SPORTSThe NFC (L)east

If you thought election season was tough to watch, let me tell you about the NFC East!  The last decade gave us the two worst divisions in Super Bowl Era football history, but in true 2020 fashion,  the winner of the NFC East this year can cement themselves as the absolute worst division champ of all time… and this year, we all need some silver linings.  The Worst of the Worst In 2010, the Seahawks...
Gary Flick3 years ago72117 min
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If you thought election season was tough to watch, let me tell you about the NFC East! 

The last decade gave us the two worst divisions in Super Bowl Era football history, but in true 2020 fashion,  the winner of the NFC East this year can cement themselves as the absolute worst division champ of all time… and this year, we all need some silver linings. 

The Worst of the Worst

In 2010, the Seahawks snuck into the playoffs at 7-9 after beating the 7-8 Rams in week 17 (making them also 7-9) and holding the tiebreaker. The next week, Marshawn Lynch mesmerized the masses with his signature Beast Quake run against the Saints  and the abysmal Seahawks actually won a playoff game after taking the division and earning a home game in the first round. Cheers to the 12th man up there in Seattle! The division finished with a combined regular season record of 25-39 but the 2020 NFC East has potential to shatter that if they stick together and keep losing. 

Four years after Beast Quake, Cam Newton’s Panthers marched their way into the playoffs with a slightly better 7-8-1 record, with the tie being the ticket to the playoffs, as those same Saints went 7-9. The Falcons went 6-10 that year, and the Bucs were an outstanding (if you want a top pick) 2-14 to win the not-so fruitful Jameis Winston sweepstakes. Ultimately, the division finished the season with a combined 22-41-1 record, the worst ever in the 16-game era. Again, the 2020 NFC East has a ton of potential to shatter that record. 

The Current State of the NFC East

With the Washington Football Team (side note: if they win a playoff game, they have to keep the name, right!?) taking down the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, they took a commanding lead of the division with a 4-7 record, edging out the 3-6-1 Eagles on percentage points. The Birds could reclaim the top spot with a win on Sunday night against the Seahawks, but that seems about as probable as the coronavirus ending tomorrow (and I happen to be a diehard Eagles fan). The Giants also could join the top of the division with a win over the Bengals on Sunday, but, embarrassingly enough, the Eagles do still control their own fate at 3-6-1, thanks to a tie against those very Bengals, who are bad enough to be honorary members of the NFC East. 

Theoretically, one of these teams could get streaky and be just another 9-7 or 8-8 team to make the playoffs… and since 2002, those teams are 4-1 with much thanks to the homefield advantage that division winners are guaranteed, even if their record was much worse than the wildcard team they were playing but let’s be real here: none of these teams are winning out. Here’s a look at remaining schedules, and no one has it very easy. The possibility of this years’ NFC East champ being the worst champ ever are very, very good. 

The Washington Football Team

Current Record: 4-7

Remaining Schedule: 

@ Steelers (10-0)

@ 49ers (4-6)

Vs. Seahawks (7-3)

Vs. Panthers (4-7)

@ Eagles (3-6-1)

Total Opp. Record: 28-22-1

Takeaway: There are a few winnable games here, but even an optimistic fan has to have them being 6-9 going into their week 17 matchup against the Eagles, which could, indeed, be the deciding game in this division. If they win that, they should win this thing at 7-9.

Speculative Math: The Football Team could theoretically win this division at 5-11 with a win over the Eagles in week 17 if the rest of the division loses all of their non-divisional games. 

The Philadelphia Eagles

Current Record: 3-6-1

Remaining Schedule:

Vs. Seahawks (7-3)

@ Packers (7-3)

Vs. Saints (8-2)

@ Cardinals (6-4)

@ Cowboys (3-8)

Vs. Football Team (4-7)

Total Opp. Record: 35-27

Takeaway: Though still considered the “best” team in the East by most of the talking heads, things don’t look good for the Super Bowl LII champs down the stretch. Keep an eye on those last two games. With some luck, they might win three games, and could very realistically take the division at 6-9-1.

Speculative Math: Only the Birds and the Cowboys have two division games left (which is enticing, given the nature of this article), but even if the Eagles only beat Washington in week 17, they could make the playoffs with four wins, having their tie be the factor in making the playoffs (like the Panthers in ‘14) at 4 11-1 over the 4-12 Washington Football Team and the 4-12 Dallas Cowboys, if they both manage to lose every other game, too. 

The New York Giants

Current Record: 3-7

Remaining Schedule:

@ Bengals (2-7-1)

@ Seahawks (7-3)

Vs. Cardinals (6-4)

Vs. Browns (7-3)

@ Ravens (6-4)

Vs. Cowboys (3-8)

Total Opp. Record: 31-29-1

Takeaway: The Giants have looked decent for at least 5 quarters of football this year, and that’s impressive in this division. With the Bengals and Cowboys both being very winnable games, another surprise win could get the Giants to 6-10 pretty realistically, and very much in the hunt even if other teams win a few games. 

Speculative Math: Though they don’t play the Eagles nor the Giants the rest of the season, it’s fair to be hopeful that both of those teams lose out until they meet in week 17. If the Eagles were to win that game, but no others, and the Football Team loses out, the Giants could take the division at 5-11 as well.  

The Dallas Cowboys

Current Record: 3-8

Remaining Schedule:

@ Ravens (6-4)

@ Bengals (2-7-1)

Vs. 49ers (4-6)

Vs. Eagles (3-6-1)

@ Giants (3-7)

Total Opp. Record: 18-30-2

Takeaway: Though it pains me to write it as a Birds fan, the current bottom dwellers might have the best chance to win this thing. They are the only team whose remaining schedule features a combined losing record (by quite a bit), and they, too, have shown some upside at times, especially on offense (even with the Red Rocket Andy Dalton slangin’ the ball) . Their last four games are all very winnable, and to see them finish the season on a four-game streak would not be a huge surprise. A 7-9 Cowboys team is certainly a possibility, and would almost definitely get them into the playoffs in this division. 

Speculative Math: Pending losses in all non-division games for the other teams, the Cowboys still have a chance to take this thing down at 5-12, as well. 

If the losses pile up just right, the records could look like this: 

1st Place: PHL @ 4-11-1

3-way tie for 2nd @ 4-12

Combined division record: 16-47-1

And this isn’t week 1 speculation, this is week 11!

Everybody Wins!!!

It’s the time to give thanks, so even if you’re a big fan of one of these teams like I am, remember, that one of us will make the playoffs, and three of us will (most likely) have top-ten picks in the draft. As long as all the teams keep up with this level of suckery, the title of “worst playoff team ever” is well within reach, and whichever team does wind up getting sacrificed on national TV in the first round of the playoffs can do so knowing they were the worst champs in the history of a professional sport. Though that may not resonate well in the now, it will certainly make for some great holiday family banter later in the lives of those proud men who get to take that crown. 

Gary Flick

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