Will Redskins Challenge Eagles for Title of Best in the East?

As part of our weekly VOX Theme Week series, all of the SB Nation team sites are looking at who the best and worst teams are in each division. It comes at a rather ideal time for Washington fans, as the NFC East has started to shape up as an open competition...for most of the participants that is.

You want to call the Philadelphia Eagles the #1 team in the NFC East? I can’t argue too hard there. They are sitting in first place in the standings with a pretty-looking 4-1 record. Their only loss came at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, which is not necessarily a knock on anyone at this point. The Eagles led off their campaign with a win over the Redskins, and they dismantled the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend after winning a pair of tight contests against the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Chargers. While math has not exactly been my best friend in life, it seems fair to let math lead the way in Week 6, and math says 4-1 is good enough for first place. Congratulations, Philly.

At 2-2, the Redskins sit in second place but have quietly gained confidence against what looks like the hardest schedule anyone in the NFC East has faced.

Sorry Dallas...math isn’t working for you today. At 2-3, I just can’t bring myself to call you better than Washington, because, well...math.

We do, however, have a UNANIMOUS winner for worst team in the NFC East. In fact, it is the only win the New York Giants can claim at this point in their 2017 season. Good for you, Eli! Like many NFC East fans, I was eagerly awaiting the nad-stinging manner in which the Giants always seem to climb out of the cellar. With no wide receivers left for Eli to throw to, and with an offensive line that could be charged with Eli’s murder before the season ends, I am no longer living in fear.

Listen, of course the Cowboys will be part of the discussion as we move forward, but this isn’t an article about third-place teams. What I kind of love about this year’s schedule is the way the Redskins and Eagles get each other twice up front. While I expect Philly to beat Carolina and extend to 5-1, a loss there would set up a battle for first place in the East on Monday Night Football on the 23rd of this month. This assumes, of course, that the Redskins can maximize their ten-point advantage over the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday.

Aside from the woes up in New York, the NFC East is once again looking like a top division, with three teams all displaying playoff-caliber ability. The season is far too young to declare such things definitively, but...you know...math.