The New York Giants struggling in the NFC East is far more embarrassing than it seems. Combined, the division has a total of eight wins and 22 losses. Only the Philadelphia Eagles have won a game away, and the Giants are still looking to pick up their first victory against a team other than the Washington football team.
The reality is, the NFC East is one of the worst divisions in football and might be historically bad. However, the Giants are still in the midst of battle and trying to find their way to the top of the division that better resembles turtles basking in the summer sun.
They might be slow, but they are gradually picking up the strength to get on top of that rock. This is more of an analogy for the Giants, who have made significant strides in their development as a team in recent weeks.
Specifically, they competed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who trounced the Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders the two weeks prior. They completely limited Tom Brady and put their offense in a position to succeed, but quarterback Daniel Jones simply couldn’t get the job done.
Despite the loss, it proved one thing, the Giants are on the up and up. There are currently two games behind the Philadelphia Eagles and must win their next match-up against them in Philadelphia.
How can the New York Giants climb the division?
Ultimately, for the Giants to win out in the NFC East, they have to win the remaining games in the division and take down the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns (6-10). It is going to be incredibly difficult to beat the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens.
We have to stay in the realm of reality when it comes to the Giants’ schedule, as there really are only about five games they can win. That’s all it takes for them to climb the NFC East, though, as the Dallas Cowboys are all but out of contention. Moving onto their fourth-string quarterback, they’re cutting players left and right and looking to rebuild for next season.
The Eagles represent a challenge as they get healthier, but Carson Wentz has been a liability this year and turns the ball over at an astronomical rate. Washington is another team that has made some progress but still hasn’t found the answer at quarterback with Kyle Allen captaining the ship.
So, it is only Washington and Philadelphia that present viable contenders for the top of the division. Washington still has to play the Steelers, 49ers, Seahawks, and Panthers. They might be able to scratch out three or four wins, but if they end up tied with the Giants at the top, Big Blue would have the advantage if they win on Sunday.
As for the Eagles, they have a tough schedule coming up as well. After they face off against the Giants on November 15, they have to play the Browns, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, and Cardinals consecutively. There’s no chance to walk away with more than two wins, and will likely get swept for four games straight. That will put the Giants in a great position to reclaim the NFC East’s top spot and push for a playoff slot.
The NFL is still considering extending the postseason by one team, making it even more likely for an average team to make it to exhibition games.