The Dallas Cowboys lost their third consecutive game on Thursday night in Chicago to drop to 6-7 on the season, and while Cowboys fans are calling for coach Jason Garrett to finally lose his job, it’s possible that Dallas could make the playoffs this season without winning another game this season.
The NFC East is an absolute mess. The Eagles now control their own destiny with four divisional games left on their schedule, including a home game against the Cowboys, but given the way the season has played out, it’s difficult to imagine any NFC East team winning four consecutive games it’s favored to win.
The division is so dysfunctional, in fact, that we tried to figure out the most chaotic scenario for the end of the season. It’s possible – though extremely unlikely – that each team in the NFC East could end the season 6-10. Here’s how that could happen:
Cowboys (6-7)
The Cowboys have three games remaining (vs. Rams, at Eagles, vs. Redskins), and would need to lose all three to finish 6-10.
Eagles (5-7)
The Eagles have four games remaining (vs. Giants, at Redskins, vs. Cowboys, at Giants). To finish 6-10 and allow the entire division 6-10, the Eagles would need to beat the Cowboys, and lose their other three games.
Redskins (3-9)
The Redskins have four games remaining (at Packers, vs. Eagles, vs. Giants, at Cowboys). For the four-way tie to play out, the Redskins would need to beat the Packers, Eagles and Cowboys, and lose to the Giants.
Giants (2-10)
The Giants have four games remaining (at Eagles, vs. Dolphins, at Redskins, vs. Eagles). New York would have to win out to finish 6-10.
What would happen?
The top two NFL playoff tiebreakers are head-to-head record and best record within the division. If the 6-10 tie were to occur, the Cowboys and Giants would have the best records within the NFC East, at 4-2. The Cowboys would win a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Giants, with a 2-0 record against them this season.
Both the Redskins and Eagles would have 2-4 records in the division, but the Eagles would finish third in the NFC East, with a better record in games against common opponents than the Redskins.
Final NFC East standings:
- Cowboys (6-10)
- Giants (6-10)
- Eagles (6-10)
- Redskins (6-10)
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