If Washington makes the playoffs, the team will most likely do so by winning the NFC East. To do that, Washington has to leap the Giants, who are in first place thanks to holding a tiebreaker over the franchise.
But there’s another path that Washington could take to the postseason, one that seemed laughable until the team pulled off Monday’s 23-17 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team could win the last wildcard spot.
At 5-7, Washington is now just a game back of the 6-6 Minnesota Vikings for the seventh-seed in the NFC East. Starting this year, the NFL added an extra playoff team in each conference — and that could benefit Washington.
It won’t be easy. Five Thirty Eight’s NFL model pegs Washington’s playoff chances at 42% — with 40% of that being tied to winning the East. Though the team isn’t that far behind Minnesota, the Arizona Cardinals (6-6) and the Detroit Lions (5-7) remain ahead of them in the standings as those teams each have a win over Washington.
The Chicago Bears and the San Francisco 49ers are also 5-7 and ahead of Washington thanks to tiebreakers.
But stranger things have happened. Washington’s next game — a meeting with the 49ers — will be pivotal for that wildcard race.
To have any realistic shot at the wild card, Washington would likely have to win all four games left on the schedule (San Francisco, Seattle, Carolina and Philadelphia).
The New York Times’ playoff pegs Washington’s wildcard chances at just 2%. That’s a long shot, but likely less of one following Monday’s unexpected win.
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