The Cowboys have been a far from stellar team this year too. All 5 wins have come against teams with losing records. The week 1 win against their division rival the 2-6 Giants was not pretty, and last weeks victory over the 2-7 Vikings came at the last minute. All games against a team with a record of .500 or better has resulted in a tally under the loss column. To their defense, the losses against Detroit, Denver, and Kansas City, were by a combined 5 points. It's difficult to know what to expect from this team down the stretch, but with such a weak performance by their divisional competition, even finishing 4-3 would likely be enough to clinch. They have divisional games left against the Giants, Redskins and Eagles each, and if they somehow won all of those it would probably be enough. Their non division games left on the schedule are New Orleans, Oakland, Chicago and Green Bay. Things could really get tricky for the Cowboys down the stretch.
The Eagles may be gearing up for a playoff push if they can get production from Nick Foles like they did last week. The Eagles are currently just 1 game behind Dallas, sitting at 4-5. The schedule for Philadelphia appears to be a little softer than that for Dallas. Games against Arizona and Minnesota are ones that the Eagles will need to capitalize on. They have a good chance of winning at least 4 games down the stretch and hanging on to playoff hopes. If they can just stay in the rear view of the Cowboys, the matchup on the last week between the two may wind up being for the top spot and a playoff berth.
The Redskins are the defending division champs. If you didn't know that already, you wouldn't have guessed by watching them play. The Washington squad has allowed a league high 287 points scored. That makes it awfully tough to win ball games in itself, but when you've got a QB who's strength is his quickness and speed and he is slowed by a surgically repaired knee, it's much tougher. At 3-6 currently, the Skins will need to put together an extended winning streak to give themselves a chance. With 4 intradivision games remaining, it's not entirely impossible. Their non division games remaining are not very favorable however, as they must face the 49ers, Chiefs, and travel to Atlanta.
Currently rounding up the rear is the New York Giants. The G Men have performed well below expectations all season. Eli Manning has been prone to mistakes, the running game has been absent, and any and every flaw in the defense has been exposed. It has been a doomsday scenario of sorts, the fallout of which has seen Tom Coughlin's job security once again in question. With all that said, the Giants currently have won 2 in a row and now come off the bye week to host 3 straight games. Realistically, they have a chance to win all 3 and launch themselves to a 5-6 record and right back into the thick of the race. Considering an 8-8 team could win this division, it's not impossible and we shouldn't close the book on this season in New York just yet. That being said, in order to finish with 8 wins, the Giants will have to win 6 of their remaining games. Here is their schedule for the second half:
Oakland, Green Bay, Dallas, @Washington, @San Diego, Seattle, @Detroit, Washington.
They'll have their work cut out for them.
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