Watch the NFC East standings, but Washington needs to win 3 more originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Plenty of Washington fans sweated out the end of the Giants win over the Bengals, and while it was understandable, the truth is the Burgundy and Gold need to stack three more wins this year to lock up the NFC East.
Thanksgiving dinner tasted exponentially better across the Beltway region after Washington stomped on the Cowboys, winning 41-16 and taking over first place in the division. On Sunday, the Giants tied Washington's division-leading record with their win, taking a slight tiebreaker advantage due to a season sweep.
Here's the truth though: With five games left in the NFC East, nothing is certain. Washington and the Giants are 4-7, and Philadelphia could actually move ahead in the division with a win Monday night.
Regardless, in the NFC East, seven wins seems like a sure division winner. Six wins might be enough to get it done.
Washington has very tough games remaining against the Steelers and Seahawks, but winnable contests against the Eagles, Panthers, and maybe the 49ers. It appears San Francisco won't even be able to play games at their home stadium due to heightened COVID-19 concerns.
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The Giants' next four games all come against teams with winning records - at Seattle, then home for Arizona and Cleveland before a road trip to Baltimore. New York's last game is at home against Dallas.
It's also premature to count out the Eagles, who seem to be a mess, or really even the Cowboys.
Washington is playing the best football right now, but the division is so bunched up and every club has seen real struggles this year, so it's wise to proceed with caution.
There's also the COVID-19 situation, which is wreaking havoc across the country and the NFL.
Nobody knows what will happen week to week - nobody - and how it will impact any NFL franchise. The Broncos did not have a single quarterback available for their game Sunday against the Saints after COVID-19 concerns. Not one quarterback.
Fans love the NFL because anything is possible. In a coronavirus-impacted NFL, the impossible seems almost routine.
Here's the point - don't fret over the Giants beating the Bengals.
In the weirdest year in NFL history, five games remaining could go in a million different directions.
