Around the NFC East: Can Somebody Win It? Or Others Simply Lose It?

Joke about the NFC East all you want; the fact remains that if the playoffs started today, two of these teams would be in. Unfortunately, the way tie-breakers have gone so far, it'll be difficult for the Birds to slip into a Wild Card spot over Carolina or Minnesota, which makes it all the more important the Iggles take care of their own business and win this division.

Here's the current state of the NFC East:

New York Giants (3-8)



ICYMI: C'mon, you didn't miss it. Pat Shurmur channeled his inner Andy Reid, stopped handing the ball off to future Rookie-of-the-Year Saquon Barkley, and blew a 16-point lead.



Spin: Quit giving the Eagles credit for the "gutty" comeback. This one was about the Giants awful play-calling, plain and simple. This was tanking at its finest, folks. We're all having a good laugh, but it should be obvious; Shurmur's playing 4-dimensional chess.

Hear me out; if the Giants win, they hurt their own draft stock, slip into 3rd place in the division (meaning a slightly-harder schedule in 2019), plus the New York media starts clamoring for one more year of Eli Manning. Hey, crazier things have happened. They pushed a two-time Super Bowl winning coach out the door for Ben McAdoo!

That's the most optimistic spin for Giants fans; the choking was actually on purpose!

Philadelphia Eagles

Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.

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Eagles adding another free agent linebacker on 1-year deal

What's Next: The tank rolls into Chicago, like it matters.



Washington (6-5)



ICYMI: Washington got manhandled on Thanksgiving by the Cowboys, 31-23, and it wasn't that close.

They also signed Reuben Foster, who has been arrested three times in the last year, including once for domestic violence LAST WEEK. Unless he can play quarterback (and is also an actual good person in disguise, and not actually Reuben Foster), don't count on this fixing anything.



Spin: Two weeks ago, this was Washington's division to lose. After two consecutive losses and a brutal injury to a starting quarterback, it now feels lost. Even Jonathan Papelbon is shocked at how quickly they threw this one away. 

More importantly, their defense has been terrible, giving up 30 points twice in the last month (and over 500 yards in the one game they won). Alex Smith's injury gives everyone cover, but this ship had plenty of leaks before that.


What's Next: Lose to the Eagles on Monday night, and we can stick a fork in this one. Unfortunately, that's the same thing written before the Birds game against Dallas a few weeks back where we were all ready to publish the Cowboys obituary. If Washington is going to save their season, it'll need to come at the Birds expense. 



Dallas Cowboys (6-5)



ICYMI: The worst Thanksgiving tradition of all time; a Cowboys victory. I'd rather spend the day having a political conversation with my Aunt's new boyfriend.



Spin: Two weeks ago this team was dead and set to clean house. Now they're the hottest team in the division. It's a reminder of how quickly perspectives shift in the NFL. It's also a great reality to keep in mind, considering what Dallas has upcoming the next two weeks...



What's Next: Tomorrow night against the red-hot Saints, then AMERICA'S GAME OF THE WEEK against the Super Bowl Champs. If Dallas wins them both, the NFC East feels clinched. If the Iggles can steal victories against their rivals the next two weeks, however, everything changes once again.

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