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How the Washington Football Team ranks in NFC East confidence picks

By Tim Payne

ASHBURN, VA - JUNE 02: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Washington Football Team speaks with Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 during the organized team activity at Inova Sports Performance Center on June 2, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
ASHBURN, VA - JUNE 02: Head coach Ron Rivera of the Washington Football Team speaks with Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 during the organized team activity at Inova Sports Performance Center on June 2, 2021 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 03: Defensive end Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team reacts after winning 20-14 over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 03, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 03: Defensive end Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team reacts after winning 20-14 over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 03, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

The overall NFC East Preseason Reality Check Rankings

Put it all together, and on paper, the winner of the first annual NFC East Preseason Reality Check Rankings is: the Washington Football Team. The only catch is, the first-place schedule they “earned” with their performance last season makes their pathway to repeating as division champions pretty narrow. But as we found out last season, schedule predictions are very unreliable, as injuries play such a massive role in the overall strength of an opponent. That said, outside of common opponents, Washington has to play Buffalo, Seattle and Green Bay, while Dallas only has to play New England, Minnesota and Arizona. That is a pretty massive gap in opposing quarterback quality.

All other things being equal, the Washington Football Team would have my confidence to repeat as winners of the NFC East, but since those schedules are decidedly unequal, I’m actually giving the slight nod to Dallas. My final preseason reality check rankings for the division:

  1. Dallas with a record of 10-7
  2. Washington with a record of 10-7 (loses conference schedule tiebreaker)
  3. New York (8-9)
  4. Philadelphia (6-11)
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