Giants Own NFC East As Eagles Spiral To New Lows

Thomas Shea-Imagn ImagesThe New York Giants hold the NFC East lead, and the gap is getting wider every day. While the team sat out during their bye week, their rivals stumbled hard. According to reports, Dallas surrendered a 14-point fourth-quarter lead versus the Arizona Cardinals. That collapse left the Cowboys at 3-5, three games back in the loss column. Washington also beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10, sending the Eagles to a 2-6 record. With a winning record, the Giants stand alone at 4-2-1 within the division. Failures by every other team created this lead rather than a flawless week.The Eagles Are Lost Without HurtsPhiladelphia appears directionless without Jalen Hurts, who faces a season-ending absence due to blood clots. Sitting at the division’s bottom, the team has dropped four of its last five contests. Tanner McKee started while they went 0-3, during which they were outscored 90-45. Yahoo Sports reports that even with Hurts, the injury-plagued Eagles struggled, and they now seem lost without him. After Gardner Minshew replaced starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett mid-game in Dallas, the chaotic defense surrendered points to him.A Clear Path to the PlayoffsOn Sunday, Nov. 8, the Giants travel to Lincoln Financial Field for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Victory in Philadelphia would lift the Giants to 5-2-1, making the gap nearly impossible for the other three teams to close. The NFC playoff standings from Big Blue View show the Giants holding the third seed. Leading the conference at 6-1 are the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, yet the Giants top their own group. In the loss column, the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders, and Philadelphia Eagles all trail the Giants.Giants confidence has been renewed by the strong start of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who was acquired from the Vikings in late September. The rested Giants visit the spiraling Eagles on Sunday before hosting the Commanders four days later on “Thursday Night Football.” The Giants will control the remainder of the season if they manage to split these two games. While the NFC East race remains open, the Giants have built a cushion unmatched by any other division team right now. The path to the playoffs looks much clearer for New York than it does for anyone else in the division.