What Does Washington's Playoff Path Look Like?
The Washington Football Team and coach Ron Rivera haven't made any excuses this season.
Despite being faced with an unwavering amount of challenges from COVID-19 to injuries, Washington has managed to keep playoff chances afloat with a 6-8 record heading into Sunday's matchup at the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys.
So, how realistic are these playoff chances for the WFT? Slim, yes. But not impossible.
The New York Times created a playoff-scenario simulator that allows users to assess a team's chances using certain criteria over the final three weeks of the regular season.
As of now, the simulator gives Washington a nine percent chance of snagging one of the three NFC Wild Card spots.
And if the Rivera's team wins the last three games? A 68 percent chance at the postseason.
In fact, the WFT would still be in the playoff race even with a loss to Dallas this weekend. The most important of the final three divisional games comes in Week 17 against the Eagles.
According to the simulator, Washington would have a zero percent chance of making the postseason with a loss to Philadelphia, despite potentially picking up wins over the Cowboys (Week 16) and Giants (Week 18).
It's important not to look too far ahead, though. Washington's playoff chances could see a swing as early as Thursday night with the San Fransisco 49ers (8-6) at the Tennessee Titans (9-5).
The 49ers currently hold the sixth seed in the NFC, while the Minnesota Vikings are hanging on with a 7-7 record in the final playoff spot.
If the 49ers lose tonight against the Titans, the WFT would see its playoff chances jump up to 12 percent.
And with an upset win over the Cowboys on Sunday? Twenty-one percent.
Of course, it's all just numbers and scenarios at the end of the day. But in this case, the numbers can't hide the fact that Washington still has something significant to fight for.
