By Owen Patten ‘24
Is it possible to have a losing record and still be leading the NFC East division? If you would have asked me that question five years ago, I would have said absolutely not. This year, anything is possible. As of mid-December, the New York Giants lead the NFC East standings with a record of 5-7. For those of who are mathematically inclined, they have won less than 50 percent of the games so far this season. Yet, they still are at the top of the NFC East. How is this possible? Well, each team in the NFC East seems to be challenged this season in the winning column.
The New York Giants are sitting in first at 5-7 due to a tiebreaker over Washington. Quarterback Daniel Jones is driving this team and has had to deal with devastating team injuries. With the loss of Saquon Barkley in week 2, the team has been unable to get their footing since. Their sole win came against Washington and did little to improve their focus. First year head coach, Joe Judge, is struggling to stay afloat in the NFC East. If you are a Giants fan, you are hoping Judge and Jones settle into a strong coach and quarterback workability.
The Washington Football team is up next. They are sitting at 5-7 on the year. Alex Smith, the team’s 3rd QB this season, has made his case for the Comeback Player of the Year award by leading his nameless team to 3 straight wins. Star WR Terry McLaurin is averaging13.4 yards per catch. If you are a Washington fan, you will want to hope for that statistic to keep on growing. In the next few weeks, fans may be hoping head coach Ron Rivera can utilize the clock better and take a few risks on big plays. Time will tell if the Washington Football Team takes advantage of the weak NFC standing this year.
In third, we have the Philadelphia Eagles. They have managed to carve out three wins so far this season. With every win, it was a struggle. There may be a roller coaster named The Eagles Express after this season of highs and lows. Led by the franchise quarterback Carson Wentz, the offense has struggled to connect and the injuries keep piling up. Wentz has had an exorbitant amount of sacks and hurries this season. So many that one may think his offensive line just may not like him. In typical Eagles fashion they have hearts that bleed green and have managed to squeak in just enough wins to capture the top spot.
In last place is the Dallas Cowboys. With a record of 3-9, the Cowboys seem to have a bleak outlook on the rest of the season. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued the team and third string quarterback DiNucci has to adjust, quickly, to demands of the NFL. Luckily, he has a weak conference to get his feet wet. Even the running back anchor, Ezekiel Elliott, is struggling. Elliott’s yards per carry is sitting at less than four yards per carry for the season. While Dallas is down, the fans of the NFC know to never count them out.
Will a team with a losing record win the NFC East Conference? That remains to be seen but in true football fashion, it will be a wobbly road to the end. If the conference continues to struggle, the winner could be any team in this wild group. Even after the grueling climb to the top of the conference, the top teams will have a hard time making a dent in the playoffs this year. The question remains for 2020, is this conference the NFC East or rather the NFC Least?