The only thing New York Giants fans could be somewhat happy about this season was the hope of a new era in 2025, starting with a quarterback they pick first in the NFL Draft. Shedeur Sanders, in anticipation of being the first pick, even had Giants cleats in his locker during the Colorado bowl game on Saturday.
The only thing no one took into account was the Giants winning a game and screwing up all those draft plans.
NFL teams don’t tank. It’s talked about all the time among fans but it almost never happens. Giants players and coaches don’t care about draft position. Maybe the fans in the stands were probably waiting for another loss, but the Giants played their best game in months and beat the Indianapolis Colts 45-33, eliminate the Colts from the playoffs.
Drew Lock completed 7 of 8 passes for 153 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. New York returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown. The Fox broadcast team said it was the first time the Giants returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown since 1949. Malik Nabers had a huge play and the Giants held off a Colts team that was still alive for the playoffs.
The Giants chose a hell of a time to finally play well. It was the first time they scored 40 points since December 22, 2019. They hadn’t even scored 30 in a game this season.
The Giants’ victory will change the entire outlook of the draft. The Giants, who were the only team with just two wins this season, no longer have the inside track on the top pick. The New England Patriots take the first slot with one week remaining, according to Tankathon. The Giants’ win knocked them out of the top two for now, perhaps pushing them out of position to get a better quarterback in the draft, or costing them additional picks in a trade.
There may be a reasonable argument that the first choice isn’t worth it anyway. Miami’s Cam Ward and Sanders are the top prospects in the quarterback draft, and there is skepticism about them both. Neither is a sure-fire franchise quarterback. But the Giants would at least have a choice between the two if they got No. 1. Now they’ll probably have to wait and see what happens to them, or if someone jumps at them in a trade to get Ward or Sanders.
It’s hard to have hope without a quarterback. The last time the Giants were in the market to draft a top-10 quarterback, they passed Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall. This led to six losing seasons as the Giants hoped Jones would become a breakout player. And when the Giants finally threw in the towel on Jones, cutting him during this season, they were back to square one. But until Sunday, the hope was that they would have a few months to determine whether Ward or Sanders was the right quarterback to lead the team for the next few years and, hopefully, beyond. They are now at the mercy of what happens to the teams ahead of them. Or maybe they’ll take a few breaks in Week 18 and work their way back up.
It’s just a reminder that teams don’t tank. Players don’t worry about getting an optimal draft pick because that new player could take their position. All coaches are focused on winning, as Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said. I pointed this out to everyone last week. when he said, “We’re not doing this for anyone’s screening projects.”
The Giants got a win and the locker room will be happier this week. The sadness in the front office could be felt in April.
Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 17 of the NFL season:
WINNERS
Sam Darnold: In every game, Darnold is earn money on your next contract.
If you were waiting for Darnold to turn into a pumpkin, he made you wait another week. Darnold threw for 377 yards and the Minnesota Vikings held on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25. The Vikings will face the Detroit Lions next week with the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the line.
Darnold has been very good, as he has been for most of the season. He had three touchdowns. Darnold is only signed to a one-year deal and the Vikings have a tough decision to make this offseason considering they have first-round pick JJ McCarthy returning from a knee injury. If Darnold continues at this level of play for the remainder of the season, he will be paid very well, whether from the Vikings or someone else.
Kenny Pickett: He has already entered a phase of his career in which every opportunity to play counts.
The former first-round pick is trying to revive his career after his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers ended badly and abruptly. The Dallas Cowboys aren’t the toughest opponent these days, but they’ve been playing pretty well lately. And Pickett was impressive in a 41-7 victory. He left the game with an injury in the third quarter after taking a hit from Micah Parsons, but he had already helped the Eagles take a 27–7 lead at that point. He did his job and more. Saquon Barkley, who surpassed the 2,000 yard mark this seasonhelped bring him home. Barkley has rushed for 167 yards on 31 carries and is 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. And the Eagles finish next week with… the Giants, Barkley’s old team.
Pickett, filling in because Jalen Hurts was out with a concussion, had 133 yards and a passing touchdown in the first half, as well as a rushing touchdown on a Tush Push on the final play of the second quarter. The Eagles needed to keep winning to maintain their lead in the NFC East (they hadn’t clinched until Week 17) and continue chasing the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Pickett got the call on Sunday and he was successful. That’s the kind of performance that can land Pickett some contracts.
Lamar Jackson’s MVP odds: Josh Allen may still be leading the MVP race, but he hasn’t done anything to get out of it either.
Allen had a perfectly successful week 17. Buffalo Bills destroyed the New York Jets 40-14. Allen scored two touchdowns, including one on a nice catch from Amari Cooper. The Bills pulled Allen in the fourth quarter, preferring not to improve his stats late in a blowout. He totaled 182 passing yards and 17 rushing yards. The Bills won big, but it was a second straight quiet performance on the stat sheet for Allen.
There was nothing wrong with Allen’s performance, but stats matter when Jackson has been on fire lately. The Bills may not care about Allen’s stats or the MVP, considering they are one of the best teams in the NFL and threatening to win a Super Bowl as the No. 1 seed. °2 of the AFC. They proved it again by destroying the Jets.
It’s a two-person race for MVP, and maybe a three- or four-way race if Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals make the playoffs or Saquon Barkley breaks Eric Dickerson’s rushing record in one. only season.
Allen had a huge lead just a few weeks ago. The race promises to be very close with one week to go. And Allen might not play next week as the Bills clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with Sunday’s win.
Mayfield Baker: He’s been so good with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that Mayfield will likely give his offensive coordinator a head coaching job for the second straight season.
Mayfield had a fantastic season, with Liam Coen calling plays and rising through the ranks of the coaching prospect council during the offseason, and he played well again in a dominant 48-14 win over the Carolina Panthers Sunday. Mayfield totaled 359 yards and five touchdowns. He has 39 touchdown passes this season with one week remaining.
The Buccaneers have a good chance to win the NFC South, and it won’t be an easy exit in the wild-card round. Mayfield, whose career ended just a few years ago, now plays like one of the best QBs in the league.
LOSERS
All Browns-Dolphins fans: Imagine sitting in the rain in late December in Cleveland to watch Dorian Thompson-Robinson take on Tyler Huntley.
Those who missed out deserve a pat on the back, even if they will never get those three hours back. The Dolphins won 20-3 to stay alive in the AFC wild-card race. The Browns have been horrible on offense, which has been the case every time Thompson-Robinson has started. Huntley played well in place of Tua Tagovailoa, throwing for 225 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for 53 more and a score.
The Browns, down to 3-13, have long been eliminated from playoff contention. Their fans are hoping for better results next season. That won’t happen unless the team finds a more viable option at quarterback.
Tennessee Titans, with a glimmer of hope: The Titans were absolutely horrible through December. They haven’t won a game all month. On Sunday, they faced the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the worst teams in football, and lost 20-13.
But it could turn out well. The Titans continue to move up the draft order — the Jaguars’ win helps the Titans’ draft position, so it was a double-dip for Tennessee in its loss — and they need a quarterback. Will Levis has been benched and it’s hard to believe that Tennessee would be happy to enter 2025 with him as a significant part of their plans. If the Titans can get high enough in the draft to pick Ward or Sanders, all the losses won’t be so bad.
Overall, nothing that happened in Brian Callahan’s first season as head coach of the Titans can be considered good news for the franchise.
New Orleans Saints: For some teams that end the season poorly, there is hope during the offseason. Is there much hope for the Saints?
The Saints are so bad that they were beaten 25-10 at home by a Las Vegas Raiders team that was 3-12 entering. New Orleans’ late-season woes, including Monday night’s Week 16 shutout by the Green Bay Packers, can be blamed largely on injuries. This is not to say that the outlook for next season is much better.
The Saints can’t feel good about the quarterback position with Derek Carr. They are once again well over the salary cap, so cuts will be coming. There is some young talent on the roster, but not so much that there is a realistic goal of a quick rebound in 2025.
Sunday was another bad day for the Saints. There will probably be many more to come.