How bad can the NFC East get — Week 12 edition

The NFC East had a modest amount of success in Week 12, although maybe “modest” is doing some heavy lifting. The New York Giants managed a non-divisional win, beating the Bengals 19-17. That coupled with Washington beating the Cowboys gives us a two-way tie atop the division for the team being. The Eagles host the Seahawks on Monday Night Football.

Here are the NFC East division standings heading into Monday.

New York Giants: 4-7
Washington Football Team: 4-7
Philadelphia Eagles: 3-6-1
Dallas Cowboys: 3-8

The Giants hold the tiebreaker edge over Washington courtesy of a sweep of their head-to-head season series. If the Eagles beat the Seahawks on Monday, they will move back into first place.

The NFC East has a chance for the worst division winner in NFL history, and so we’re taking a weekly look at the division. There is still a chance for a five-win division winner, even after recent non-division wins. If the Eagles beat the Seahawks on Monday, that boosts their chances of getting to six wins.

In Week 13, all four teams are on the road. The Giants face the Seahawks, Washington faces the Steelers, the Eagles face the Packers, and the Cowboys face the Ravens. The biggest opportunity could end up being Cowboys-Ravens if Baltimore’s roster remains depleted by Covid-19.

Below is an updated spreadsheet looking at each team’s schedule and factoring in no more non-divisional wins the rest of the season. We’re seeing that could change, but it’s still not crazy to think these teams only win divisional matchups.