NFC East Week 16 Preview: Playoff Berths on the Line

The Giants can clinch a postseason berth with a win over Minnesota and a little help from around the league.

The New York Giants and Washington Commanders hope to join fellow NFC East rivals Philadelphia and Dallas this year in the postseason. But unfortunately for the Commanders, the Giants have a better chance of making it happen thanks to the Giants’ 20-12 win over them last weekend.

Washington’s playoff hopes aren’t completely over just yet, but suffice it to say that they need to stop whining about the officiating in last week’s game and put all their focus into beating a 49ers team that has won its last seven games.

Let’s look at this weekend’s NFC East matchups.

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New York Giants (8-5-1) at Minnesota Vikings (11-3)

The Vikings have already locked up a postseason berth, but don’t expect them to coast or rest starters the rest of the way. With the Eagles going into their weekend game against Dallas without quarterback Jalen Hurts (more on that in a moment), Minnesota needs to win to keep pace with the Eagles for that coveted top seed and a first-round bye.

Meanwhile, the Giants can wrap up their first postseason berth since 2016 with a win against the Vikings plus two losses from the Lions (vs. Carolina), Seahawks (vs. Kansas City), and Washington (vs. the 49ers).

The Giants have lost their last three against the Vikings, most recently a 28-10 decision on October 6, 2019, Daniel Jones’s rookie season. A lot has changed since then, but the goals remain the same. And the good news for the Giants is that Jones has registered five touchdowns (4 via the pass, one via the rush) for an 89.9 rating in his six road starts this year, while running back Saquon Barkley has scored a touchdown in his fourth straight road game.

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Washington Commanders (7-6-1) at San Francisco 49ers (10-4)

It’s not exactly do-or-die for the Commanders, but it is fair to say that they can ill afford to lose this week if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. But as previously mentioned, they’re going against a red-hot 49ers team that has won its last seven, is scoring 24.9 points per game while yielding only 15 points per game, and who is trying to keep pace with the Vikings and Eagles for that top playoff seed.

The Commanders need to find a way to slow down quarterback Brock Purdy, who has finished with a 115 rating in each of his last two starts. He’ll, of course, have running back Christian McCaffrey, who has recorded at least 135 scrimmage yards in his last three games.

This season, McCaffrey ranks second among running backs in receptions (74) and third in scrimmage yards (1,550). If he catches four passes this weekend, he will pass Roger Craig (434) for most catches by a running back in his first six seasons in NFL history.

For the Commanders, defensive Jonathan Allen, who has a sack in five of his last six road games, is looking to record his third straight road game with a sack. Fellow defensive lineman Daron Payne has also had some luck with the pass rush, recording a sack in four of his last five on the road. Payne also has at least one tackle for loss in six of his last seven road games and is tied for third in the league with a career-high 15 tackles for loss.

Offensively, Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke will look to extend his two-game streak without an interception to three, while rookie running back Brian Robinson is looking to rack up 100+ scrimmage yards for the fourth time in a row. Not to be outdone, Robinson’s backfield teammate, Antonio Gibson, has 50+ scrimmage yards in four of his past five games and is aiming for his seventh in a row with 50+ scrimmage yards.

In the passing game, Terry McLaurin figures to see a lot of pass targets, as will rookie Jahan Dotson, the latter of whom is looking for his third game in a row with a receiving touchdown. 

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Dallas Cowboys (10-4) at Philadelphia Eagles (13-1)

The Eagles might have locked up a postseason berth, but they're still not finished taking care of business. They will try to sew up the coveted first-round bye this weekend but will have to do so without starting quarterback and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts, who is being held out due to a sore right shoulder.

Not having hurts is going to hurt the Eagles offense, which has incorporated the quarterback's mobility into the weekly game plan, thereby giving opposing defenses something extra to worry about.

And speaking of worrying, the Cowboys defense, hailed earlier in the season as a top-flight unit, has hit some choppy waters of late. Blame injuries for the struggles and lack of depth to ensure there isn't a drop-off in performance. 

Still, after holding opponents to under 20 points in six of their first seven games this year, the Cowboys have held opponents to 20 points or less in just two of their last seven games, giving up an average of 23.5 points per game over that span.

Dallas is coming off a heartbreaking 40-34 loss to Jacksonville last week. While they are assured a spot in the postseason tournament--they're currently the highest-seeded non-division winner--the Cowboys would probably like to get back to their winning ways to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs. 

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