If you've been following the NFC East this year, then you've probably noticed that it seems to be the one division in the NFL that no one wants to win. Despite that fact, someone HAS to win it and this Sunday, we're going to find out who that someone is.
As we head into the in final week of the season, only the Eagles have been eliminated from playoff race, which means the Cowboys, Giants or Washington could end up taking home the NFC East title. The team that does end up winning the division will not only get a playoff berth, but they'll also end up making some NFL history.
The three teams still alive in the NFC East race all started the season 2-7, which is notable, because no team has ever made the playoffs in a year where they came out of the gate with a 2-7 record. Since the Super Bowl era started in 1966, there have been a total of 258 teams that have started the season at 2-7 and none of them rebounded to make the postseason, which means NFL teams are a combined 0-for-258 in that situation. After Sunday, that record will improve to 1-for-263 (A total of five teams started 2-7 this season with the Texans and Chargers joining the three NFC East teams).
Out of the three teams left standing, a division title by the Cowboys would have to be considered the most improbable. At one point this season, the Cowboys had a record of 3-9 and looked to be left for dead. As for Washington and the Giants, they were both 5-7 after 12 games because they bounced back after their 2-7 start. Washington went on a four-game winning streak after their ugly start and got up to 6-7 before losing two in row to fall to their current record of 6-9. On the Giants' end, they rode a four-game winning streak to 5-7 before losing three straight to drop to 5-10.
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The worst nine-game record that any team has ever recovered from to make the playoffs is 3-6, which has happened multiple times. The first time it happened came in 1970 with the Bengals. The most recent time it happened came in 2012 with Washington. Eight years ago, Washington rebounded from its ugly start to win the division with Robert Griffin III.
This year, Washington is in the driver's seat for the division title. If the Football Team beats the Eagles on Sunday night, then Washington will win the division. However, if the Football Team loses, then the division title will go to the winner of the Cowboys-Giants game, which is set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.
