We’ve known all year long that the NFC East division is the lowest of the low in the NFL, with the four teams consistently combining to have a below-.500 record and never failing to be the laughing stock of the league.
As we roll on into the final stretch of the 2020 regular season, it is becoming increasingly clear that a playoff spot will be staked out for a team that has a record that is significantly below .500 as well, while several other teams are left on the outside looking in, though they arguably deserve to be in the NFC East’s final spot.
With all of that aside, we can focus on the division and try to figure out who might get that top spot. We’ve broken down the odds, and the numbers, and the strength of schedules. All of those things will tell you that it is likely going to be the New York Giants or Philadelphia Eagles to win the division. However, I’m here to tell you that Washington is going to pull it out, with this as my reasoning:
Alex Smith is the best remaining quarterback in the NFC East.
Hot take a couple of months ago, absolutely, but look around and tell me I’m wrong. Andy Dalton? No thanks. Carson Wentz? After all that you’ve seen from him this season? Please… Now that we know that Giants’ QB Daniel Jones is going to miss some time with a hamstring injury, it’s clear that Alex Smith > Colt McCoy. Almost by default, the never-too-high, never-too-low QB in Washington has taken the mantle as the top dog in the division.
So why does this matter? Simply because the division is so tight, and the top three teams have just about an equal chance to take the top spot in the end. Washington has the easiest SOS among the three viable teams, and they seem to be playing their best football as of late with the arrow trending up. They also get a game against the Eagles in Week 17, where the winner could get into the playoffs. I trust a veteran who is balanced and poised in that situation over Wentz, who leads the league with 15 interceptions thrown, and 46 sacks taken.
It may not be much to say that you’re the best QB in the NFC East, but it means more than nothing, and it could be a big factor when all is said and done, and a playoff spot is given away.
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