Washington Poses a Significant Threat to Minnesota’s Playoff Hopes
Zeke Warren-Weigmann
|
Memes maligning the NFC East have been relentless this season, and rightfully so. At one point, this once great division, sporting such historic franchises as the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the newly minted Washington Football Team, could barely produce two wins to rub together. In fact, these teams have had such a pitiful 2020 that not one of them has managed a winning record since week one, when the Football Team defeated none other than their division rival, the Eagles, to start off 1-0.
However, despite the slow start, two NFC East teams have turned their seasons around to such an extent that they are now legitimate playoff contenders, with the Giants and the Football Team now both sporting 5-7 records. While a losing record such as that might be less than impressive, both these teams secured their relevance with impressive week 13 wins. The Giants beat the NFC West leading Seattle Seahawks, and the Football Team upset the massively favored and previously undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.
While this change of fortune for what was previously thought to be a joke division is impressive to say the least, the question remains, how do the Minnesota Vikings play in? The Vikings, despite a slow start themselves, have managed to turn their season around to a significant degree, with their 27-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars securing them a 6-6 record and, for now, the seventh seed in the 2020 playoffs. With the Giants being favored to win their division as they hold the head-to-head matchup advantage over Washington, the Football Team finds itself embroiled in a race for that final wildcard, the same spot currently held by the Vikings.
Due to their unexpected turnaround, the Football team finds itself embroiled in a 6 team race for the final playoff spot, with the 6-6 Arizona Cardinals, the 5-7 Chicago Bears, the 5-7 Detroit Lions, the 5-7 San Francisco 49ers, and the 5-7 Washington Football Team all chasing the 6-6 Minnesota Vikings. While unlikely, if the Football Team is able to maintain their momentum through the end of the season, Vikings fans may be ruing the day they made any jokes about the team with no name.