Sunday is an opportunity for the Giants to accomplish something they rarely do: Win a game in their division. The Giants have a 5-17-1 record in the NFC East in Joe Schoen’s four years as GM, good for a measly .217 winning percentage in the division. They were a winless 0-6 against the Philadelphi a Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders last season. And they are 1-3 this season so far with a loss to each division foe, one win over Philly and two games remaining: one each against Washington and Dallas. Sunday’s game technically means nothing for the Giants (2-11), who were the first team eliminated from the playoffs for a second straight NFL season. Beating Washington (3-10) will hurt New York’s chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, a spot they currently hold. But if the Giants want to stop being a league-wide punch line, they can start by winning some games in their own division. It’s a division they have failed to win since 2011, even though the NFC East famously has not had a repeat regular season champion since the Eagles in 2003-04. The Eagles, Cowboys and Commanders continue to rotate on the pedestal while the Giants sit on the outside, irrelevant, looking in. “These games are huge, so I’m really excited to get back to it,” quarterback Jaxson Dart said this week. “Obviously, you watch the first game and see how each team has adjusted, us and them, up until this point. So it’s going to be a game of chess, for sure, and it’s going to be really good energy.” Obviously, the Giants just need a win, any win at all. They have lost seven in a row since beating the Eagles in prime time, 34-17, on Oct. 9. That’s right: the Giants haven’t won a game in more than two months. But winning in the NFC East means everything. Competing in this division means everything. Being physical and tough against the Eagles, Cowboys and Washington is in this franchise’s blood during its best moments. Without it, the Giants have nothing. And that futility is at the center of why they have stunk for so long during this pitiful recent stretch. The Giants have been outscored during this 5-17-1 division stretch under Schoen and the fired Brian Daboll by a total of 608-423. That means opponents on average have beaten them by a score of 26.4 to 18.4 in their division matchups — more than a touchdown per game. It’s stunningly bad to look at the Giants’ record just against the Eagles and Cowboys, their two biggest threats and rivals, the past four years. Under Schoen and Daboll, the Giants have a 2-14 record (.125 win percentage) against Philadelphia and Dallas. They have been outscored 481-292 in those 16 games, meaning they’ve lost on average by a score of 30.1 to 18.3, an 11.8-point difference per game. Schoen and Daboll at least have a .500 record against Washington, going 3-3-1 so far in their seven meetings since the start of the 2022 season. But even that carries an asterisk: The Giants have lost three straight to Washington after Daboll and Schoen went 3-0-1 against Washington in their first four meetings. And on Sunday, they’re in jeopardy of losing their 131-127 scoring edge in the rivalry. The Giants are actually favored by 2.5 points in Sunday’s game, the first time they will be favored at kickoff a game since last season’s Nov. 10, 2024, loss to the Carolina Panthers in Germany. But if the history of the Giants under Schoen has demonstrated anything, there is no reason to count on this team in a division game. Until they prove otherwise. ...read more read less