The NFC Least: CBA students chime in on football’s worst division
There have actually been a few NFL teams with a losing record to enter the playoffs in the not-so-distant past. Both the Seattle Seahawks (7-9) in 2010 and Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) in 2014 won their respective divisions AND won their first playoff game, upsetting the wildcard team.
So, Giants. Eagles. Football Team. Cowboys. Who will win this miserable race to the playoffs in the worst division in football?
The New York Giants currently hold the playoff spot in the division with a 5-7 season record, but the Washington Football Team (5-7), Philadelphia Eagles (3-8-1), and Dallas Cowboys (3-9) are right behind the Giants as the regular season draws closer to an end.
The Giants look like they have the potential for a playoff run, but the team had a setback as starting quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a hamstring injury against the Bengals in Week 12. It doesn’t appear that Jones suffered a major injury, but he may miss time as a result which hurts the Giants’ chances of winning in the next couple of weeks.
CBA student and Giants fan Ryan Ragan believe his team can get into the playoffs this year.
“I think as long as Jones can come back the Giants have a good chance. If they win one out of the next four games and beat the Cowboys they should be in,” Ragan says as he hopes his team can make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
In Week 13, the Giants, without Daniel Jones and as double-digit underdogs, took Seattle by storm and upset the Seahawks at home 17-12 after a great showing from the defense. Backup quarterback Colt McCoy also got the job done putting up enough points against a struggling Seahawks defense as he earned his first win as a starter since 2014. This win for the Giants really gives fans the confidence that the team is heading in the right direction as they continue to hold on to their lead in the division.
Washington has shown potential to make a playoff appearance as well despite losing to the Giants twice this season. The Football Team struggled to find a consistent quarterback this season, but now the coaching staff believes Alex Smith can lead Washington to the playoffs.
When asked about his team’s season, Washington fan and CBA student Sean Tennyson believes Washington can rally for a playoff spot under Smith.
“Yes, I think the Washington Football Team can make the playoffs because of their recent performance against the Cowboys,” Tennyson explains after a big win on Thanksgiving night. “Alex Smith has been playing very well for the last few weeks considering that his career almost came to an end two years ago. As a veteran in the league, he is able to lead the team and not only help win them games but also mentor them through tough losses.”
Smith and the Football Team upset the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night, handing the Steelers their first loss the season. Smith had another solid performance as the starting quarterback, making him 3-1 on the season so far, and Washington’s defense kept Pittsburgh from scoring more than a field goal in the second half.
Following Week 13, Washington and New York are looking like the clear division contenders as the season unwinds.
The Cowboys are perhaps in the worst shape to make a playoff push after two brutal losses to Washington on Thanksgiving night and the Ravens on Tuesday night. Losing Dak Prescott to season-ending injury proved extremely detrimental to the Cowboys’ season, as backup quarterback Andy Dalton has failed to win more than one game as a starter. Dallas’ defense is also one of the worst in the league in allowing points and yards per game, making it hard for the offense to compete without their star quarterback. It’ll be hard for Dallas to make the playoffs as they sit at the bottom of the division at 3-8, but in the NFC East with all four teams just one win apart, anything is possible.
The Eagles seemed to be the clear favorite to win the division after a 3-4-1 start to the season. Philly began to fall apart following a few rough performances from quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz is struggling this year: he’s posting career lows in both completion percentage and passing yards per game and he also has thrown a career-high 15 interceptions through Week 12.
Declan Mahoney, a frustrated Eagles fan and CBA student, believes that the problems the Eagles face lie elsewhere and that Wentz doesn’t deserve all the blame.
“Wentz needs to make better throws and have better decision making, but it’s not all his fault,” Mahoney says as he believes that it is crucial to get Wentz some help.
Mahoney voices his frustration with general manager Howie Roseman as he explains that Roseman has failed to surround Wentz with playmakers to take the burden off the quarterback,
“Our GM doesn’t know how to sign free agents. The only people he signs in free agency are washed and old. An example of that is Malik Jackson.”
Mahoney is also frustrated with head coach Doug Pederson and his play calls, noting that Pederson “used to be creative back when the Eagles won the Super Bowl, but not anymore.”
Wentz was replaced with Jalen Hurts in the second half of the Eagles’ loss to the Packers and Hurts will start next week for Philly, as Peterson hopes to spark some hope for the Eagles in the last four weeks of the season.
With each team resting below a .500 record and no consistent divisional leader heading into the latter portion of the season, any of these four teams in the NFC East can come out on top and enter the playoffs in January. Keep tabs on this division as the NFC East teams struggle to win week to week; it’s looking like this playoff spot will come down to the wire as the 2020 regular season winds down.
(Photo by Getty Images.)
