3 NFC East teams in the thick of tight playoff picture originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
2020 was a season to forget for the NFC East with all four teams finishing with a record below .500, but the 2021 campaign is looking like a bounceback year of sorts for at least three members.
Entering Week 14, the Cowboys, Eagles and Washington Football Team are all battling for playoff spots. Dallas holds first place in the division while Washington and Philadelphia are vying for wild-card spots. Add in the fact that these three teams see a lot of each other over the next month, fans should buckle up for a wild ending to the season.
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Washington Football Team (6-6, 2nd)
Washington secured its fourth-straight victory over the Raiders on the road thanks to a defense that continues to play way better than it did earlier in the year despite several injuries to key players. The offense leaned heavily on Antonio Gibson and the running game once again, and even though they only scored 17 points, they've clearly found the right formula for an offense led by Taylor Heinicke.
Washington has two matchups with the Cowboys and two with the Eagles before the season comes to a close. It's safe to say their season will be decided in those key division matchups. They swept all four of those games a season ago on their way to the playoffs, but can they do it again?
Dallas Cowboys (8-4, 1st)
It's hard to tell how much the Cowboys' win over New Orleans had to do with their defense playing well or Taysom Hill throwing what felt like 13 interceptions in the second half. Still, Dallas will definitely take the win to end their two-game losing streak.
The Cowboys certainly have the inside track to winning the division, but an untimely loss to Washington and another to a 10-2 Cardinals team in a few weeks could seriously open the door for one of their division rivals to sneak into first place. This week against Washington is as big a game as the Cowboys will have to close out their schedule.
Philadelphia Eagles (6-7, 3rd)
Is there a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia? Definitely not, but it's hard not to ask the question after Gardner Minshew played near-perfect football a week after the worst game of Jalen Hurts' career. Still, it was against the Jets, and the Jets are horrible.
The Eagles get to stand idle this week and watch their division rivals beat up on each other before playing Washington on the other end of their bye. Their loss to the Giants in Week 12 may bite them, but if Philly handles its business against Washington, they'll be in a good spot to secure one of the final wild-card spots in the NFC.
New York Giants (4-8, 4th)
And then there are the Giants. 4-8 and comfortably in last place, New York can only hope to play spoiler to close out the regular season. The Eagles spoiled their chances at a playoff birth last year with their Nate Sudfeld fiasco, so maybe another win over them would be enough to end the year on a high note. Or, perhaps an upset over the Cowboys in Week 14 to cost them first place would be enough as well.
It's been that kind of year for the Giants, who had to turn to Mike Glennon this week at quarterback due to a Daniel Jones injury. If your team is ever in that position, you might want to pair football Sunday with a whole lot of beers.
