For the first month and a half of the 2026 season, the New York Giants' lead in the NFC East was tagged with an asterisk. Sure, they got out to a good start, but how much of a chance did they really have without Jaxson Dart?
It's time to remove the asterisk. J.J. McCarthy's arrival has the G-Men looking more potent on offense than they have in quite a while, even if there are still some bumps to iron out. And with the incompetence that the rest of the division has shown this year, there's no reason that New York can't maintain its lead.
Cancel your late-January plans, Giants fans. You might just be watching playoff football.
J.J. McCarthy has the Giants looking like a real threat in the NFC East
The Giants' offense sputtered through the early season schedule with Jameis Winston under center. Every explosive play seemed to be matched by an untimely turnover. In McCarthy's first start, New York got all of the good and none of the bad.
The young QB diced up an elite Houston Texans defense, completing 20 of his 28 passes for 252 yards. He wasn't afraid to push the ball downfield, nailing seven of his 12 throws of more than 10 yards.
McCarthy may not continue to play mistake-free football, but he added some much-needed juice to Big Blue's passing attack. If the running game can keep up the impact it had late in the Week 7 win, Matt Nagy's offense could finish in the top third of the league.
That may be enough to win the wide-open NFC East this season. The Giants already have a solid lead in the division, and with multiple winnable games left on the schedule, that lead might only grow larger.
NFC East can't help but hand the Giants the division title
Big Blue's lead would feel a bit more fragile if any of the other teams in the NFC East looked remotely competitive, but the bar to win the division seems extremely low.
The Washington Commanders caught some reprieve from their bye week, but they're on the verge of a midseason head coach firing. Without a true WR1 after Terry McLaurin's injury, Jayden Daniels likely doesn't have the support he needs to lead Washington back to the playoffs.
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles don't look particularly threatening, either. The Cowboys' defense is among the worst in the league, and the Eagles' offense is floundering after losing Jalen Hurts for the season. Neither team was able to make much of a statement in their Monday Night Football showdown.
After the Cowboys' win over the Eagles, the Giants are a game and a half ahead of Dallas in the division. It's not a massive cushion, but it could be enough to carry them through the year.
The Giants are far from perfect themselves, but they don't have to be perfect to win the NFC East this season. They just have to be the best of a bad bunch.
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