There's no room for error anymore. After the New York Giants' primetime loss to the Washington Commanders, their path to the playoffs has become much narrower. Instead of cruising to an NFC East title, the G-Men now have the Commanders and the Dallas Cowboys hot on their tail.
Even with the weekend off after a Thursday Night game, New York can't relax. Big Blue needs a few NFC games to go their way if they want a bit more cushion in their postseason push.
If you're a Giants fan wondering who to root for in a packed slate of games on Sunday, we've got you covered.
Giants need 49ers to hold steady against lurking Cowboys
Enemy No. 1 right now is the Cowboys. I don't have to convince fans in New York to root against Dallas, but their game this weekend is especially important in determining the outcome of the NFC East. After Big Blue's loss on Thursday, Dallas can pull within half a game with a win.
The Cowboys play the San Francisco 49ers in Dallas on Sunday afternoon, and they're currently 3.5-point underdogs. Despite numerous injuries, the 49ers are currently the only one-loss team in the NFC. Their offense is playing at a historically elite level, and their defense is holding up remarkably well.
Dallas, on the other hand, is on the verge of a complete collapse. While Dak Prescott is still wheeling and dealing, the Cowboys' defense has been one of the worst in the league.
This should be an easy win for the 49ers, but as Giants fans learned on Thursday night, no win is guaranteed.
Giants could use some losses from NFC Wild Card hopefuls
The NFC East title isn't New York's only path to the postseason. If the Cowboys or Commanders make a late-season surge, Big Blue could still sneak its way into a Wild Card spot. There are plenty of teams lining up for those three positions, though, and they all play on Sunday.
If the playoffs started today, the Green Bay Packers would hold the seventh and final seed. They play the Minnesota Vikings, who would currently be the sixth seed, in Week 10. Either result in this game helps and hurts the G-Men, but a Vikings win would be preferable. That would pull New York within a game of Green Bay's record, opening another clear path to the playoffs.
Sticking in the NFC North, it wouldn't hurt to see the Detroit Lions lose to the New England Patriots in Munich. Detroit is already a couple of games ahead of New York, but if the NFC North teams knock each other down a few rungs, the Lions could quickly be within reach.
A pair of NFC West teams are the other competitors for a Wild Card spot. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams are both more talented than the Giants, but they've fallen short of expectations this year. Both teams are 5-4 and hungry to get back into the playoff mix.
The Seahawks play the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, and the Rams play the Arizona Cardinals. It would be a major upset if either the Raiders or the Cardinals won, but Giants fans can hope.
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