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Washington Football Team will determine the NFC East champion

By Russell S. Baxter

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Washington Football Team looks on during first half of th game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 05, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Washington Football Team looks on during first half of th game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 05, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images) /
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Things are going to get interesting in the NFC East the next five weeks. And keep an eye on Ron Rivera’s surging Washington Football Team.

A year ago, the Washington Football Team won a division title with a 7-9 record. That was really nothing new for head coach Ron Rivera. He guided the Carolina Panthers to the top spot in the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record. That included a midseason six-game losing streak.

A year ago, Washington was the only team not to lose at least 10 games a year ago. And Rivera’s team managed to go 4-2 vs. their NFC East rivals – dropping a pair to the New York Giants but sweeping both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

This year, led by quarterback Taylor Heinicke a rejuvenated ground game, and just enough defense, the Team has rebounded from a 2-6 start to win its last four games. In a span of seven days, the club defeated the Seahawks and Raiders by identical 17-15 scores.

Now the real fun begins for the Washington Football Team

So 6-6 Washington now sits two games behind the 8-4 Cowboys in the NFC East. And the Eagles (off this week) are right in the mix with a 6-7 record. Who will be their quarterback when they return to the field (via ESPN’s Tim McManus)? Finally, the Giants are all alone in the basement with a 4-8 mark but will obviously play a role in this race as well.

So the first and only time that the Washington Football Team faced an NFC East rival this season was way back in Week 2 on a Thursday night at FedExField. The team rallied for a 30-29 victory over the Giants. And now the rest of the team’s games this season are divisional match-ups.

It starts on Sunday at home vs. the Cowboys, led by trips to Philadelphia and Dallas, respectively – the latter scheduled for Sunday Night Football. In Week 17, Rivera and company host the Birds and then seven days later, take on the Giants at MetLife Stadium.

It doesn’t say here that the Washington Football Team will win the NFC East. But with a schedule that has them playing their final five games vs. their divisional neighbors, they obviously will have the biggest say on which team does.

And if they do manage to come out on top, they would become the first team in this division to repeat as champion since the Eagles turned the trick four straight years from 2001-04.

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