While the Giants were waiting to take care of their own business on Sunday afternoon, they didn't receive any help. Both the Eagles and Washington Redskins won their respective games.



The Eagles held on to beat the Buffalo Bills 23-20 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. The Redskins found a cure for their road woes with a 24-21 victory over Chicago. Bears kicker Robbie Gould missed a 50-yard attempt in the final two minutes with a chance to possibly send the game into overtime.



In order for the Giants to remain tied for first place in the NFC East, they will now have to beat the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. Even then, they're not exactly in great shape with tiebreakers and their schedule.



The Giants play the undefeated Carolina Panthers (13-0) and Minnesota Vikings (8-5) the next two weeks. The Eagles and Redskins have more favorable schedules and meet in Week 16, meaning one of them has to win.



What Sunday's early results mean is that the Giants are likely going to need to win their final four games or, at worst, three of their final four to have any shot at the division and subsequently the playoffs. They've only strung together such a run once this season, when they had a three-game winning streak in Weeks 3-5.



The Eagles (6-7) and Redskins (6-7) are clearly in control of the division. They both have a better division record than the Giants. The Redskins also have a better conference record.



The Cowboys (4-9) are close to being officially eliminated after losing later Sunday in Green Bay.



The Giants, meanwhile, still have a chance. It's just that it's now almost solely up to them if they're going to extend their season.

In a year where they've been constantly gifted life by the incompetence of the rest of the division, the Giants must be finally take matters into their own hands. It's put up or shut up. They must win Monday night to keep pace in the NFC East. They must beat the Panthers and/or Vikings to give themselves any chance the final week of the season when they host the Philadelphia Eagles.



That would involve taking their game to a new level. All five Giants wins have come against teams that currently have a losing record.



Sunday's results made a quality win as an underdog a necessity in the coming weeks. It also made sure of one thing -- there is no more wiggle room.

Here's a look at the current NFC East standings:



NFC East

Washington Redskins (6-7)

Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)

New York Giants (5-7)

Dallas Cowboys (4-9)

TALK IS CHEAP, Ep. 34: Is the Tom Coughlin era coming to an end?

Tom Coughlin's fourth-quarter decisions have been questioned all season long, but this one vs. the Jets just might be the one that causes an offseason change. We discuss the future of the Giants' coach in this week's episode. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher.

Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.