While the Redskins were resting this weekend, two of the other three teams in the NFC East, the Giants and Eagles, lost. The Cowboys won, of course, beating Philadelphia, but they’re still just one game ahead of Washington.
So the beginning of the rest of the season opens with hope still alive for a divisional crown.
Courtesy: Washington Redskins/NFL
The NFC East is looking more and more like the NFC West of recent years–weakness throughout the division. So at 3-6, the Redskins still have an opportunity to turn things around. Playing the Eagles this week is as opportune as it gets. That is a lost team ripe for another loss. Whether quarterback Michael Vick plays, the Eagles seem to have checked out for the season. This is a chance to kill two birds with one stone: a much needed win, and a divisional one at that.
That would set the stage for the one-game-at-a-time approach. Sure, the odds are long for a wild card playoff berth or a division championship. Still, it’s my opinion that Washington could come close to running the table. Of the rest of their schedule, I see only the Ravensas a superior team. Otherwise, all their remaining games are winnable.At the least, the way the Redskins finish the season, with a very favorable schedule, will tell us what we need to know about them. A late season surge would show some progress moving forward.
The Redskins control their own destiny. So owning what happens is this team’s only option now.
*Originally posted for the Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hard-hits/post/redskins-still-have-a-shot-at-a-playoff-berth-in-the-weak-nfc-east/2012/11/12/7a5d1a8e-2ce2-11e2-89d4-040c9330702a_blog.html*
