Photo courtesy of NJ.Com
The New York Giants will still win the NFC East and host a Wild Card Playoff game…. Sounds crazy? Let me explain;
First off, it all starts on Sunday. Pretty simple, the Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles in a must win game. If the Giants proceed to win this game they would be tied with the Eagles with a 1-3 record and will have already beaten them head to head.
Second, the Giants are lucky that the NFC East is arguably the worst division in football right now. All experts believe that it is the Dallas Cowboys division to lose; who sit atop the division with a 2-2 record. The Cowboys have the luxury of facing Peyton Manning and their unstoppable Denver Bronco offense; averaging a crazy 44.8 points per game. The Cowboys will have their hands full, and I’m betting on the Broncos to defeat the Cowboys this Sunday afternoon, meaning the cowboys will drop to 2-3.
The Washington Redskins have their bye week, and then face the Cowboys Week 6 on NBC. The Redskins are also 1-3, with a shaky looking RGIII at the helm. This game will only effect the Giants in the long run if the Cowboys or Redskins end up having a better divisional record.
My point is, if the Cowboys lose one more game this season, which is highly likely; considering they still play the Broncos, Lions, Bears, Saints, not to mention their division games; the Giants will control their own destiny. If the Giants beat the Eagles this Sunday, the NFC East will have three teams sitting at 1-3 (Giants, Eagles, Redskins), and the Giants would be up 1/2 on the Eagles since they would have beaten them once. The Giants also still face the Cowboys again (Week 12 at MetLife Stadium), meaning if they beat the Cowboys, they will be tied and no one will hold the tie-breaker.
The Giants have only played 1 divisional game thus far, losing in Week 1 to the Cowboys. If the Giants win their last 5 divisional games (1 against the Cowboys, 2 against the Eagles and Redskins), they will be sitting pretty after all. Usually the Giants get off to a ‘hot-start’ and falter down the stretch. In my opinion it will be the complete opposite this year and the Giants will get hot starting now.
The tandem of Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Ruben Randle can only struggle for so long. Tom Coughlin also has to let David Wilson run the football; after all that is why Jerry Reese selected him in the first round. If the offensive line can straighten things out, giving Eli time in the pocket, the Giants will be a very scary team to face. Look out for the GMEN to roll the rest of the season. If I am wrong, then look for the Giants to find out who their true fans are this season.
Justin Lerner: PureSportsNY