NFC East playoff photo: Washington is first to four wins, six wins can do it

Washington beat Dallas in a 3-7 team battle over Thanksgiving, which wouldn’t normally mean anything in the NFL playoff picture. But this year’s NFC East is anything but ordinary.

Improving to 4-7, Washington moved up to first place in the division. And it might only take six wins to put together a playoff game this year.

Washington will be a big underdog in their next game in Pittsburgh, but the following week in San Francisco is a winnable game. After that, Washington will be an underdog at home against Seattle, before ending the season with two more winnables, at home against Carolina and Philadelphia. It’s easy to see Washington go 6-10 or 7-9, which should be enough to win the division.

The Giants are 3-7 and will likely be favored in two other games: at Cincinnati this week and at home against Dallas in Week 17. The Giants are likely to be underdog in Seattle, at home against Arizona, at home. against Cleveland and Baltimore. A 5-11 finish seems likely.

The Eagles are 3-6-1 but will be underdog in the next four against the Seahawks, Packers, Saints and Cardinals. Philadelphia then closed the season in Dallas, and at home against Washington. The most likely scenario is that Philadelphia is 4-10-1 heading into that Week 17 game against Washington, and Washington could already have six wins by then.

The Cowboys are 3-8 but their schedule is a bit easier: Their next game will be with a Baltimore team ravaged by COVID-19. After that, the Cowboys travel to Cincinnati, then recover the 49ers and Eagles at home before ending the season with the Giants. The Cowboys hitting 6-10 or 7-9 is certainly doable, but they were swept away by Washington, so they would lose a tiebreaker.

Much can change in the last six weeks of the season and all four NFC East teams are still up for grabs. But first, Washington has to like the way things look.