Somebody's gotta win it

Through 75% of the 2020 NFL season, the Washington Football Team and your New York Football Giants are tied for first place in the NFC East with identical records of 4-7.

I don’t believe it, either. The race is, of course, still wide open, with the third-place Eagles only half a game out of first, and the last-place Cowboys trailing New York and Washington by just one game. With this in mind, let us take a look back at some similar division races through the years.

AFC Central, 1970

After ten games of the 1970 season (back in the era of the 14-game schedule), the Cleveland Browns were in first place in the brand-new AFC Central at 5-5. The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers were tied for second at 4-6. The Browns were mediocre the rest of the way, and a young Steelers team still wasn’t quite ready for contention. Thus, the crown went to Paul Brown’s Bengals, who after starting 1-6, won each of their final seven games.

NFC West, 1979