Nfc East

In a year filled with uncanny comebacks, the New York Giants have a chance to claim the most unlikely of all. Three weeks ago, after losing in Dallas, the Giants were saddled with a 5-7 record and bleak prospects for reaching the NFL playoffs. In Week 16, they're back in the hunt. It's still an uphill climb for the defending NFC champions, but they visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday with a chance to redeem a season that once seemed lost. "I think the frustration part has worn off," Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said this week on a national conference call.

LANDOVER - If it's true that this is coach Steve Spurrier's final season with the Washington Redskins, his lasting memory of the NFL will be a familiar one: a loss. A chaotic and disappointing season came to a merciful end for the Redskins, who - in dropping a 31-7 game to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles last night in the regular-season finale for both teams - lost their 10th game in their past 12 contests. Washington fell to 5-11. Philadelphia improved to 12-4, captured its third straight NFC East title, and remained in the running for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.

Emmitt Smith will be doing the same thing today he did the first two weeks of the season: nothing.The only difference is that this time we can't blame his holdout.This time, the problem is the byes.It's hard to pinpoint the blame for the byes. It's often said that victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan. The byes have become an orphan. Nobody wants to be known as the father of them. When the four-year, $3.65 billion TV contract was announced in 1990, commissioner Paul Tagliabue was happy to take credit for the bye idea that would stretch the season a week or two.The original idea was that each team would have one bye in 1990 and 1991 and two in 1992 and 1993 so the season would last 17 weeks the first two years and 18 weeks the next two years.

The Sun's Bill Ordine ranks the NFL's 32 teams [2005 RECORD IN PARENTHESES] 1. INDIANAPOLIS (14-2) / / With unquestionable talent but dubious heart, the Peyton Manning-era Colts may be the best NFL team to never make it to the Super Bowl. But oddsmakers think otherwise, and kicker Adam Vinatieri might prove to be the difference. 2. CAROLINA (11-5) / / Coach John Fox ran out of running backs last year in the NFC title game, but he boosted the offense in the offseason with receiver Keyshawn Johnson.

Philadelphia 38, NY Giants 31 East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Eagles have found several ways to deal the New York Giants heartbreaking defeats over the years, and they added another one to the list on Sunday. There was "The Fumble" in 1978, and there was Brian Westbrook's punt return in 2003. On Sunday, with these teams tied for the NFC East lead, it was the electric DeSean Jackson, whose 65-yard punt return on the game's final play lifted Philadelphia to a 38-31 victory over New York in one of the most memorable games in the NFL this season.

Last seasonFor the third straight year, the NFC East champion beat Buffalo in the Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys followed in the footsteps of the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins. The division, which has produced five of the last seven Super Bowl champions and is the strongest in football, also had two wild-card teams (Washington and Philadelphia) in the playoffs.New coachesDan Reeves, who played and coached in Dallas, returns to the division as the head coach of the New York Giants.

NFC EAST Dallas Cowboys Last season: 5-11, fourth place. Coach: Bill Parcells (138-100-1), first year with Cowboys, 16th in NFL. Pressing question: When do Parcells and owner Jerry Jones finally bare egos and bang heads over power issues? Feeling the heat: RB Troy Hambrick got in the doghouse quickly for being overweight. He may not get out. Key reinforcements: Parcells trading for WR Terry Glenn was the eye-catcher, but the signing of OT Ryan Young and LB Al Singleton will have greater impact.