Is The NFC East Up For Grabs, Or For The New York Giants To Lose?

The New York Giants, 5-5 are sitting pretty heading into their Sunday matchup with the Washington Redskins, who are 4-6. A road win in the nation’s capital will give the Giants a two-game cushion, along with the tiebreaker advantages in the NFC East. A win by Washington will leave both teams tied atop the division. It would make the five remaining games as must-win contests for both teams going forward. That is not a scenario that the New York Giants likely want to face.

A win over Washington would do so much for the Giants’ playoff hopes. Thanksgiving games just took place a couple of days ago. Two NFC East rivals, both the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys were handed possible season-ruining defeats. Now New York finds their division lead widen.

Congrats, New York Giants. I think you just won the NFC East and a playoff berth.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 26, 2015

What is better for the Giants is that one of the teams looking to get back into the playoff picture, the Cowboys, just lost quarterback Tony Romo for the season with a fractured left clavicle, according to NFL.com. It was the second time Romo broke his collarbone this season. That all but dooms Dallas’ season.

New York is also quickly waving at the Eagles in the rearview mirror.

There is not a ton of faith built for anyone rooting for the Eagles after the Detroit Lions trounced them 45-14. That loss marked the second game in four days which Philadelphia gave five touchdowns to an opposing quarterback. It will not get any better for them. They play the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals in succession.

With the other two NFC East teams reeling, Sunday’s game could very well decide the division.

Both the Giants and Redskins will enter the game banged up.

Giants tight end Larry Donnell will likely miss the game with a neck injury. It is feared that he may have played his last game of the season. According to ESPN, Donnell might have a small fracture in his neck. Despite the injury to Donnell, their opponents on Sunday are grossly undermanned in the secondary.

Giants TE Larry Donnell aiming to return, but not Sunday (via @KevinGArmstrong) … https://t.co/TDNW62qilU

— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) November 28, 2015

Three players from the Redskins secondary are listed on the team’s injury report. Bashaud Breeland and Deshazor Everett are currently considered questionable. That is not the biggest blow. The Washington Post reports that cornerback Chris Culliver is lost for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL during Redskins’ practice.

Washington safety Dashon Goldson expressed his disappointment regarding Culliver’s injury.

“It would suck to lose him. He’s one of our leaders. A lot of guys look up to him around here. It would be tough to lose him — especially the secondary, to lose another guy?”

In an effort to slow down Odell Beckham Jr. on Sunday, the Redskins need all the help they can get.

In two meetings against the Redskins, Beckham Jr. racked up 222 yards from 19 receptions. He also had four touchdowns. He is expected to have another big game on Sunday as the ESPN fantasy experts have him in the top-four of the wide receiver rankings throughout the board. The sudden emergence of Giants’ wide receiver Ruben Randle gives another advantage to New York. If the Giants can spread the football to Beckham Jr. and Randle, it will be a long day for the Redskins. Unless they somehow find a way to win.

Washington winning would create some chaos in the NFL.

A Washington victory would also keep things interesting in a division where no team would have distinguished themselves as the front-runner. A Redskins win would leave the door slightly ajar for the Eagles and the Cowboys to somehow get back into the NFC East race. Their records of 4-7 and 2-8 would conceivably still be alive, but barely. It all becomes mute if the Giants win.

The NFC East is the New York Giants to lose. If they fall to the Washington Redskins, the division is wide open.

[Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images Sport]