No team deserves to win the NFC East
Six wins will win the NFC East.
This division is so bad even the Dallas Cowboys are still in it, and they're 3-8 and won't have Tony Romo the rest of the season.
The Washington Redskins (5-6) beat the New York Giants (5-6) on Sunday to tighten the race and keep the lowly Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) only one game behind.
Neither the Redskins nor the Giants seem capable of finishing 8-8. The Eagles (4-7) are more likely to lose out than reach seven wins. The Cowboys already went 0-7 without Romo, so even one win will be an improvement.
It was only last year when the Eagles went 10-6 and missed the playoffs. The Cowboys won the division with a 12-4 record.
Now, all the teams are struggling.
The Redskins are 0-5 on the road. The Giants nearly upset the Patriots only to return from a bye with a dud performance. The Eagles were outscored 90-31 in the past two games. All Dallas needs is J.R. Ewing to complete a soap opera season.
OK, 6-10 might be a stretch because the teams play each other a few times in December, and someone likely has to win. But it won't take a winning record to finish first.
Here are other overreactions from Week 12:
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OVERREACTION: The Patriots are in trouble. Rob Gronkowski is hurt and Tom Brady couldn't beat Brock Osweiler.
REALISTIC REACTION: Never bet against Brady.
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OVERREACTION: The Broncos are the new team to beat in the AFC. Osweiler rallied Denver to an overtime win over the Patriots, ending New England's bid for a perfect season.
REALISTIC REACTION: The game wasn't in Foxborough. It'll be tough to be the Patriots at home.
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OVERREACTION: If Matthew Stafford and Jameis Winston each had five touchdown passes in a five-day span vs. Philadelphia, Brady will throw 10 against the Eagles this week.
REALISTIC REACTION: Ten is a little much. Maybe eight.
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OVERREACTION: Matt Hasselbeck is the new Brett Favre. Hasselbeck became the first quarterback since Favre in 2009 to throw multiple TD passes in three consecutive games after turning 40. He also improved to 4-0 filling in for Andrew Luck.
REALISTIC REACTION: The ol' gunslinger was one of a kind.
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OVERREACTION: The Seahawks are going back to the Super Bowl. An impressive win over the Steelers was Seattle's fourth victory in five games.
REALISTIC REACTION: They're not even guaranteed a playoff berth. A pair of tough road games, this week at Minnesota and at Arizona in Week 17, won't make it easy.
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OVERREACTION: The Chiefs will run the table. A win over Rex Ryan's Bills was their fifth in a row and Alex Smith is playing well.
REALISTIC REACTION: They don't play a team with a winning record the rest of the way, so it's not unreasonable. The Raiders will be a tough opponent this week.
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OVERREACTION: The Falcons won't win another game. Matt Ryan struggled again in Atlanta's fourth straight loss.
REALISTIC REACTION: The playoffs look unlikely, but there should be one win left on their tough schedule.
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OVERREACTION: Cam Newton will do the Macarena before the season's over. Newton celebrated another TD run with the twist against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.
REALISTIC REACTION: He's too cool for the Macarena.
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OVERREACTION: Jay Cutler will lead the Bears to the playoffs. Chicago upset the Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night for its third straight road win.
REALISTIC REACTION: The schedule is favorable, but a 2-5 record against the NFC will hurt the Beats in tiebreakers.
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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