The Dallas Cowboys have had a lot of misfortune so far in 2020, mostly in the way of injuries. But they’re also lucky to be playing in the putrid NFC East, where having just two wins is currently good enough to be the division leader. And given the Week 6 schedule, the Cowboys could still be in the top spot even if they lose on Monday night to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Eagles are currently in 2nd place with a 1-3-1 record. However, they’re hosting the 4-1 Baltimore Ravens tomorrow. If both teams maintain the same level of play that they’ve shown over the first five weeks, Philadelphia is likely coming out of this one with another loss.
Things are a little more complicated with the Giants and the Football Team. They play each other in New York with the G-Men still trying to snag their first victory of the season. Washington has one win from their season opener against the Eagles but has lost their last four.
If the Football Team gets the win then they will move to 2-0 in the division. That would give them the slight edge over the Cowboys, who would also be 2-4 but only 1-0 in NFC East play.
If the Giants win, they would only be 1-5 overall and still be looking up at Dallas. While the tiebreakers wouldn’t even matter at this point, they’d also be 1-1 in division play and have the head-to-head loss from last week against the Cowboys.
Dallas has a tough draw this week with the Cardinals coming to town on Monday Night Football. It would’ve been a difficult game even with Dak Prescott still in the lineup, but now Andy Dalton has to play his first game as the starting QB against a legit NFL opponent. Given the Cowboys’ issues on the offensive line and defensively, it may be too much to ask right now.
But that’s the beauty of being an NFC East team in 2020. That same cushion which allows Dallas to be atop the division with a 2-3 record could be in effect for weeks to come, if not the entire season
Sure, the Eagles could get hot at some point. Or maybe Alex Smith sparks a turnaround in Washington. Obviously it won’t take much for anyone to catch up to the Cowboys given the current standings.
In fact, the next few weeks will go a long way to determining the eventual NFC East winner. The Cowboys come out of Week 6 with back-to-back road games in Washington and Philadelphia.
Nobody will be happier than me if Dalton and the Cowboys get a statement win this week against Arizona. But thinking realistically, based on what we’ve seen from Dallas so far in 2020, that would definitely be an upset.
Hopefully, the rest of the NFC East also keeps playing at the same level.
