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The immediate action as it pertains to the Dallas Cowboys on this NFL Sunday is over and done. Of course, many would say it was done with on Thanksgiving afternoon when the Cowboys suffered their eight loss of the season, that one at the hands of the Washington Football Team (a unit that swept the Cowboys this season, meaning that Dallas has never beaten the proverbial team with no name).
Washington ended Thursday afternoon as the first NFC East team to reach four wins on the season and therefore sat atop the rest of the division for a few days. The New York Giants went into their Week 12 game fresh off of their bye and with the knowledge that a victory on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals would catapult them to the top spot.
The G-Men were successful in The Queen City and will sit in first place for a week unless the Philadelphia Eagles are able to shock the world with a win against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Where does the division stand at the moment? Let’s assess.
First Place: New York Giants (4-7)
Jason Garrett had grown accustomed to putting on an NFC East Champions cap every other year starting in 2014 and it is possible that he will get to keep up his own routine as the Giants are now in first place.
Of course, things are hardly going to be easy for New York. While as a team they have won three games in a row to revitalize their season’s hopes (they are the first NFC East team to win at least three games in a row this year) their schedule is hardly manageable down the stretch.
New York Giants Remaining Schedule
- at Seattle Seahawks
- Arizona Cardinals
- Cleveland Browns
- at Baltimore Ravens
- Dallas Cowboys
Color me skeptical, but looking at this, it’s hard to think New York should be the favorite to win this thing. It is quite possible that they lose their next four games in a row, but a win at the end of the year against the Cowboys might just be enough to do it.
Second Place: Washington Football Team (4-7)
We ran a poll here at BTB and asked you all who of the non-Cowboys teams would you want to see win the NFC East and the overwhelming favorite was the Washington Football Team.
The logic to “wanting” Washington to win it makes the most sense to me personally. Their defense looks like it will be a contender for the foreseeable future and I absolutely do not want to see them in position to land a top quarterback to pair with it. Of all the non-Cowboys NFC East teams their schedule does seem the most favorable as well.
Washington Football Team Remaining Schedule
- at Pittsburgh Steelers
- at San Francisco 49ers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Carolina Panthers
- at Philadelphia Eagles
Ron Rivera’s unit is the only one in the NFC East that has yet to face the Pittsburgh Steelers and they will likely lose when they do so next week. They will also probably fall to the Seattle Seahawks, but their other three games seem manageable.
Honestly I could see Washington winning their penultimate game of the season when they host the Carolina Panthers as “win it for Ron Rivera” type of outing. They should also easily beat the Eagles in Week 17 which would give them six wins and right now it’s hard to see anybody else getting that much.
Third Place: Philadelphia Eagles (3-6-1)
The Philadelphia Eagles have been in first place for a good while now, but that all changed temporarily and they will likely continue to move further and further away from it.
Allow me to note here that our understanding of the Eagles is who they are with Carson Wentz as their quarterback. Should the organization shift to Jalen Hurts, it was reported on Sunday morning that he will see more time on Monday night, full time then the status could change. He is a true wildcard.
But ultimately whoever is at quarterback for the Eagles might not matter. They are likely going to lose their next four games in a row, and they might not win again this season.
Philadelphia Eagles Remaining Schedule:
- Seattle Seahawks (Monday night)
- at Green Bay Packers
- New Orleans Saints
- at Arizona Cardinals
- at Dallas Cowboys
- Washington Football Team
The best shot of victory that Philly has over the rest of the season is unfortunately (unless you are Team Tank) against the Cowboys. They should be the heavy favorite to finish last if anything.
Fourth/Last Place: Dallas Cowboys (3-8)
It’s not like we haven’t discussed the Cowboys and their chances for the rest of the season a lot already, but they are technically only one game out of first place and still get to play the New York Giants so therefore hold a significant amount of control over their own fate.
This past week was an extremely emotional one for the Cowboys and the time off between now and the postponed game against the Baltimore Ravens might serve them well to get right in as many ways that they can. The potential is there for them to still salvage a division-winning season, but of course, it’s hard to tell.
Dallas Cowboys Remaining Schedule:
- at Baltimore Ravens
- at Cincinnati Bengals
- San Francisco 49ers
- Philadelphia Eagles
- at New York Giants
Forced to use imagination, I could see the Cowboys beating both the Bengals and Eagles. The 49ers have suffered a similar type of continual snake bites on the injury front this season as Dallas has so they are hardly the team that we all thought they would be at season’s beginning. That game has potential to be really weird.