Where the Giants Stand in the NFC East Race After Week 11
Things are getting tighter in the NFC East as the Giants, who were on a bye, Cowboys, and Washington Football Team all have the same 3-7 record after Week 11.
According to the NFL standings, the Giants are still listed as the second-place team. Here is a rundown of the three division games and where things now stand.
Cleveland 22, Philadelphia 17
Nov 22, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive end Olivier Vernon (54) and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98) lie on top of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) after Wentz was sacked for a safety during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium.
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Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who has been a turnover machine this year, threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a 50-yard touchdown by Browns linebacker Sloane Takitaki to give the Browns a 7-0 second-quarter lead in a rain-soaked game that they'd never relinquish.
Former Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon sacked Wentz in the third quarter for a safety, one-time Eagles kicker Codey Parkey hit a couple of field goals, and Kareen Hunt recorded a 5-yard touchdown to give the Browns all they needed to hold off the Eagles, who have now lost two games in a row.
The Eagles host the Seattle Seahawks (7-3) next weekend.
Washington 20, Cincinnati 9
Nov 22, 2020; Landover, Maryland, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) shakes hands with Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young (99) prior to being carted off the field after injuring his left knee in the third quarter at FedExField.
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The Washington Football Team had no trouble handling the Cincinnati Bengals, defeating them 20-9 at FedExField.
After Washington jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, the Bengals temporarily took the lead on quarterback Joe Burrow's 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ahmad Green, the ensuing PAT failing. Kicker Randy Bullock then added a 53-yard field goal to make it a 9-7 game.
But that was all she wrote for the Bengals, who would lose Burrow to a third-quarter knee injury, which per the NFL Network has been initially diagnosed as a torn ACL.
Washington quarterback Alex Smith connected with Steven Sims for a three-yard touchdown, and kicker Dustin Hopkins hit field goals of 32 and 50 yards to put the game on ice and improve to 3-7 on the year.
Washington will play Dallas on Thursday. The Football Team holds a 1-0 head-to-head advantage over the Cowboys thanks to their 25-3 win in Week 7.
Dallas 31, Minnesota 28
Nov 22, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) catches a pass for a touchdown against Minnesota Vikings defensive back Jeff Gladney (20) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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The Cowboys and Vikings exchanged the lead four times in the second half before the Cowboys ultimately pulled out a 31-28 win to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 16-7 lead at the half, scoring 10 points off two Vikings turnovers. But the Vikings came clawing back in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points to take a 21-16 lead in the fourth quarter.
The two teams would then exchange the lead until the Cowboys sealed the deal with 1:37 left in the game on quarterback Andy Dalton's 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Schultz.
The Cowboys will host Washington on Thanksgiving Day in a big inter-division game.
Where Things Stand in the Division
| Team | Won | Lost | Tie |
|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia | 3 | 6 | 1 |
New York | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Dallas | 3 | 7 | 0 |
Washington | 3 | 7 | 0 |
There's still a ways to go before the division gets sorted out, but in the event of a tie in the division at the end of the year, here, in order, are some of the NFL's tie-breaking procedures:
Two Clubs
- Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Three or More Clubs
- Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
- Strength of victory.
Regardless of the current division standings, don't expect the Giants and head coach Joe Judge to focus on that when the team reconvenes Monday.
"We have to continue improving across the board on fundamentals. I think that’s something you always have to improve on. You can never think ‘we’ve arrived’ there," Judge said.
"I think sometimes the mistakes you make as a team as you get to a certain point in the season and it’s very scheme-oriented, and you fall away from what you worked hard on in training camp in terms of fundamentals and basics. Ultimately, that’s really what always makes the difference anyway."
What you can expect is for Judge to quickly squash any idea of the Giants having momentum from their two-game winning streak as they head into the new week to prepare for the Bengals.
"I don’t really believe that exists, to be honest with you," Judge said. "Nothing that we did against Philadelphia or Washington is going to help us against Cincinnati. We have to learn from what we did wrong and make corrections, but we have to come back on Monday and have a good, strong practice."
And keep winning games.
