NFL 2020: Who has the best chance at winning the NFC East?
The NFC East is wide open, with all four teams having a shot at winning the division.
The NFC East has four teams that have the opportunity to write their own story on this 2020 NFL season.
The Philadelphia Eagles are currently sitting on top of the NFC East at 2-4-1. The Dallas Cowboys are right behind them with a 2-4 record as well. The Washington Football Team and the New York Giants are sitting at the bottom at 1-5 and 1-6, respectively.
First place in the NFC East could change multiple times over the course of the season. The question is, which team will pull it out and represent the NFC East in the playoffs?
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles took over first place in the NFC East with their close win against the Giants on Thursday to open Week 7. If the Cowboys pull out a victory this weekend in Washington, they will take over first place. This would set up a big game early on in the season between Eagles and the Cowboys on Nov. 1.
The remaining opponents for the Eagles have a combined record of 26-22. Eagles have five key games coming up this season.
- 11/1: Home vs Dallas Cowboys
- 11/30: Home vs Seattle Seahawks
- 12/6: Away vs Green Bay Packers
- 12/20: Away vs Arizona Cardinals
- 12/27: Away vs Cowboys
The Eagles will need to win three or more of these five games to stay on pace to win the NFC East. The two most important games are the two games against the Cowboys. The Eagles will need to win or split the home/away versus the Cowboys in order to make a run at winning the NFC East division.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have the hardest road out of the four teams. The Cowboys have lost their starting quarterback to injury and Ezekiel Elliott has had issues with holding onto the football. Dallas has turned to back up QB Andy Dalton to lead the offense.
The Cowboys will need Dalton to play like he did early in his career for the Cincinnati Bengals. Dalton took the Bengals to the playoffs four times. Dallas has five key games that they must win to have a shot at the NFC East.
- 11/1: Away vs Philadelphia Eagles
- 11/22: Away vs Minnesota Vikings
- 12/13: Away vs Cincinnati Bengals
- 12/27: Home vs Philadelphia Eagles
- 1/3: Away vs New York Giants
The Dallas Cowboys need to win their home/away games against the Eagles. One game that stands out for the Cowboys is the final game on the road against the Giants. This could potentially be a trap game for the Cowboys if they split the games with Eagles.
Washington Football Team
The Washington Football Team is still trying to figure out its quarterback situation. Washington started with Dwayne Haskins at the beginning of the season and moved off of him to Kyle Allen. Washington has played all three of their quarterbacks this season, including veteran Alex Smith.
Washington's road to first place in the NFC East is a tough one. They have five games that can eliminate them early from winning the NFC East.
- 10/25: Home vs Dallas Cowboys
- 11/15: Away vs Detroit Lions
- 11/22: Home vs Cincinnati Bengals
- 11/26: Away vs Dallas Cowboys
- 12/6: Away vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington will need to pull off upsets against four out of these five games. The toughest part about that is they will have to win three road games. Washington may be looking at a top-5 pick in next years NFL Draft if they don't solve their quarterback problem.
New York Giants
The New York Giants started the season off with losing their star running back Saquon Barkley. He is the motor to this Giants' offense.
Since losing Barkley, the Giants have been one dimensional, placing all the pressure on their young quarterback Daniel Jones.
Daniel Jones has shown flashes of great potential, but he is not ready to hold all the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. The Giants will have five games that could eliminate them from winning the NFC East.
- 11/2: Home vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 11/15: Home vs Philadelphia Eagles
- 12/6: Away vs Seattle Seahawks
- 12/13: Home vs Arizona Cardinals
- 12/27: Away vs Baltimore Ravens
The New York Giants have the toughest road schedule wise when it comes to their chances of winning the NFC East. The three games that make it difficult for the Giants are the games against the Buccaneers, Seahawks, and Ravens. The Giants could potentially go 0-5 in these five games. If the Giants go 0-5 they will be the second NFC East team to have a top 5 pick in next years NFL Draft.
Predictions
The NFC East is wide open, but in the end the Philadelphia Eagles will do enough to come out of the division.
Philadelphia is the healthiest team, and they seem to have everything figured out. The big key to the Eagles winning the NFC East is their offensive line.
Philadelphia will need QB Carson Wentz to be healthy in order for them to represent the NFC East in this years playoffs. The NFC East division will come down to the final weeks of the NFL season, but it will be the Philadelphia Eagles standing tall at the top of the division.