The Washington Commanders and New York Giants played a pivotal matchup during the early window of the NFL Sunday, as the divisional rivals looked to surpass each other in the standings. With the Giants at 7-4 and the Commanders at 7-5 with a bye this week, the two teams instead played to a tie, ultimately nullifying the effect of their game against each other.
The tie was significant for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is that they entered Sunday with the sixth and seventh seeds in the NFC playoff picture. With the Giants finishing at 7-4-1 and the Commanders going to 7-5-1, they upped the ante for their upcoming matchup in two weeks.
Elsewhere in the NFC East, the Eagles moved to 11-1 with a decisive 35-10 win over the Titans in a good old-fashioned revenge game for AJ Brown, who had two touchdown catches. The Cowboys, meanwhile, played on “Sunday Night Football” against the Colts and entered Sunday with an 8-3 record.
The Giants and Commanders have both been surprising to this point in the season. Many of their wins have been ugly, but wins are wins in the NFL standings. Ultimately, that’s the difference-maker.
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Here’s a peek at the NFC East standings moving into the final stretch of the season.
NFC East standings
1. Philadelphia Eagles (11-1): The Eagles, once again, showed that they’re the class of not just the NFC East, but the NFC as a whole. They won in dominant fashion over the Titans, who regularly drag teams down to their level, behind 100-yard games from both DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown. It was yet another statement win for Philadelphia, who will have plenty more shots within their division as the season winds down.
Remaining games: Giants, Bears, Cowboys, Saints, Giants
2. Dallas Cowboys (8-3): The Cowboys are yet to play Sunday, and they’ll be taking on the Colts. The Cowboys’ longest winning streak this year is four games, and they’re 3-1 within their division so far this year. Behind arguably the best pass rush in the NFL, the Cowboys have built a formidable defense, and they’re two weeks removed from a 40-3 rout of the 10-2 Vikings. That is their signature win this season, and they’re looking to continue to build on it, even if catching the Eagles in the East is unlikely.
Remaining games: Colts, Texans, Jaguars, Eagles, Titans, Commanders
3. New York Giants (7-4-1): The Giants are in their first year under Brian Daboll, and he’s emerged as a coach of the year candidate if they’re able to backdoor their way into the playoffs. Saquon Barkley has become the player everyone hoped he would be since he was drafted second overall in 2018, and the Giants look like they’re starting to build an identity. There’s still work to do, but it’s been an incredible campaign for the Giants to this point given what expectations were.
Remaining games: Eagles, Commanders, Vikings, Colts, Eagles
4. Washington Commanders (7-5-1): The legend of Taylor Heinicke is continuing to grow. He’s now 5-1-1 as a starter for the Commanders since taking over for an injured Carson Wentz and ultimately earning the starting job, grinding out notable wins over the Packers and Eagles, The Commanders are a team who are never going to put up video game numbers against their opponent. But they just continued to win games, and that has them in the seventh seed despite being last in the division. With a bye this week, they’re going to have a huge clash against the Giants for the second time in three weeks coming out the other side of it.
Remaining games: Giants, 49ers, Browns, Cowboys