Giant Flop Tightens NFC East

Week six of the NFL season is in the books and the race for first in the NFC East is closer than ever. This powerhouse division may have three of its four teams make the playoffs. But which has the edge?

Before Monday night, the New York Giants had not lost a game and seemed poised to take a commanding division lead. But a disastrous loss to the Cleveland Browns (2-4) has left the Super Bowl champs in a tough position. The Giants (4-1) face a grueling second half of the season, which means they have to regain their early season form in their next two games against the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Their last nine games will include five division match-ups as well as meetings with the Carolina Panthers and red-hot Arizona Cardinals.

How does the rest of the division look? The Dallas Cowboys are favored to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, but they suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals after a blocked punt in overtime. And to make things worse, the Cowboys will have to play without Tony Romo, sidelined for the next four weeks by a broken pinkie. And did I mention their rookie star Felix Jones? A hamstring injury will keep him off the field for at least two weeks.

The Washington Redskins (4-2) were upset by the St. Louis Rams in week six, ending their four game win streak. So far, they have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cowboys on the road but lost to the Giants in the season opener. Hard to tell where this division is heading.

Last but not least are the Eagles, whose 3-3 record leaves them only one game behind the Cowboys and Redskins. Without a healthy Brian Westbrook, it will be difficult for them to win consistently. You also never know when Donovan McNabb might go down again. Still, I won’t rule them out.

But I will make one prediction: Expect both wildcard teams to come out of the NFC East. –Matan Cohen, Special to Bobby v. the World