There’s a lot at stake for the Giants in Week 17.
Surprisingly, they could still beat NFC East, even after losing 27-13 against the Ravens in Week 16.
They may also end up getting the number 3 choice in the NFL Draft.
Yes, you read that right: there are scenarios in which the Giants can win the division and reach the playoffs or fall abruptly to be third in the April draft. That’s NFC East in a nutshell.
The Giants were the first NFC East team to play on Sunday, and left M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore without knowing whether their playoff hopes had ended after dropping to 5-10. If Washington or the Eagles had won, they would have been eliminated.
Of course, both teams lose and neither game was particularly played. So now a Giants team with 10 losses can still make it into the postseason and, for some reasons, can make a huge leap in recruiting.
It would be fair to imagine what would be best for the organization – a 6-10 season ending with a full playoff or a choice from the top 3. But this is not the case. This is about the scenarios.
Let’s look at both, starting with the split.
This is simple: if the Giants can beat the Cowboys – averaging 36 points per game in their three-game winning streak – and Washington lose to the Eagles, the Giants beat NFC East.
The draft scenario in which the Giants get the third overall choice is a little more complicated.
First of all, it is important to note that with the draft order, when the teams finish with the same record, the tie is broken due to the schedule. Any team that has the Easier the strength of the schedule – which essentially means that they played against worse teams and still lost – wins the tiebreaker.
Of all the teams currently in the Top-10, only the Lions (0.502) had an easier schedule than the Giants (0.506), which bodes well for them.
So here’s what needs to happen for the Giants to end with the third overall choice:
1. The giants lose to the Cowboys.
2. Lions (5-9) beat the Vikings (6-9).
3. Texans (4-11) beat Titans (10-4).
4. Falcons (4-11) beat Buccaneers (10-5)
5. Bengals (4-10-1) beat the Ravens (10-5)
6. Eagles (4-10-1) win against Washington (6-9).
So while it is complicated – and it would require a lot of bad teams taking down good teams – it is not impossible.
Anyway, if the Giants lose, they will be placed in the top 10. If they win and win the division, they fall to the 19th choice.
What a strange station.
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Zack Rosenblatt can be contacted at [email protected]. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip on here.