For much of this season, nearly everyone in the NFL has joked and remarked that we should rewrite the league’s rules that make it so the winner of each division would have a spot in the playoffs. This was simply because nobody felt that the winner of the NFC East, who was projected to finish the year with only 5-6 wins, didn’t deserve to take away a playoff spot from a wild-card team that may have 8-9 wins.
Well, don’t look now, but the NFC East is in a position where they may be getting not one, but TWO teams in the playoffs. How do you like them apples?
With the race for the division heating up between the New York Giants and Washington Football team, both of whom are tied for 1st place with a 5-7 record — NYG holds the tiebreaker — we can’t rule out the possibility of the 2nd place finisher making a run at a wild card spot. Going off of recent production, where Washington is on a three-game winning streak after knocking off the NFL’s last undefeated team, and the Giants are on a five-game winning streak, it’s not out of the question for either team to win at least 3-4 more games during this final stretch.
Play it out in your head — say both the Giants and Washington finish 3-1 over their final four weeks, something that is increasingly possible. That would give both teams an 8-8 record. With the Giants taking the division spot in the playoffs, it would then put Washington in contention for the final wild-card spot, which is currently being jockeyed for by these teams:
- Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
- Arizona Cardinals (6-6)
- Chicago Bears (5-7)
- Detroit Lions (5-7)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
Based on momentum alone, plus a relatively moderate schedule over the final four weeks, Washington could absolutely find their way into the last wild-card spot of the playoffs. Right now, the team to beat is the Vikings, who finish with games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bears, the New Orleans Saints, and the Lions. A path to 8-8 is there, but they could fall short as well.
Translation: In order for Washington to make a run at the wild-card, they’ll at least need to win three of their next four games. Four wins might seal the deal, but anything less than three will likely send them home early. It’s a lot to ask, but nobody thought they’d be in this position in the first place, so it’s not crazy to hope for.
