoffs, expanded by one team in each conference. The altered format also means just one first-round bye, currently held by New Orleans (10-2), the only NFC team to clinch a postseason berth so far.
“I had a lot of questions obviously early in the year about things like confidence on the team and where were we going, and really our mindset here is just go back to work every week, and that’s what we’re going to do this week as well,” first-year Giants coach Joe Judge said.
A division-by-division look at the NFC playoff race:
NFC East
Hopes are fading for Dallas and Philadelphia after entering the season as the teams that figured to battle for the division title. They have one win between them since the Eagles beat the Cowboys on Nov. 1.
Philadelphia (3-8-1) doesn’t have it easy trying to end a four-game losing streak and is making a bold move in that effort by benching quarterback Carson Wentz in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles play the Saints at home Sunday, then visit Arizona to finish what could be a five-game stretch against teams with winning records if the Cardinals beat the Giants on Sunday.
New York’s four-game winning streak is its longest since 2016, the last time the Giants made the playoffs. With quarterback Daniel Jones expected to rest his injured hamstring another week, Colt Mccoy should get the nod again after beating Seattle for just his second win in his eighth start since 2014.
Washington is on its third quarterback in former starter Alex Smith, playing for the first time in two years after a careerthreatening leg injury. Smith has Washington on a three-game winning streak.
Dallas (3-9) was all but removed from the conversation with its sixth loss in seven games, 34-17 at Baltimore on Tuesday.
NFC North
Green Bay (9-3) has a three-game lead over Minnesota with four to go and is currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Three of the Packers’ upcoming opponents have losing records.
The Vikings (6-6) hold the last of the seven playoff spots in the NFC right now with a big opportunity to put a tighter grip on that spot if they can beat Tampa Bay on Sunday.
NFC South
What looked like a duel between the Tom Bradyled Buccaneers and Drew Brees’ Saints for the division title — and possibly that lone first-round bye — has faded with three losses in four games by Tampa Bay (7-5).
Meanwhile, the division lead for the Saints (10-2) has grown to three games because they’re doing the same thing they did last year: win without Brees.
NFC West
It’s still the NFC’S best division, but the struggles of the Seahawks and Cardinals have changed things.
The Los Angeles Rams have won three out of four to get even atop the NFC West with Seattle, which is 3-4 since the first 5-0 start in franchise history.
The Rams have the tiebreaker at the moment by virtue of their 23-16 victory over the Seahawks, so their rematch in the second-to-last week of the season looms large.