If you're a Washington Redskins fan harboring any hopes of the team winning the NFC East this season, yesterday's NFL games did not bring much good news. At 4-4 and with two division wins already, the Redskins entered their bye week in relatively decent shape.
That's not necessarily the case anymore. There is still a lot of football to be played, but the Redskins are now very clearly in third place in the division. The New York Giants routed the Seattle Seahawks to move to 6-2, while the Philadelphia Eagles took care of the Indianapolis Colts to move to 5-3, a full game ahead of the 4-4 Redskins. Here are the full NFC East standings.
- New York Giants: 6-2
- Philadelphia Eagles: 5-3
- Washington Redskins: 4-4
- Dallas Cowboys: 1-7
Next Monday's game at home against the Eagles looms large for the Redskins. A win puts them in second place in the division and gives them the tiebreaker over the Eagles with a season sweep. A loss, however, puts them two games back of Philadelphia and three games back of the Giants, assuming New York beats Dallas next weekend (a fair assumption).
The two division games next weekend also loom large for potential tiebreakers. Currently, the Redskins have the best record within the division, with wins over Dallas and Philadelphia. The Giants are 1-0 in the division, while the Eagles are 0-1. If the Redskins defeat the Eagles, they will have a clear advantage with the tiebreaker scenarios. If they lose, however, the Giants will leapfrog them.