How Washington Football Team’s playoff chances can improve Week 14
How the Washington Football Team can improve their playoff chances Week 14.
The Washington Football Team is sitting at 5-7 and is currently at 12th place in the NFC overall. That said, they’re still very much alive in the playoff race because of the weak NFC East and the addition of a seventh playoff spot in each conference for the 2020 season and beyond.
Week 14 will be a critical to Washington’s chances of making the playoffs. They have to keep pace with the New York Giants in the East, but even if the Giants win, Washington could improve their Wild Card standing depending on how the games shake out.
Obviously, the most important thing to Washington’s playoff chances will be their game against the 49ers, but here’s a snapshot of all the games on Sunday that could impact their playoff standing.
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Washington Football Team @ San Francisco 49ers
We’ll start with a mini-preview of this one. Obviously, Washington only can improve their playoff standing with a win, but a win over the 49ers would be especially consequential. The 49ers are also sitting at 5-7, so if Washington beats them, they’ll move up in the Wild Card standings at the very least.
Can they do that? It’s certainly possible. For more on that game, click here for a full game preview.
New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals
Washington is tied with the Giants for first place in the NFC East with a 5-7 record. Since the Giants swept Washington in the season series, they are in front of Washington in the divisional race, so Washington needs a better record than the Giants to win the division.
Naturally, because of that, Washington fans should first be rooting for the Cardinals in this game, as a Cardinals win and a Washington win would put the WFT in first place. However, even if the Giants win, Washington can still move up in the Wild Card standings with a win.
A loss would drop the Cardinals to 6-7, so if Washington can win, they’d leapfrog the 49ers and be tied with Arizona with a 6-7 record. That would give them a better chance of emerging with a Wild Card spot if they can’t capture the divisional title.
Minnesota Vikings @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Currently, the Vikings are the NFC’s seventh seed in the playoff race with a 6-6 record. They have a tough matchup against Tom Brady’s Buccaneers in Week 14, and it could be difficult for the team to emerge with a win considering how strong Tom Brady is coming off a bye (14-4). If they lose, a new team will have a chance at the seventh seed.
Washington could end up tied for that seventh spot if the Vikings lose in Week 14, among others. For that reason, Washington fans should be pulling for the Bucs in this spot, as a Vikings loss could open another door for the WFT to get into the playoffs.
Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans
The Bears have a 5-7 record and currently tied in the Wild Card standings with Washington. That said, they have lost six consecutive games and if they continue their downward trend, Washington should overtake them in the standings.
A win and a Bears loss would give Washington a game advantage over them in the Wild Card range that they shouldn’t relinquish given how poorly the Bears have played the last month and a half.
Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
Like the Bears, the Lions are standing at 5-7. They beat Washington head-to-head and own that tiebreaker over them, so Washington would like to gain a game on them in the standings just in case the Wild Card race heats up. The Lions are playing the Packers, so Washington should have a chance to overtake them in a game that the Packers have a big advantage in.
dark. Next. Five bold predictions for Washington vs. 49ers
Based on the results of these games, Washington could finish the week as high as the No. 4 seed in the NFC or as low as the 14th spot. There truly are a wide variety of outcomes for Washington, but if fans want to see Washington make the playoffs, they’ll need to root for the Cardinals, Bucs, Texans, and Packers to help them make progress in their quest for the postseason this week.